New Zealand Travel Review – Part 1

At the Auckland airport! Just landed in New Zealand and ready to kick-start a memorable trip. Well, New Zealand was my country number 20.
At the Auckland airport! Just landed in New Zealand and ready to kick-start a memorable trip. Well, New Zealand was my country number 20.

I was travelling in Australia and New Zealand in May 2017. Auckland was the first city that I visited. Later, I also visited Wellington, Queenstown, and Arrowtown. It was such a wonderful experience! I will be writing a series of articles from my trip. So let’s start with Part 1 of the New Zealand review. I will share some general observations about this scenic country (here you can also find an index of my other articles about New Zealand).

Arrowtown Chinese settlement area
Arrowtown Chinese settlement area

Here we go-

New Zealand is a Paradise

Let me emphasise a fundamental fact – New Zealand is all about the scenery. You don’t go to New Zealand to try best cuisines, or to try the fastest train in the world. For that you’d rather wander in Asia. In fact, you should come to here to see the natural beauty – the scenery. The mind blowing scenery that you will see in New Zealand is something you won’t probably see elsewhere.

There are huge parks, lakes, mountains, wildlife, etc. that will fascinate you for a lifetime. In New Zealand, the grasses are always green on either side. You can practically spend many-many years exploring this beautiful country. The Auckland domain and Glenorchy drive are must to be included in your list if you are planning a trip.

The Glenorchy scenic drive! One of the top things to do - at least once in a lifetime.
The Glenorchy scenic drive! One of the top things to do – at least once in a lifetime.

Snowfall in Queenstown

Snowfalls can be another memorable experience. I was fortunate to have witnessed snowfall in Queenstown. Basically, I missed my flight to Melbourne, and I had to stay overnight in Queenstown.

The next morning was the first day of snowfall in Queenstown – so beautiful. Allow me some time to write a separate post about it.

First day of snowfall in Queenstown – I was able to see the snowfall as my flight was cancelled. It was a blessing in disguise.
First day of snowfall in Queenstown – I was able to see the snowfall as my flight was cancelled. It was a blessing in disguise.

The colonial legacy

New Zealand has a wide range of inherited monuments from the colonial empire. For example, you will see the old churches, town halls, etc. being widely prevalent in the cities. The system of government is also borrowed from the UK’s parliamentary form of government. New Zealand is still a Monarchy, and not a republic state. In fact, New Zealand’s current head of state (monarch) is Queen Elizabeth II (the crown of the UK).

During my parliament visit in Wellington, the tour guide informed us about the visit of the Queen to New Zealand in 1954. She visited the parliament and opened its session. The chairs used by the Queen during opening ceremony are now placed on public display (inside the parliament building). You can check out further details about the Queens visit here – Elizabeth II and our Elections. In case you are in Wellington, do join a free parliament tour- it’s absolutely worth it and would be another lifetime experience.

Old St. Paul's, Wellington – the church, constructed in 1860s, is a major historical landmark in the New Zealand’s capital city.
Old St. Paul’s, Wellington – the church, constructed in 1860s, is a major historical landmark in the New Zealand’s capital city.

Friendly, smiling and talkative people

Well, I believe that the locals are very friendly and talkative across the country. I remember waiting at a bus stop Auckland – I was just checking out my GPS to find a bus to downtown. And a passer-by lady stopped by and asked me – “do you need any help?” I politely said no as I thanked her for being so kind. Similarly, if you are looking like a foreigner, and you are on the bus, there are good chances that a local passenger nearby would say hello or smile at you. The members of staff at the tourist information centres are very friendly and helpful as well.

A 50 meters deep crater at the Mt Eden (Maungawhau), Auckland.
A 50 meters deep crater at the Mt Eden (Maungawhau), Auckland.

The Pet culture

The pet dogs are very popular in New Zealand. As such, I am not into the pets, but in New Zealand I often said hello to the pets (and to their friendly lords 🙂 ). In Auckland, for example, I was coming out of a shopping mall, and said hello to a pet dog. Just before leaving, I said –“glad to see you”. The lady (pet owner) smiled and said- “actually, she is older and didn’t meet someone for a long time. She is really happy to meet you”. OMG. We all laughed simultaneously.

Scenery near Arrowtown. New Zealand is paradise for photographers. :)
Scenery near Arrowtown. New Zealand is paradise for photographers. 🙂

The international crowd

You go to any city, and you are likely to find travellers in from all parts of the world. There were lots of Asian people as well. I met a Malaysian family, and the head of the family turned out to be an NTU Singapore graduate from 1990s batch. I also met quite a few travellers who were travelling in New Zealand on Working Holiday Visas. Although New Zealand is full of tourists (including the solo travellers), you won’t feel the crowd like what you are likely to experience in the Asian countries.

Law and Order

New Zealand is a very safe country (unless there is an earthquake 🙂 ). As such, you don’t need to worry about safety issues in the country. You will rarely see a policeman. In fact, the New Zealanders are so friendly that you are likely to drop all the guards. The locals (including expatriate) are law abiding. I give New Zealand a five star rating in terms of law and order. Love You New Zealand. 🙂

Sheep grazing on Cornwall park, Auckland.
Sheep grazing on Cornwall park, Auckland.

New Zealand visa and immigration

Obtaining a New Zealand visa requires a very solid understanding of the visa application procedures. In fact, my tourist visa was rejected once. I applied again with additional documents, and the visa was granted. When I was in New Zealand, I received reminders in my email about leaving the country on time (before the visa expiry). It seems that the government is extremely serious about dealing with the people who unlawfully overstay. I will write further details in a separate post.

Bio-sensitive X-ray machines at airports

Import of undeclared food (honey, sandwich, banana, etc.) is not encouraged in New Zealand. You need to declare whatever food you bring from another country. You will be fined on-the-spot if you tried to hide imported food from the custom officers. You will see several banners displaying warnings on the arrival lounge of the international airports. This was the first time for me to see the Bio-sensitive X-ray machines. Your baggage will definitely be scanned through these X-ray machines.

If you happened to bring some food, do declare clearly it on your arrival card. Be honest and truthful.

Wellington Cable Car going downhill – it’s considered to be a symbol of the New Zealand’s capital.
Wellington Cable Car going downhill – it’s considered to be a symbol of the New Zealand’s capital.

Equality

New Zealand is a developed country, and you will see the advancement of in the human thought process. The government is serious about ensuring the equality. I really wish that the Asian countries would to not lag behind in terms of social thoughts. I think following picture, taken at the University of Auckland, should tell you the situation clearly.

Equality in New Zealand – photo taken at the University of Auckland.
Equality in New Zealand – photo taken at the University of Auckland.

Expensive

Cost of living in New Zealand is very high. In fact, I believe that it’s more expensive than Australia. But again, New Zealand is less expensive than the USA. I remember talking to a student in Auckland. I was informed that the housing rent was paid on a weekly basis. The rent was –NZ $360 per week, for a twin-sharing room (May 2017). 🙂

Jetstar Flights

I flew across the New Zealand with Jetstar airline. My flight from Queenstown to Melbourne was cancelled at the last minute. The prices were reasonable and the services were overall fine. I would recommend Jetstar. 

Food in New Zealand

Similar to Australia, I don’t have a good opinion about the food situation in New Zealand. I ended up eating mostly junk food. You should expect to pay NZ $15-20 for a normal meal at a normal cafeteria. A 500ml water bottle would usually cost you more than NZ $3.  Cooking is the best alternative if you want to save money. I used to feel hungry all the time in Australia, and New Zealand. By the time I returned from the Oceania trip, I had started to feel desperate for the delicious Asian cuisines.

Paragliding in Queenstown– owing to the geographic characteristics, the city is famous for Paragliding, Skydiving.
Paragliding in Queenstown– owing to the geographic characteristics, the city is famous for Paragliding, Skydiving.

Buying a mobile SIM card

You can buy a prepaid mobile SIM card at the New Zealand airports or in the city centres. It’s not difficult at all. The internet data prices are quite high. You will pay around NZ $30 for a new SIM card with 1 GB data. Check out more details in the Auckland review.

The laid-back vibe

I wonder if the people in New Zealand are the laziest. Oftentimes they are too relaxed and slow. For example, I visited an internet café in Queenstown, and I realised that they were still using Windows XP (May 2017). Why can’t you just install the latest version of windows operating systems?

Lake Wakatipu as seen from the top of the Skyline Gondola, Queenstown.
Lake Wakatipu as seen from the top of the Skyline Gondola, Queenstown.

Public transport

Although you wouldn’t see metro train services in New Zealand, they do have good enough bus services. I thoroughly used the bus services in each of the aforementioned cities, and it was overall fine. The intercity trains are quite slow. I wanted to go from Auckland to Wellington by train. I realised that it takes nearly 13 hours. Finally, I ended up booking a flight. Flights can be affordable if you book in advance. But again, you will pay for the check-in baggage, if any.

Languages in New Zealand

You can use English language practically everywhere in New Zealand. But keep in mind that New Zealand has several languages. You are likely to see the Māori language inscriptions in museums, train stations, or the public establishments, etc.

Queenstown Scenery –serene and loving.
Queenstown Scenery –serene and loving.

Some serious issues with New Zealand

The laid-back-ness has introduced its own set of problems in New Zealand. In fact, I have observed quite a few problems. I topped up my bus card online in Auckland, and the balance went negative. I still don’t know what exactly happened. My tourist visa application was rejected, and I was virtually forced to apply for visa again. I had to pay the visa fee again. New Zealand is a developed country? Economically, yes! By the mind-set? May be. I will take time to point other problems in New Zealand and will write separate articles about it.

That’s all about New Zealand Review Part 1. Do check my other posts about New Zealand. You can also find my articles about the other countries, or the complete navigation list. You can also find more about me.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome. 🙂

Rock on!

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