Tips for Travel in Aotearoa New ZealandSome of the random things I learned while traveling there... * What guidebook should I use? I used the Lonely Planet, as I've gotten used to their guidebooks elsewhere, and because I love their website. However, The One And Only brought the Rough Guide, and having used both of those, I'd have to say I developed a slight preference for the Rough Guide. It's mostly a toss-up, except that the Lonely Planet's maps tend to suck, and I found all the advertisements at the back of the Rough Guide extraordinarily irritating every time I tried to use the index. Otherwise, both guidebooks have a wealth of cultural, historical and practical information, though the LP, at least, is not winter-travel-friendly; they're both solid when it comes to budget accomodation. One guidebook I would not recommend is Fodor's. While it had some good information (see winter travel below), and could be used as a supplementary guidebook, it won't get you far on its own. It's not geared toward budget travellers, for one, and it's also a lot shorter than either of the two others (and has bigger print), so you're just not getting as much information. Also, pick up a copy of the BBH hostel guide and the YHA hostel guide (both available at participating hostels), and, if you're staying in hotels or motels, a copy of Jason's Motel Guide (free at listed motels) and the Budget Accomodations Guide (at airport and other brochure counters). These free guides will be invaluable, as not even all the hostels are listed in the guidebooks. * What about winter travel?
One thing that bugged me about the Lonely Planet was their complete
disregard of the possibility that anyone might be traveling to NZ in winter.
Fodor's, on the other hand, offered helpful information like "Kiwis
do not believe in indoor heating," information quite important while
you're deciding which PJs to pack. LP offered nothing, and I didn't
check the Rough Guide. So, in an effort to rectify this omission,
here are some tips for traveling in winter: 1. The weather is unpredictable.
During the six weeks I was there (all of July/first 2 weeks of August)
I hit everything from high-70s to freezing - and sometimes much of that
in the course of one day. The rule of thumb is: Layers! Layers! Layers!
Some of the warmest temperatures we had were on the South Island. It does
tend to be very rainy in winter (though not while we were there), so be
prepared. 2. Do not expect indoor
heating. No, really. Even when it's below freezing out. Really. I
can't count the number of hostels I stayed in that had no heater at all,
or a fireplace in the common room and nothing in the bedrooms. This is
true for private homes and hotels as well. There are a few ways of dealing
with this. What I'd recommend, if you have the space, is to buy a small,
cheap fan heater. After a night in an unheated hostel where the temperature
never got above 53 degrees, we bought a heater for NZ$35, and it was well
worth the investment. It heated up even fairly large rooms in no time,
and kept us from staying up all night shivering. Other options include
asking hostels if they have heating before you book your
room - though some places had heaters that only stayed on for 20 minutes
at a time, which wasn't too pleasant at three in the morning - or packing
long underwear you can sleep in. Had I been traveling alone, I also
would've considered buying an electric blanket, which cost a bit
more than the heater but is more easily portable, and is how many Kiwis
deal with winter cold. 3. Give yourself time for
road closings, especially in the South Island. We didn't run into
this, but my parents did when they spent a winter there. Many NZ roads
are really glorified gravel spits, so travel may not be feasible there
at all times. And when you're dealing with mountain passes, even the best
roads can be drowned in snow. Given that fact, it's not a bad idea to
bring a deck of cards or something in case you're forced to spend a day
holed up somewhere. 4. Fleece is your bestest friend. It's practical, easily washed, and you can buy it there. Leave the wool at home. 5. Not everything is open in winter. Outside of ski areas, it's not a big tourist season, so before you go out of your way to an attraction, you may want to call to make sure they're open. For example, the Kaitaia Nocturnal Park advertised their opening hours on signs along the highway, but when we actually went there, we were faced with locked gates. Similarly, some of the Marlborough wineries were listed as open on the Wine Country brochure, but weren't. So: don't trust signs and brochures, and if it's out of your way, call ahead. * What's the best way of getting around? Rental car. Ace Rentals got us a rental car for $30 a day, unlimited kilometers. And if you're there long enough, you might as well buy a car. But if your budget's more limited, you'll have to go with buses. (The train system is extremely limited, so it won't come in handy too often.) I heard many people - hostel or hotel employees primarily - make fun of Kiwi Experience, not just for its raucous passengers, but for its lack of safety. I have no firsthand knowledge of it, so take that with a grain of salt, but from what I've heard, I'd never use Kiwi Experience. * What about driving? NZ is a drive-on-the-left place, but that's actually pretty easy to get used to. Just remember that people to the right have right of way in the roundabouts. Speed limit is never more than 100 kph, and apparently the tolerance limit on speeding is 10 kph, but there were moves to change that to 5, so you may want to check. On many roads, you probably won't be able to go anywhere near speed limit - Kiwi drivers, however, will still do their damndest to drive as fast as possible. For those many highways with no passing lanes, use the slow vehicle bays or just pull over when someone's trying to drive into your tailpipe. Also, if you're driving, definitely buy a road atlas. You might find some nice scenic routes that the cheaper free maps don't show. And as far as the atlas is concerned - just because there's a dot on the map doesn't mean that there'll be a gas station. We discovered that, especially in sparsely populated areas, the atlas played fast and loose with the concept of "town." * Can I get internet access? Yes. Easily. Most any town and almost every hostel has internet access, usually somewhere around NZ$4-6 per hour.
28. August 2003 |