New Zealand

Best of New Zealand

November 24, 2012 /

New Zealand has been the best destination to start our world trip. A country that could be described as a national park as a whole, full of diverse landscapes, easily accessible to any range of tourists, public restrooms in every corner, and ready to be discovered. We enjoyed the beauty of the beaches, rivers, lakes, mountains, volcanoes, caves, hot springs, tropical forests, glaciers, sounds, fiords, wildlife, farms, wineries, and cities of both the North and South islands. The country offers so much biodiversity, but unfortunately we just scratched the surface of it.

As a nation, New Zealand is an example to other countries where colonization has been a devastating process to the legacy of natives and their cultures. In contrast, New Zealand has been founded under principals that respect and preserve the values of Maori culture. We were admired to find out that their official languages are: Maori, English, and Sign Language. What other country in the world can be as culturally sensitive? We hope during our trip to find others.

Below are other great things we enjoyed about New Zealand:

Food and Drinks

  • Fish and Chips

  • Burger Fuel – Bastard: Avocado, Beets, Mango Burger

  • Hangi Food (Traditional Maori Food)

  • Tui Beer, IPA

  • L&P – Lemon & Paeroa: Good Lemonish Stuff

  • Waiheke Wineries: Jurassic Ridge Winery, Mudbrick Winery, and Cable Bay Vineyard

  • Gibbston Wineries: Chard Farm Winery and Peregrine Winery

Favorite Sights and Activities

  • Hot Water Beach

  • Whanganui River Journey

  • Abel Tasman National Park

  • Fox Glacier Tour

  • Canyoning in Routeburn

People

  • Tineke and Chris: they were our Couchsurfing hosts in Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand.

  • Vanessa, Kane, and Che: Vanessa is Gisela’s high school friend.

  • Charlotte: Our WWOOFing buddy at Uma Rapiti from Germany.

  • Elizabeth and Chad: Manager’s at Uma Rapiti

  • Tana and Charles: owners of Uma Rapiti

  • Gerardo: met on the Whanganui River from Mexico

  • Paul and Jennifer: met on the Whanganui River from USA.

  • Richard and Alex: met on the Whanganui River – Richard from England and Alex from Netherlands.

  • Dmitry: met on the Whanganui River from France.

  • Juan and Angeles: met on the Fox Glacier tour from Argentina.

  • Ian and Rosamund: our WWOOF hosts in Christchurch.

  • Nozomi: a Japanese student staying with Ian and Rosamund

Animals Viewed

  • Sheep

  • Cow

  • Bull

  • Yellow-eyed Penguin

  • Fur Seal

Common Sayings

  • Lovely

  • Enjoying the holidays

  • Hey mate!

  • Maori Expressions:

    • Kia Ora = Welcome

    • Puku = Belly

    • Nono = Butt

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