New Zealand: Sheep at Lake Pukaki, South Island |
New Zealand wasn’t on my bucket list, but I recommend you
put it on yours. It’s actually now on my
list of countries I would return to explore more. With
little to no tourism advertising or iconic pictures beckoning me to New
Zealand, it had simply gone unnoticed until a colleague recommended it, knowing
how active we like to be.
New Zealand. South Island landscape. |
Auckland |
I would be remiss if I didn’t start by mentioning one of
New Zealand’s biggest attractions –they are the friendliest people you will
ever meet. The people of New Zealand became called Kiwis after soldiers
donned a patch of the national bird, the kiwi, on military uniforms in World War I. They
are proud to be called Kiwis, and they are eager to have visitors to their
country. To my surprise, a simple
connection turned into an offer for dinner in Auckland with a lovely family,
who are now new friends. Throughout our
trip, it was easy to strike up conversations with locals, who openly shared
their stories, adventures, and heartbreaks.
The Māori, who self-identify as 17.5 percent of the population, are the
indigenous Polynesian people who settled in New Zealand in the early 1300s,
before the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New
Zealand in 1642. The official languages
of New Zealand are English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language. New Zealand was a colony of the British
Empire from 1841 – 1907, and then a dominion from 1907 – 1947, when it gained
full statutory independence with the British monarch remaining the head of
state to this day.
The fact that Kiwis like to welcome visitors is perhaps why
I was able to find amazing AirBandBs for every step of our trip. For each stop, I had researched hotel options
and AirBandBs, and opted for the AirBandB every time, and they met or exceeded our
expectations every time while giving us easy laundry and kitchen
facilities. Another option we may do if
we return is to rent a camper van, as free or low-cost camping is plentiful.
In Part 2 (to post next week), I will recap our week on the North Island, and in Part
3 (to post in two weeks), I will recap our week on the South Island.
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