New Zealand
I went to New Zealand in August 2005:
I got lots of advice before I went that August is the middle of winter in New Zealand. So I dragged ski-gear with me all through Hawai'i, in fear of shivering my bits off. But when I got to Auckland, aside from everyone in the (most high tech ever) youth hostel sneezing madly, it was ... warm. Really mild and warmish, like a bright October day back home in England.
So I scoffed my head off, obviously. I'm british, so I'm practised in sneering at people. I spunked a fortune on trekker sandals, waltzed round the city gaping at trees (that looked to European eyes like gene technology abortions) in surf shorts and a T shirt, snorting at people that they should visit the UK in February, then they'd see what death of the soul freezing temperatures are like.
Yeah, I got sick. NZ houses and businesses aren't insulated or heated (except for the best showers in the world), so though it's not cold, nothing like cold. Plus, dorm bedrooms = bacterial party scene. I spent most of the time in Auckland compensating with Ponsonby coffee shops and chocolate cakes (bigger than your head), or trying to sleep through slasher flicks in daytime cinema auditoriums.
Kiwis are all outdoorsy.
Everywhere's full of bungee jumpers or catamarans, or chocolate cake (bigger than your head).
But I still couldn't walk. (And I was cold-turkeying a multivitamin addiction from the states that ended in various embarrassing choking incidents on dorm room floors.) After some advice from jamjar, I managed a short cruise to Waiheke Island, where I drank and ate so much prima stuff at the Stonyridge Vineyard the bus broke down.
As soon as my nose stopped oozing filth, I flew over to the South Island, trying to make myself look adventurous by snapping photos of mountains from directly above on the way. In Christchurch I tried to defeat my fear of heights by going to 12000 feet in a four man light aircraft, opening the door, screaming 'hell, no,' wedging my feet against the braces in terror, and being unceremoniously booted out by force. I don't remember much about th 60 seconds of freefall (eyes closed), but the tandem skydive after was stunning.
Still scared of heights, though. Some fears are just sensible.
Frogstar showed me round the cafes and bars and chocolate cake (bigger than your head) of Christchurch, and I lurked menacingly in the corners at some aquarium where Fishboy used to work. That's where I first started trying to spot kiwis, but a pitch black kiwi room kind of puts paid to the idea of visibility.
On a kiwi-spotting quest (I saw 9 kiwis! No, it was just a murky shadow! No, 12 kiwis!), I and an extremely hyper bus driver visited a local dinner-and-show Maori experience at the zoo.
It was ... museumish. Like 'Butlins Do The Maoris'. (I think having had to do the stick banging thing at girl guides had prejudiced me.)
I hitched back to town with two irish honeymooners who'd invited me to dinner (it didn't seem a particularly good augury for their marriage to be wanting company on night two, but hey), explored the wholefoods at Piko, wandered round russian bars decorated with dollies in the next valley's port @, had an angry midnight pillowfight with Maura Mahn (the selfishest cow I've ever had to share a dorm with), and tried to make my extra virgin olive oil in a recycled bottle look less like pee when I left it in the youth hostel fridge. (labelling things 'no really, this is expensive'; honestly, how London can you be?)
Jamjar picked me up from the airport back in Auckland, took me home, fed me litres of wine and let me sleep with her cat (all of which was pretty above and beyond for a complete stranger from the internet; what a star) and generally made me worry about the privations to come: in lands without NZ showers, NZ lamb steaks, NZ bookstores, NZ chocolate cake (bigger than your head) or NZ generosity.
I spent two weeks in NZ. Nowhere near enough.
Travel tips:
If you're ever going to New Zealand, then your plushest meal out (in food and wine scoffing terms) is easily to eat at Stonyridge Vineyard's Verandah Cafe on Waiheke Island. Book ahead on a Sunday to catch the full outdoorsy boat-flocks in the harbour on the ferries across.
Bird spotting's more fun than gallery swotting here - as well as trees that look like Cronenberg thought them up, there are some well weird creatures - pukekos, kiwis, rias.
Avoid the Maori dinner-and-show things. (Trust me on that.) Unless you want an evening where you suddenly feel 65 (and look! You pay $65, too). Whereas the bona fide museums are dead interesting, documenting how western settlers destroyed a biological paradise.
NZ bookshops are dreamy - but super super expensive. Use amazon instead.
Best Auckland cafes: all in Ponsonby Road. Full of chocolate cake. (bigger than your head.)
The Atomic cafe has fat cuddly cats, too.
Best Christchurch bar: Wunderbar, in nearby Lyttelton. The one with the decapitated dollies decor.
The skydiving school I used - SkydivingNZ - were absolute stars - though I have to say, the guys who witter less are the most reassuring when falling through empty sky at 200kph (Pete was brilliant). They're at Wigram Aerodrome, near Christchurch. (tel. 64-3-343-5542)
I didn't get to see the whales at Kaikoura, or to visit Milford Sound, but if I had the chance, I'd leap at it, now. (And if I had a third chance, I'd want to dive off the Coromandel Peninsula, on the North Island.)
I flew from one island to the other with Qantas' budget branch (NZ$200), and they were pretty good. Nice people watching at the airport, too (spotted: a family of prozzers and their dwarf child).
Rolleston House YHA has the best showers of any hostel in the world. (NZ$25 per night.) 5 Worcester Blvd, Auckland. (tel. 3-366-6564)
Get your hair cut for NZ$10 and a hilarious rant opposite Aotea Square, in Auckland, then follow it up with Lord of the Kebabs....
The advice I got from readers before I went was -
Eroica says: my advice: skip auckland and come and see me in chch.
;-) i'll feed you organic chocolate and coffee.
Greavsie says:
Only been to the South Island but Christchurch good. Hamner Springs, good esp in winter as it's a thermal thingy.
H says:
I did a free bus tour around auckland that some company offered which was pretty nifty. Also the YHA there was quite nice. However of all NZ auckland and roturura were the dullest and least enjoyable.
Fi says:
Tips for Auckland.
1. Kelly Tarltons. See the penguins.
2. War Memorial Museum. Maori wing in particular.
3. Sky Tower. Great view.
4. Waiheke Island. Go find a deserted beach.
5. Karekare Beach. Where The Piano was filmed.
6. Karangahape Road (known as "K" Rd) talk a walk along and go down all the arcades.
7. Otara Market for Polynesian Auckland (Sunday I think)
8. Enjoy my hometown :)
-
Fishboy says:
I'm not big on Auckland.. *thinks* actually the last time I visited the place where more than half NZers live was almost exactly 10 years ago! I don't miss it. But if you manage to get a bit south you should visit the Coromandel for the lush greenery and hippies. And Raglan for the surfing and hippies. Avoid Hamilton, avoid avoid avoid.. *shudders*
The best of New Zealand is in the South Island (biased? me?) and I could give you a very detailed run-down of things to do there, but it doesn't sound like you're going to make it so I won't tease you with what you're missing :p
Michelle, who offered to show me lunch in Auckland, and give advice in person, :), says:
Yeh, I've lived in Auckland a long time and I can never figure out what to do here.
1. The Museum is worth a look.
2. As is the Zoo.
3. Kelly Tarlton's is a bit old but if you're not going to Sydney, maybe a visit there'll be nice cept it's rather pricey.
4. Devonport is nice for breakfast - ferry over and brunch leisurely.
5. um.
6. Otara Markets in South Auckland on a Saturday (?) morning.. Aotea Square Markets on a Friday/Saturday. Victoria Street markets in the City almost every day of the week.
7. Avoid any and all Malls.
8. Go climb a wall at the Mt Wellington rock climbing warehousey thing.
9. You can go up to Albany and snow in the artificial environment that is Snow Planet.
10. Oh oh and definately, go up to Goat Island - it's only an hour's drive. This time of year I'd hire a wetsuit when you hire your snorkel gear (or diving gear if you do that) before you go up to Goat Island - you would have fun doing that - Goat Island is a Marine Reserve and the fish are used to humans and it's a damn good way to spend some time. In fact - do that instead of going to Kelly Tarltons.
11. and don't listen to fishboy - Hamilton is very pretty and has a wonderful Art Gallery. It's grown up a lot in the last few years and it's a nice place to stop for morning tea on the way to Rotorua.
Fishboy then changed his tune:
Ok, it's been ages since I was in Hamiltron either so I may be a little out of date.. I bow to your superior local knowledge Michelle *s*
Especially since you're, like, a local.
And still live in NZ too!
I so want to go to Goat Island..
I got lots of advice before I went that August is the middle of winter in New Zealand. So I dragged ski-gear with me all through Hawai'i, in fear of shivering my bits off. But when I got to Auckland, aside from everyone in the (most high tech ever) youth hostel sneezing madly, it was ... warm. Really mild and warmish, like a bright October day back home in England.
So I scoffed my head off, obviously. I'm british, so I'm practised in sneering at people. I spunked a fortune on trekker sandals, waltzed round the city gaping at trees (that looked to European eyes like gene technology abortions) in surf shorts and a T shirt, snorting at people that they should visit the UK in February, then they'd see what death of the soul freezing temperatures are like.
Yeah, I got sick. NZ houses and businesses aren't insulated or heated (except for the best showers in the world), so though it's not cold, nothing like cold. Plus, dorm bedrooms = bacterial party scene. I spent most of the time in Auckland compensating with Ponsonby coffee shops and chocolate cakes (bigger than your head), or trying to sleep through slasher flicks in daytime cinema auditoriums.
Kiwis are all outdoorsy.
Everywhere's full of bungee jumpers or catamarans, or chocolate cake (bigger than your head).
But I still couldn't walk. (And I was cold-turkeying a multivitamin addiction from the states that ended in various embarrassing choking incidents on dorm room floors.) After some advice from jamjar, I managed a short cruise to Waiheke Island, where I drank and ate so much prima stuff at the Stonyridge Vineyard the bus broke down.
As soon as my nose stopped oozing filth, I flew over to the South Island, trying to make myself look adventurous by snapping photos of mountains from directly above on the way. In Christchurch I tried to defeat my fear of heights by going to 12000 feet in a four man light aircraft, opening the door, screaming 'hell, no,' wedging my feet against the braces in terror, and being unceremoniously booted out by force. I don't remember much about th 60 seconds of freefall (eyes closed), but the tandem skydive after was stunning.
Still scared of heights, though. Some fears are just sensible.
Frogstar showed me round the cafes and bars and chocolate cake (bigger than your head) of Christchurch, and I lurked menacingly in the corners at some aquarium where Fishboy used to work. That's where I first started trying to spot kiwis, but a pitch black kiwi room kind of puts paid to the idea of visibility.
On a kiwi-spotting quest (I saw 9 kiwis! No, it was just a murky shadow! No, 12 kiwis!), I and an extremely hyper bus driver visited a local dinner-and-show Maori experience at the zoo.
It was ... museumish. Like 'Butlins Do The Maoris'. (I think having had to do the stick banging thing at girl guides had prejudiced me.)
I hitched back to town with two irish honeymooners who'd invited me to dinner (it didn't seem a particularly good augury for their marriage to be wanting company on night two, but hey), explored the wholefoods at Piko, wandered round russian bars decorated with dollies in the next valley's port @, had an angry midnight pillowfight with Maura Mahn (the selfishest cow I've ever had to share a dorm with), and tried to make my extra virgin olive oil in a recycled bottle look less like pee when I left it in the youth hostel fridge. (labelling things 'no really, this is expensive'; honestly, how London can you be?)
Jamjar picked me up from the airport back in Auckland, took me home, fed me litres of wine and let me sleep with her cat (all of which was pretty above and beyond for a complete stranger from the internet; what a star) and generally made me worry about the privations to come: in lands without NZ showers, NZ lamb steaks, NZ bookstores, NZ chocolate cake (bigger than your head) or NZ generosity.
I spent two weeks in NZ. Nowhere near enough.
Travel tips:
If you're ever going to New Zealand, then your plushest meal out (in food and wine scoffing terms) is easily to eat at Stonyridge Vineyard's Verandah Cafe on Waiheke Island. Book ahead on a Sunday to catch the full outdoorsy boat-flocks in the harbour on the ferries across.
Bird spotting's more fun than gallery swotting here - as well as trees that look like Cronenberg thought them up, there are some well weird creatures - pukekos, kiwis, rias.
Avoid the Maori dinner-and-show things. (Trust me on that.) Unless you want an evening where you suddenly feel 65 (and look! You pay $65, too). Whereas the bona fide museums are dead interesting, documenting how western settlers destroyed a biological paradise.
NZ bookshops are dreamy - but super super expensive. Use amazon instead.
Best Auckland cafes: all in Ponsonby Road. Full of chocolate cake. (bigger than your head.)
The Atomic cafe has fat cuddly cats, too.
Best Christchurch bar: Wunderbar, in nearby Lyttelton. The one with the decapitated dollies decor.
The skydiving school I used - SkydivingNZ - were absolute stars - though I have to say, the guys who witter less are the most reassuring when falling through empty sky at 200kph (Pete was brilliant). They're at Wigram Aerodrome, near Christchurch. (tel. 64-3-343-5542)
I didn't get to see the whales at Kaikoura, or to visit Milford Sound, but if I had the chance, I'd leap at it, now. (And if I had a third chance, I'd want to dive off the Coromandel Peninsula, on the North Island.)
I flew from one island to the other with Qantas' budget branch (NZ$200), and they were pretty good. Nice people watching at the airport, too (spotted: a family of prozzers and their dwarf child).
Rolleston House YHA has the best showers of any hostel in the world. (NZ$25 per night.) 5 Worcester Blvd, Auckland. (tel. 3-366-6564)
Get your hair cut for NZ$10 and a hilarious rant opposite Aotea Square, in Auckland, then follow it up with Lord of the Kebabs....
The advice I got from readers before I went was -
Eroica says: my advice: skip auckland and come and see me in chch.
;-) i'll feed you organic chocolate and coffee.
Greavsie says:
Only been to the South Island but Christchurch good. Hamner Springs, good esp in winter as it's a thermal thingy.
H says:
I did a free bus tour around auckland that some company offered which was pretty nifty. Also the YHA there was quite nice. However of all NZ auckland and roturura were the dullest and least enjoyable.
Fi says:
Tips for Auckland.
1. Kelly Tarltons. See the penguins.
2. War Memorial Museum. Maori wing in particular.
3. Sky Tower. Great view.
4. Waiheke Island. Go find a deserted beach.
5. Karekare Beach. Where The Piano was filmed.
6. Karangahape Road (known as "K" Rd) talk a walk along and go down all the arcades.
7. Otara Market for Polynesian Auckland (Sunday I think)
8. Enjoy my hometown :)
-
Fishboy says:
I'm not big on Auckland.. *thinks* actually the last time I visited the place where more than half NZers live was almost exactly 10 years ago! I don't miss it. But if you manage to get a bit south you should visit the Coromandel for the lush greenery and hippies. And Raglan for the surfing and hippies. Avoid Hamilton, avoid avoid avoid.. *shudders*
The best of New Zealand is in the South Island (biased? me?) and I could give you a very detailed run-down of things to do there, but it doesn't sound like you're going to make it so I won't tease you with what you're missing :p
Michelle, who offered to show me lunch in Auckland, and give advice in person, :), says:
Yeh, I've lived in Auckland a long time and I can never figure out what to do here.
1. The Museum is worth a look.
2. As is the Zoo.
3. Kelly Tarlton's is a bit old but if you're not going to Sydney, maybe a visit there'll be nice cept it's rather pricey.
4. Devonport is nice for breakfast - ferry over and brunch leisurely.
5. um.
6. Otara Markets in South Auckland on a Saturday (?) morning.. Aotea Square Markets on a Friday/Saturday. Victoria Street markets in the City almost every day of the week.
7. Avoid any and all Malls.
8. Go climb a wall at the Mt Wellington rock climbing warehousey thing.
9. You can go up to Albany and snow in the artificial environment that is Snow Planet.
10. Oh oh and definately, go up to Goat Island - it's only an hour's drive. This time of year I'd hire a wetsuit when you hire your snorkel gear (or diving gear if you do that) before you go up to Goat Island - you would have fun doing that - Goat Island is a Marine Reserve and the fish are used to humans and it's a damn good way to spend some time. In fact - do that instead of going to Kelly Tarltons.
11. and don't listen to fishboy - Hamilton is very pretty and has a wonderful Art Gallery. It's grown up a lot in the last few years and it's a nice place to stop for morning tea on the way to Rotorua.
Fishboy then changed his tune:
Ok, it's been ages since I was in Hamiltron either so I may be a little out of date.. I bow to your superior local knowledge Michelle *s*
Especially since you're, like, a local.
And still live in NZ too!
I so want to go to Goat Island..
posted by Lectrice at lunes, junio 07, 2004
0 Advice:
Publicar un comentario
<< Home