Ever since I got my passport back in 2007, I have been
traveling overseas ever since. New Zealand is one of those places I keep coming
back to mainly as I have family and was born there. That is only part of the
reason as I want to get to know the country a bit better and I think I have
found plenty of locations of interest for the fountain of knowledge especially
through blogs where I talk about the locations I have visited.
My visits to New Zealand have taken me from the very top of
the North Island at Cape Reinga to Invercargill on the South Island. I have not
done much travel in the South Island other than a loop tour that takes me to
the usual places like Christchurch and Queenstown. On the North Island I always
seem to find something new to visit. I do research where I want to go and see
if the bus can get me there as I don’t want to drive everywhere. Actually I
have never had to drive a vehicle in New Zealand at all. Some of my trips have
revolved around Lord Of The Rings or The Hobbit not just for the filming
locations, but also for the scenery that was shot during the movies as New
Zealand has some beautiful country.
Every trip to New Zealand is a learning experience
especially in regards to the travel gear I bring along. I am learning what I do
need nearly every time I pack my bags. I have taken away the sleeping bag as it
is something that is not needed and hostels usually wont let you use them in
the rooms. I try to bring around four pairs of clothes on the trips though I
recently was reading about rolling the clothing up, which is something that I
actually do. Wet weather gear is something that I usually have on my person at
all times including a brolly and rain coat with the wet weather pants too. They
came in handy when I was both at a very wet Hobbiton and when it began snowing
in November in Whakapapa Village near National Park. Snow is something very
different to what I am used to and unexpected for my trip away.
Other gear I take away with me is all my electronic stuff
especially a computer to record my travel blogs online. Usually I try to post
something like this at night as I don’t usually go out or very far other than
for food. My computer has changed from a bulky laptop to a Netbook that has
come in handy and thin enough that you hardly notice it. I have learnt that you
need to research some of the places to visit as you are on the go. You cant
always have a list of places to visit. A low tech notepad and pen is handy for
that too. I have included in the last trip to New Zealand gear to increase my
USB ports, a card reader for my photos. For easy access to everything including
power cords I have them all in one place within a bag. There is nothing like
hunting around your bags for a cord or cable when they are not altogether. This
year I am taking a power point adapter with USB chargers so then I hope it
makes things easier. So many devices charge on USB these days.
I would never say that I am an expert in travelling to many
different parts of New Zealand, but there is plenty of history to look into
when you head to that country. I don’t always find out about historic places
until after I am actually within the locality and I then hunt down the little
bit of information about that place. Sometimes I actually misread something
like in Devonport as I wanted to visit Mt. Victoria and I thought they had
singing mushrooms. The mushrooms were not singing at all. I have recently
started a blog about historical wanderings and somehow I have ended up with
plenty of New Zealand locations with the photos as my blogs don’t say much
about the individual places. I have learnt which are the best places to stay
while travelling and I have everything all booked by the time I leave as then I
do not need to worry about finding something and leaves my entire day free to
move around. I would suggest looking into the YHA hostel for starters, but they
are not in every town.
This year I am going to a few places and several are out of
the way, but I am going by bus so they are all on the route. The places are as
follows not in alphabetic order. Auckland, Whangarei, Paihia (Waitangi Day),
Warkworth, Taupo, Hamilton, Te Kuiti, New Plymouth, Wanganui and Wellington.
Some of these places I have visited before and will always try to find
something new or they are actually stop over points too. I am wanting to
experience a Waitangi Day so left my New Zealand trip later than what I planned.
I usually head there around the end of October November, but plans were
interrupted. The original trip I had planned had me heading to Ohakune where I
was going to try for the Bridge to Nowhere tour, but that is something I should
research and might have to stay in Pipiriki overnight. I also found in Ohakune
that there is a memorial / monument to the last nail being placed onto the
railway. I could be wrong, but it is not far up the road. I think anyone can
get a fair idea as to where I would head. Original plans don’t always work out,
but sometimes they can be even better.
You never know what I will find on my travels and I can even
surprise myself. I always have a camera that will capture something that has
caught my interest and I never run out of things to do. There is plenty of
country out there to explore and to stop at on your way to another location.
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