Gorgeous, stunning, breath-taking, out of the world ……….., you run out of superlatives while trying to describe Aotearoa (“ the land of the long white cloud”), the other name for NZ. One is struck by the beautiful landscapes that seem to appear straight out of picture post cards and the sparsely populated countryside. It is difficult to believe that any one country can be endowed with so much beauty. NZ has a population of only 5Mn (lesser than most Indian metro cities) and tourists appear to outnumber local residents in the busier cities.
NZ had been on my bucket list for some time, especially after several friends who had been there, listed it among their most memorable holidays. I started planning our trip early, nearly six months in advance. Decided to work on our itinerary with a NZ based agent Discover NZ / NZ Fine touring, which proved to be the right decision. Starting on 16th Feb’24 from Chennai we covered both the north and south islands over 12 days (10 if you exclude the days of our arrival and departure).
We landed in Auckland which is the country’s largest metro and were struck by the somewhat small but highly efficient airport. We were done with immigration and baggage clearance in 30 mins. Took another 30 mins to reach our hotel in CBD. Hardly found many people on the roads. We visited the Auckland Sky Tower which at a height of 1000 feet is the tallest man made structure in NZ and took the hop on-hop off bus tour. Got off at a few stops ; particularly liked Parnell village, a picturesque suburb that is great to wander around as it has several parks, art galleries, cafes and restaurants. Auckland has a long shoreline dotted with boats (nearly 0.5 Mn for a population of 1.6Mn, about a third of the country’s population lives in Auckland), no wonder it is called the city of sails.
The following day, we picked up our rental car (a brand new Ford Wildtrac pick up truck) for our drive to Rotorua. Driving is a lot of fun in NZ, especially on the highways, though driving fast and maintaining a varying speed limit on narrow curvy roads, ranging from 30 to 100 kms per hour can be challenging. Again, found very less vehicular traffic or people on the highways, compared to the sheep, cattle and deer on the fields along the highways. We drove south from Auckland into the rolling farmland and rich dairy pastures of Waikato before arriving in the limestone hills of Waitomo countryside, home to a large underground network of caves that are 30 million years old. We went on a walking tour of the caves followed by a boat ride under a ceiling of glowworms, a galaxy of tiny living lights. Our next stop was Rotorua, capital of the geothermal region in North Island.
NZ is endowed with natural wonders ranging from snow clad mountains including the Southern Alps, volcanic peaks and craters, geothermal areas with rising steam and bubbling mud, glaciers, fiords, mountain passes, rolling hills and meadows, rivers, lakes and lush rainforests. It is an island that lies between the Tasman sea on the west towards Australia and the Pacific ocean on the east, with two major land masses – the North island and the South island.
With a focus on outdoors and exploring the natural wonders, in North Island we covered the Waitomo caves, Waiotapu geo- thermal valley, Lake Taupo ( the largest by area in NZ, formed from a volcanic eruption), Huka falls (NZ’s highest volume waterfall) river cruise that got us up close to the waterfall and Aratiatia rapids ( NZ’s largest). Lake Taupo was very scenic and we took many pictures of the Lake and the hills across. Close to and attached to the lake we found a small natural pool of hot water and took turns to dip our feet into it. Perhaps a reminder of the Lake’s volcanic origins. Got a live farming experience when we went to a 350 acre Agrodome farm ; never have I seen so many sheep in my life. Also, went for a “Hells gate experience” that included a geothermal walk, apart from the unique experience of a silky mud bath followed by soaking in the sulphur spas. It was time to make our way to South Island – we took a 90 min flight from Rotorua to Christchurch.
The South Island is bigger than North, but with only only a third of North’s population. South Island had a lot to offer too. We went by road from Christchurch to Queenstown covering enroute Lake Tekapo ( visited the small, but, iconic Church of the Good Shepard) and Lake Pukaki ( framed by the spectacular backdrop of Aoraki/ Mount Cook and the Southern Alps). Got to Mt Cook, where we hiked to the Tasman glacier as well as Hooker valley view points. Finally, drove to Queenstown via the famous Lindis pass through the Southern Alps.
Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world. It has a hilly terrain and is a small beautiful town bustling with tourists (who outnumber the local residents). The only adventure we embarked upon was the Skyline Gondola ride that gave us spectacular views of Walter Peak, Cecil Peak, the Remarkables mountain range and the magnificent Lake Wakatipu that runs through Queenstown. The city has a beautiful waterfront with many cafes from where we took a ride on a 100 year old steamship TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak high country farm for a farm tour and gourmet dinner by the lakeside.
From Queenstown we drove to Milord Sound, for a cruise along the length of the fiord. It was raining that day and we found the waterfalls in all their majesty apart from the surrounding mountains and rainforests. We left Queenstown travelling through the Southern Alps from the East to the West Coast across the Haast pass heading towards Franz Josef glacier. Stopped briefly enroute at Wanaka, a popular summer and ski resort town. Lake Wanaka is one of the most beautiful lakes in all of NZ. Stayed overnight in the tiny village of Franz Josef. The village has a population of only 500 while nearly one million tourists come every year to look at the glacier (one of the most visited tourist spots in NZ). The following day we drove to Greymouth via Hokitika (gold mining region also known for its greenstone or Pounamu). We took the Tranz – Alpine scenic train from Greymouth to Christchurch going across the south island from the west to the east coast through the 8.5 km Otira tunnel and Arthur’s pass. This is regarded as one of great train journeys of NZ, for its views of the peaks of the southern Alps, river valleys, beech forests and the Canterbury plains.
We ended our tour in Christchurch, a bustling city bordering the pacific ocean. It is NZ’s newest city as it is getting a makeover following a devastating earthquake that razed it in 2011. Took a coach tour that also covered the suburbs including Sumner beach and Port Hills for a view of the harbour. Spent time in the Botanical gardens and Hagely park. It’s amazing to find a well preserved 400 acre park founded in the 1850s in the heart of the city. We found some really tall and ancient trees in the park apart from beautiful flowering plants that were eye catching.
The Maoris are in integral part of NZ culture. These indigenous Polynesian people or aborigines moved to NZ in several canoes from East Polynesia back in 1320 to 1350 AD. They current represent less than 20% of the country’s population. NZ leads the world in legislation that protects indigenous culture and people. This includes Maori representation in the NZ parliament. Bilingual (English and Maori) signages are common in NZ, though at times controversial (for example with road signs).
We were lucky to participate in a evening cultural experience in Tamaki Maori village, near Rotorua. We were exposed to Maori history, tradition and culture over four hours of celebration and a four course dinner. We witnessed the Haka or the ceremonial dance performed by a group accompanied by vigorous movements, stamping of feet and by rhythmic shouting. It is a show of cultural pride, strength and unity. Customary way to welcome tribes and invigorate warriors headed into battle. Famously, the All Blacks NZ’s national rugby team begins each match with Haka, a tradition followed for over 120 years.
Got introduced to a few common Maori words :
Kia Ora – Hello, Bye, thank you ( mostly used as a greeting)
Nau Mai – Welcome
Mai Ki – Come to
Haere ra – Goodbye
Kia Ora, Nau Mai, Mai ki Aotearoa translates to Hello, Welcome to NZ.
We learnt quite a bit about the country from the men and women who drove us around in the cities. All the drivers we interacted with were well educated / well informed and willing to share their perspectives about living in NZ. Their commentary on longer rides was humorous and very entertaining. The country is very tourist friendly and one can find the British influence everywhere (buildings, food, culture, language, driving etc). NZ has a population of 5 Mn ( with nearly 25 Mn sheep). North Island is more populated with nearly 4 Mn living here, while South Island is sparsely populated with only a million people, nearly 400K of which live in one city Christchurch. Auckland is the largest city that houses nearly a third of the country’s population. None of the cities have very tall buildings or metro rail networks (apart from Wellington and Auckland where a metro network is under construction). The Kiwi is NZ’s national bird and is a nocturnal creature. At one time NZ had 15 Mn kiwis which is down to under 70K now, leading to a conservation drive. Ferns are plentiful in NZ and the silver fern has been a symbol of NZ’s national identity since the 1880s. NZ is the only country whose national color is black. The NZ native rugby team first wore the silver fern on black (All Blacks team) which then became the national color. The national cricket team goes by the nick name Black caps. There are 25 Mn sheep (5 for every resident) apart from a large number cattle (cows, buffaloes) and deer that are reared for their wool, meat and dairy products. The country has no predatory animals like tigers, bears or reptiles like snakes.
Segway scooters are ubiquitous in the cities. They can be easily located through an app ( I also found them on my uber app) on your phone and started by scanning a QR code on the handlebar. Riders can complete their ride and leave the scooter on any pavement. They are required to upload a picture of the scooter once the ride is over. We found Segways literally littered on the pavements in Auckland and Christchurch.
Vegetarian food is not hard to come by and we even found Indian restaurants in many places. Some of our favorites included Vegetarian pies, Hokey-Pokey ice cream and Whittaker chocolates.
I have been privileged to visit many beautiful countries, but, without doubt NZ stands tall as the most beautiful destination that I have been to, till date. The country’s natural landscapes and breathtaking scenery makes for a great nature holiday. NZ has something to offer whether you are interested in hiking, photography or simply immersing yourself in the beauty of the outdoors.
I am going to sign off this blog in Moari – Haere Ra ( Goodbye) Aotearoa ( New Zealand), Ka kite Ano ( See you soon).
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