[at-l] OT: Australia and New Zealand info sought

[datto_atl2@xxxxxxxxx (Datto)]

>> If anyone is going to be there when I'm there
>> (either visiting or living)

Datto's Top Ten Suggestions for visiting New Zealand:

1) New Zealand has a free book available everywhere that
rates all the hostels in the country. I found the ratings
to be accurate. There's a hostel discount card for hostels
in New Zealand that will likely pay for itself with a few
nights stays in a hostel.

2) Hippo Lodge in Queenstown on the south island (hostel)
-- had a good time there, nice place up on the hill
overlooking the town. About US $8.00 per night for a bunk.
Spectacular view of the town at sunset from the dining room
window. Very friendly people there (actually, everywhere in
New Zealand was friendly and the country seemed
immaculately clean). Queenstown is the jumping off point
for much of the south island citified fun (bungi jumping
for instance).

3) When you're in New Zealand, plan to spend 5% of your
time on the north island (maybe Gisborne or the Coromandel
Peninsula) and the other 495% of your time on the south
island. Don't spend any time at all in Auckland except to
land the plane and get on another or to buy a car. Forget
Rotorua -- it's a tourist trap. There are only 3.8 million
people in New Zealand and 1.1 million of them live in
Auckland. There are 80 million sheep in New Zealand and not
a one of them lives in Auckland. What's that mean? I don't
know! The best 'Big City' in New Zealand is Wellington (the
capital city - about the size of Fort Wayne, Indiana --
300,000 people or so) -- Since you're an American, if you
go to Courteney Street (where the Wellington night life is
at) make sure you take a taxi there and back rather than
driving. I found the big six-story waterfront Maori and
History museum in Wellington to be exceptionally
interesting.

4) It's expensive to take a car on the ferry across the
Cook Straight between the north and south island. Buses are
very good on the south island. Loads of cheap cars for sale
in Christchurch on the south island since that is where
most people depart from and they're willing to take just
about any offer to get some money out of the junker they
bought. Note: A used Holden (that's a New Zealand brand
like Pontiac) is a usually pretty good car if it's not
smokin' when you gun the engine. All those times I drove a
mile or so on the wrong side of the road before I woke up
to the fact I was on the wrong side of the road. Whew boy,
I was lucky no one smacked me. Gasoline is about $1.00 a
liter. If you buy a car, get one with the license plate and
the inspection sticker that doesn't expire before you New
Zealand trip is done.

5) There's an AT thru-hiker who lives in Dunedin on the
south island.

6) See the Catlins on the south island -- I missed them and
everyone I hung with said later I should have seen them
instead of heading to Kauai. I also didn't see Doubtful
Sound and people said that was most picturesque. Some
Swedish girl I met up north said she'd hiked some brand new
trail down by Doubtful Sound and it about killed her. Then
she went for a dip in Lake Whangawaganga and I about froze
watching her it was so cold that evening. I'd say those
Swedes are a hardy bunch. Stewart Island to the south of
the south island has the most concentration of Kiwi birds
and I hear is very remote. There's a three day hike there
and I think a ten day hike. I hear the barge that goes over
there is an experience -- might be best to take the plane
since it's about the same cost but there's a 10 kilo
maximum on your backpack weight on the plane. On the barge
it's probably just more ballust so carry all you want!

7) I liked the Banks Peninsula Track near Christchurch (the
Banks Peninsula is the nib that sticks out on the east side
of the south island) -- more 'European' hiking than the AT
(The Banks Peninsula Track is a privately owned track) and
I had a good time there. In fact, most of the name brand
hikes in New Zealand are 'European' type hut to hut hikes
rather than AT style hikes. There are stoves in all the
Great Walk Huts so you probably wouldn't need to carry a
stove on a New Zealand "Great Walk" type hike.

8) Make sure you do the Routeburn Track and the Milford
Track since they are New Zealand's premier tracks (both
TRacks require pre-booking way in advance). I liked the
Abel Tasman Coastal Track too (easy, flat, maybe too many
people but the coast hiking was gorgeous -- a ghost at the
southern most hut, a 130 year old homestead). The Heaphy
Track has a spectacular coastal walk on the last day. I saw
the Heaphy Track as the background on some Lord of the
Rings book over the weekened at Borders.

9) If you're going to hike the Tongararo North Circuit,
make sure you get started no later than 7:45am on the first
day of the Track -- unfortunately for the rest of us
hikers, the German Volksmarchers arrive en masse every day
at exactly 8:30am by bus and they swamp the entire place
(maybe 700 -- seven hundred -- of them arrived at 8:30am
the day I was there which evidently isn't an unusual number
from what I'm told). The Tongararo Northern Circuit is one
of New Zealand's premier tracks and was the scene of the
volcano featured at the beginning of the the watchamakalit
movie made there. Terrific view over Lake Taupo in the
distance to the north from the first hut (going clockwise
around the volcanos).

10) A word that starts with Wh is sometimes pronounced like
an F and sometimes pronounces like a Wa. Whakawaki would
be...Class??? That's right boys and girls.

Bonus dollars!

11) Don't take --one-- bit of food into the country. The
inspectors may delay your entrance into the country. Even
food from the airplane. Make sure you don't have a single
bit of dust on your tent inside your backpack. That Mad Cow
thing scared the crap out of the New Zealanders. All my
stuff was removed from my backpack and inspected with a
fine tooth comb when I entered the country (I came into New
Zealand from the Cook Islands).

12) The best midge repelent is the stuff you buy in New
Zealand and looks like a big fat chapstick so don't worry
about taking any from the States.

Have a great time -- New Zealand has got to be one of the
finest places on earth. Gorgeous, inexpensive, fun,
friendly, clean. Felix could use a girlfriend like that!

Datto


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