We are rounding out our last few days in New Zealand and had an amazing time exploring the country with my dad and stepmom. Here are some of our top takeaways.
View from the KiwiRail TranzAlpine train from Greymouth to Christchurch
1. New Zealand really is quite proud of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. Landing in the Wellington airport and being greeted by a flying Gandolf was unexpected and strange. There are tours advertised everywhere and even the Air New Zealand safety video is filmed entirely as a Hobbit movie! As someone who has seen exactly none of these movies, I thought this was weird but as my stepmom would say "to each their own!"
2. The scenery on Middle Earth (seriously, there are hobbit references everywhere!) is beautiful and totally unspoiled, which is why so many movies are filmed here!
3. Part of the reason New Zealand has so many amazing, untouched landscapes is that very few people actually live here. With a population of less than five million, the density is less than 1 person per square mile in the majority of the country! Even the tourist destinations we visited seemed pretty tame relative to other places we've seen.
4. Skydiving should be on everyone's bucket list. I NEVER planned on taking the plunge because I'm generally afraid of dying in a freak accident but I am so glad I talked myself into it. Definitely the coolest thing I've ever done and a top five experience on the trip.
5. Flat whites are just as ubiquitous in New Zealand as in Australia (no complaints here!) but we couldn't tell you if we prefer the Aussie or Kiwi take.
6. New Zealand really does offer something for everyone. From beautiful beaches, lakes and mountains to skiing, shopping and relaxing to skydiving and bungee jumping, the small country is pretty diverse!
7. Fjords and sounds are not the same thing. We traveled to Doubtful Sound only to learn that it should really be called a fjord and left still confused. (Basically a sound is created by a river while a fjord is created by a glacier, FYI.)
8. Free WiFi doesn't necessary mean free, unlimited WiFi. Many of the hotels we stayed at in New Zealand had questionable internet situations - either slow or barely existent connections, data limits or other qualifiers (my favorite was at a hotel in Franz Joseph when the lady at the front desk told us we "should try by sitting outside near the parking lot" and "tea time is the busiest time to get a signal.")
9. My dad and stepmom are excellent travelers. They kept up with us and never complained - they can rejoin us any time they want! Also, it feels different to travel with others after traveling alone for six months. We really enjoy the "newlywed travel" experience but it was nice to have some company!
10. Not all small towns are charming. I'm so glad we made the decision to drive through the countryside near Queenstown and Lake Wanaka but wish we'd bypassed Hokitika and Greymouth in favor of more time elsewhere. Even Franz Joseph was not a must-see for me given the poor weather (which is apparently the case most of the time).
Peak: Skydiving in Lake Wanaka
Pit: Debacle with the Sofitel in Queenstown
Next Stop: Singapore