After six and a half weeks of New Zealand travel in the Land of the Long White Cloud, I learned quite a lot about the Kiwis, their customs and (most importantly) their food. Here’s some of the stuff I took away from my time there.
The Good
The burger chains
Burgerfuel, Ferburger, Devil Burger, Angus Burgh, Velvet Burger……need I go on? The size and variety of the bad boy burgers at all of these places more than makes up for the initially jaw-dropping prices.
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The coffee
Flat white, tall black, cappuccino, latte…you name it and the Kiwis can perfectly froth it for you. Don’t ask me how they make it so much better than most other countries in the world, they just do.
The adventure sports
I didn’t partake in many of these myself, mainly because of the extremely high prices, but I did go zorbing in Rotorua. I’m not sure my insurance policy fully covered me for rolling down a steep hill in a big ball, but it was probably the safest of the options I could have done. With stunning backdrops like these, it’s probably the one place on earth you should scream as loud as you can whilst throwing yourself out of a plane. At least you get a good view on the way down.
The holiday parks
Should you be hiring a campervan during your trip you will more than likely have to spend the night at a few of these. Some of them are in great locations on lake fronts or facing the beach, and all have big kitchen and bathroom facilities, as well as everything else you could need. It’s almost like staying in hostels, except you get to stay in the same bed every night you are travelling. Make sure to shop around in the area you are wanting to stay to get a few different prices as sometimes you can save yourself quite a bit of money for a similar location (or better) at a park just down the road. One example: We pulled up to a “budget” holiday park and were quoted $32 for the night for a non-powered campsite – a five minute journey down the road brought us to a lakeside park with great views where we were charged only $24 for the night for a better spot.
The wine
It’s cheap, it’s readily available and it’s made in the country. This is probably the only backpacker-friendly country you will find where travellers are more likely to be sipping on a glass of wine as opposed to slurping down a beer, simply because of the great price point and quality.
The Bad
The lack of towels in hostels
In the whole time we were there we were only provided with towels in two hostels, both of which were on the South Island. Luckily we had our own travel towels, but you can’t make up for a fluffy white towel at the end of a hot shower.
New Zealand is hilly
I love me some lush, hilly scenery any day of the week. But when you’ve been walking around in flip flops all day, only to remember that your hostel is placed at the top of a very steep hill on your return (both drunk and sober), you suddenly have to say hello to calf muscles you never knew you had. Having said that, after all the burgers you will probably have consumed, it isn’t such a bad thing.
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The lack of fast, free WiFi
I’ve talked about the bad internet access in New Zealand before, so I won’t harp on about it again. But New Zealand hostels and hotels really need to get their act together in this department, to make it more long-term traveller friendly and affordable.
The Ugly (or just downright bizarre)
Kiwis have a habit of walking everywhere barefoot
To the supermarket, to the train station, to the pub. Even when the weather isn’t too hot you will be sure to see someones bare toes trotting past you, making it not uncommon to see signs in the windows of bars and restaurants employing a “no shoes, no service” rule.
New Zealand employs the Swedish Rounding System
Whenever you make a purchase, they will either round the total up or down depending on what the total price was (down for 0.4 and below, up for 0.5 and upwards). Therefore you can regularly find yourself down at least 50 cents by the end of a day if you have been buying your groceries at the supermarkets. Not a major thing, but annoying nonetheless.
The “we’re open until we’re closed” policy
A lot of restaurants and bars in the country won’t specify a closing time, which can be slightly annoying. They simply say “Open Until Late”, which basically means that the closing time can change every day depending on how busy they are. Food is also often served during set times in sit-down restaurants and bars – for example, lunch may only be served until 3pm and the same establishment won’t then start serving dinner until 5pm, meaning that if you were hoping for a late lunch or early dinner, you may be disappointed.
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Subway
New Zealand is obsessed with the sandwich chain Subway. We actually saw it in more places than McDonald’s and at only $5 for a six inch sandwich, it actually became a bargain lunch on several occasions. Ronald needs to watch his back where the Kiwis are concerned.
Other New Zealand Posts:
You Don’t Have To Climb Fox Glacier To Appreciate Its Beauty
The Hunt For Free Wifi In New Zealand
Getting Stood Up By Penguins on the Otago Peninsula
White Lady Burger Van, Auckland
Cadbury Chocolate Factory Dunedin
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