New Zealand was the second stop on our round-the-world trip back in 2012 and, despite it being one of my favourite destinations, I have some major regrets about our time there.
At the time, Scott and I were still finding our feet in our relationship, we’d sold pretty much everything we owned and had saved a load of cash to travel. But we actually knew nothing about the realities of long-term travel, including proper budgeting and how to spend your time wisely in those bucket list destinations.
It’s something that pains me every time I look back through our old photos and I realise what we missed, what we could have done better and how we could have spent longer there.
Not Taking Enough (Good) Photos
Back when we started travelling, I had gotten sucked into a lot of boring, lengthy packing list posts that basically told you everything you should and shouldn’t pack in your backpack if you want to be an ‘authentic’ (read: good) traveller.
One of those points was not to take a big DSLR-type camera with you; partly for weight and bulkiness and partly for the risk of theft.
I could definitely see the reasoning in both these points and so chose to travel with just a point-and-shoot and my mobile phone. Problem is, six years ago, neither of these things had the type of lenses or functions that they do now.
When I compare how many photos I took in the whole of New Zealand to how many I took on a short city break to Copenhagen, for example, it almost makes me want to cry.
I have so many shots that are poorly-lit, out of focus or just plain bad.
What I should have done: Invested in a higher-end point-and-shoot or mirrorless camera. It would have still been compact enough for me carry in a handbag, but hopefully would have resulted in much better photos.
I should also have actually taken more photos in general (I used to be really bad at forgetting).
Making Stops in Boring or Unnecessary Places
This is one of those ‘you live, you learn’ situations, but there were definitely a couple of dud places that we visited that ended up being a waste of time and money.
I’ve talked before about Greymouth, so won’t beat a dead horse, but that was definitely one such place. Taihape, unfortunately, was another.
What I should have done: I definitely should have done more research before the trip (story of my life) about what there actually is to do in certain towns and cities before I went there, rather than just assuming that, because it’s New Zealand, everywhere is bound to be beautifully scenic and exciting.
Scrimping on the Wrong Things
Because we were just at the start of our trip, we were trying to be really conservative with money. New Zealand is notoriously expensive when you’re on a backpacker’s budget and we were constantly worried about racing through our funds and not leaving ourselves enough for the next stops on our trip.
This meant that we ended up sacrificing some experiences for ones that were less expensive – or just scrapping them altogether.
One such example was the glowworm caves in Waitomo. Instead of doing the whole black water rafting experience that I’d originally had my eye on, we instead took a cheaper tour of the caves through a local operator and it ended up being underwhelming.
What I should have done: Whittled down a list of experiences I definitely wanted to have and chosen only the most fulfilling. That way, I could have spent more money on fewer excursions but likely enjoyed them more.
Visiting the Weta Cave in Wellington
Bit of a random one, but as a Lord of the Rings fan, I really liked the sound of this place. We got the bus out of town to find it, paid our entrance fee, saw a few models and props from the films and then sat down in a tiny room to watch a short movie about how the films were made.
That was it.
It was like visiting a fan’s house to see their collection and then leaving dazed, wondering how you’d been conned out of an entrance fee.
Now I have to stress that a quick Google while writing this post does seem to indicate that the Weta Cave has gotten its act together and improved the whole experience, somewhat similar to the Harry Potter tours in London. It now looks bigger and much better, with an actual tour involved.
But let me tell you, folks – back in 2012, it was rough.
What I should have done: Saved the bus fare and entrance fee and bought another bottle of wine instead.
Not Exploring the Food Scene Enough
This was again where budget came into play. Although we sampled some amazing burgers, brunches, Asian food and coffee, we rarely ventured into proper sit-down restaurants due to money concerns.
We never got any of the green-lipped mussels we’d heard so much about and the only time I encountered lamb was in the form of a burger patty with a side of fries.
What I should have done: Cooked a few more self-catering meals to allow room in the budget for more restaurant ones.
Having Some Glaring Omissions on Our Itinerary
Kaikoura, Wanaka, the Catlins, Stewart Island…I could go on. This was both a monetary and a timing issue, because we’d had to buy an onward flight to Malaysia before we left New Zealand / entered Australia.
In some cases, we moved around too quickly, not really having enough time to soak up the local atmosphere; in others, we spent too long and should have moved on sooner.
Once we got to the South Island, we had to move at a faster pace because of the impending flight date and this hampered our itinerary.
What I should have done: Moved slower and had fewer stops. I should really have prioritised destinations and spent more time exploring those I did choose to visit.
If you’re only visiting for a short holiday, or are a family with more money to burn, then you should almost certainly look into New Zealand family holiday packages that cover many of the most beautiful parts of the country in a shorter time frame.
Alternatively, if you’re a backpacker, try and avoid the cheap around-the-country buses (you know the ones – they are usually painted in gaudy bright colours and are crammed with drunk 18-year-olds). Although their fares may seem slightly cheaper than single journeys on public buses like The Naked Bus (NZ’s version of a Megabus) or the InterCity Buses, they will often make you stop overnight in towns that might not necessarily have been on your intended itinerary and therefore end up costing you more.
Not Writing Enough Blog Posts
What with the fast pace of travel and the terrible access to internet throughout the country, I didn’t update the blog anywhere near as often as I should have.
There were so many guides that I could have written at the time, whose details are long-forgotten now and I do regret that I didn’t schedule enough posts as draft documents during the long bus journeys I took.
What I should have done: Used the many hours spent on buses to write some helpful travel guide posts and taken more notes on experiences and what excursions were really like.
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