Trip report: New Zealand
Visited in December 2019
New Zealand is definitely one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Seriously, I haven’t seen many other countries that have such a high density of magnificent natural spots. But the superb nature is only one reason why New Zealand is one of the best travel destinations on earth…
In December 2019, I spent two weeks traveling through the land of the kiwi in a campervan. In two weeks you can do a lot in New Zealand. The country consists of two big islands and a few small ones. Therefore, I first had to answer the question of all questions: North Island or South Island? Or both?
In a nutshell: the North Island is a volcanic island and offers the best beaches in the country, plus ¾ of the population lives there. On the other hand, the South Island is the much bigger island and impresses with mountains, glaciers, lakes and so on.
In general, the South Island is (probably) the more beautiful of the two. As a Swiss, however, it should still be a no brainer to opt for the North Island. New Zealand is very similar to Switzerland in terms of landscapes. But while my home country also consists of many mountains and glaciers, we have neither volcanoes nor beaches.
And so my girlfriend Kati and I explored a large part of the North Island during the two weeks. In total we drove 2,200 kilometers, visited five administrative areas and saw most of the sights of this part of New Zealand.
New Zealand the beautiful
Even if the South Island has the reputation of being more beautiful than the North Island, I would rate the nature of the smaller island in the north with a massive 10/10.
Therefore, I don’t have to think twice to name New Zealand’s greatest strength: the landscapes. You are always surrounded by absolutely amazing scenery, which makes a road trip a real spectacle. You are constantly driving next to lush-green hills, blue lakes or the vast sea. Fortunately, many viewpoints next to the roads regularly give you the opportunity to take pictures.
To name a highlight among all these landscapes, however, is not so easy. Basically, New Zealand is incredibly beautiful no matter in which direction you look. But the landscapes of the North Island can be roughly clustered into three categories. The first category would be the volcanic area around Rotorua, Taupo and the Tongariro National Park.
In this part of the country there are several thermal parks and thermal walkways like the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland near Rotorua or the Craters of the Moon in Taupo. The nature there looks like from another planet. For those who want to hike in the middle of a volcanic area, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is the solution. More about this later…
The second category is the beaches. I have to admit that New Zealand is not really a beach destination because of the cold water temperatures. But that doesn’t mean that the country can’t offer a tropical feeling at all. The Coromandel Peninsula is the best option for this, as there are two highlights waiting there with the New Chums Beach and the Cathedral Cove.
The third category is the rest. These are green, hilly meadows with sheep grazing on them, trees, forests, gorges, waterfalls, rivers and lakes. An estimated 95% of the North Island looks like this. They are basically the same landscapes as in Switzerland.
But as I said before, no matter where you go in New Zealand, it just looks stunning. The country is definitely one of the most instagramable destinations in the world.
Tramping New Zealand
You haven’t seen New Zealand unless you’ve done at least one hike. The New Zealanders call hiking tramping and it is no secret that New Zealand is a tramping paradise. We did four hikes in New Zealand, whereby two were actually rather strolls.
The easier hikes are Saint Paul’s Rock in Northland and Mount Maunganui near Tauranga. These two only demand the stamina for a climb that takes 20 to 30 minutes. In return you will be rewarded with spectacular views on both hills.
Considering that these views require little effort, the cost-benefit factor is extremely good for both. As a little bonus, Saint Paul’s Rock is a little bit off the beaten path. Thus it attracts less tourists than other places and you will have the view almost to yourself.
More challenging but still doable was the ascent of the Rainbow Mountain in Rotorua, which owes its name to its colorful soil. Although the hike was only about two hours, it is still 700 meters of altitude you have to climb up and down again. Also on this hike we were lucky to have the view for us alone at the top, so that I consider the Rainbow Mountain as a small highlight in New Zealand.
The last hike was then also the most strenuous. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is often called the best day-hike in the world. The hike is about 20km long and leads over the volcanic area that was used as the film set for Mordor in Lord of the Rings. Altogether we needed about seven hours to complete it. Included in this time were short breaks for resting and taking pictures.
The scenery on this hiking trail is indeed tremendous and changes with time from brown volcanic landscape to yellow and green mountain landscapes. The highlight of the hike comes about halfway when you pass Emerald Lake and the Blue Lakes. This view is surely one of the best that mother earth has to offer.
Is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing really the best day-hike in the world? Hard to say, just from the scenery it is certainly phenomenal. But the hiking trail is really busy. I mean REALLY busy!
We chose January 1st for the hike, because we thought that many people would not sacrifice New Year’s Eve to get up at 6 AM. And so we were also informed by the operators of the shuttle (the hike is not a circular walk and a paid shuttle is needed) that we would be extremely lucky, as there would be only few people and the weather would be great.
The truth is that it was one of the busiest trails I have ever seen. It was perhaps only topped by the Vinicunca Mountain (Rainbow Mountain) in Peru. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is completely overcrowded, even if the locals say that it would be a quiet day. But don’t get me wrong, the hike is still amazing. It’s just that you won’t get an “alone in the wild” feeling.
New Zealand’s wildlife
There are certainly more interesting countries than New Zealand in terms of wildlife. However, this does not mean that there are no exciting activities where you can observe animals.
For example, nine different species of dolphins live in New Zealand. On the North Island, Northland and the Hauraki Gulf are particularly suitable for watching these fabulous animals. The most famous area for dolphin spotting is the Bay of Islands.
There are daily Bay of Islands tours where you can see dolphins swimming next to the boat. In the afternoon it is guaranteed that you will see the animals, in the morning the chances are 50-50. We took part in a morning tour and were lucky. As a little bonus we even saw some penguins.
Glowworms are another attraction of New Zealand’s wildlife. Yes, you read that right: Glowworms. All over the North Island there are some so-called glowworm caves. These caves are home to thousands and thousands of glowworms that create brightly illuminated cave ceilings. You can visit such caves in walking tours, boat tours or by black water rafting.
While many see these caves as a must do in New Zealand, I did not find it so spectacular. We visited the most famous of these caves, the Waitomo Glowworm Cave. 45 minutes cost the equivalent of 35 USD. which was in my opinion quite pricey. And the experience was only meh. This is probably due to the fact that the pictures of the caves on the brochures or on the internet are far away from reality. So it comes as no surprise that you are not allowed to film or take pictures in the caves.
Unfortunately, nowhere else in the world have I seen so many dead animals at the roadside as in New Zealand. Every minute you pass a dead possum, a dead cat or another carcass. Rumors say that New Zealanders even try to run over possums on purpose to keep the population as small as possible.
The cities
Most travelers start and end their New Zealand trip in Auckland, the country’s largest city. With 1.6 million people, almost exactly one third of the population lives in this city.
Admittedly, you don’t have to come to New Zealand because of Auckland. The city is okay for a day or two, but it is not a particularly remarkable city in comparison to other cities in the world.
But even though Auckland might not be highlight of New Zealand, it still offers a few advantages. New Zealand is not a country that consists of many big cities. Strictly speaking there is only one other city besides Auckland with more than 200’000 inhabitants (Christchurch). This means that if you are looking for a varied gastronomic scene, nightlife and shopping, Auckland is the place to be.
Beside Auckland, during a trip to New Zealand you inevitably pass many other small towns. These places are especially suitable for buying things for the further journey and for eating in restaurants.
Some of these small towns, for example Taupo, Paihia or Mount Maunganui (the place is called the same as the hill) are quite picturesque, while others, like Tauranga or Whangarei are not worth mentioning.
But as I said before: you don’t want to travel to New Zealand to spend much time in the cities. If you’re more the urban type and can’t get much out of nature, then New Zealand is the wrong destination for you anyway.
The cons
Even though New Zealand is a fantastic destination, there are still some negative things to mention. Although they are only minor things, I would have been happy if I had heard about them before my trip.
First of all, New Zealand is extremely touristy, at least in the high season. While this will give you the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, it is still important to know that the sights are overcrowded. So taking nice pictures without having hundreds of people in the background becomes a great test of patience.
Also the hiking trails, as I wrote above about the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, are more like ant trails than the beautiful, free and vast nature. So if I had the choice again, I would not visit New Zealand in December or January but in shoulder season.
Furthermore, New Zealand is certainly not a cheap travel destination. Although we are not talking about Norwegian or Swiss prices, New Zealand is definitely more expensive than most Western European countries. The food and drinks are affordable (a main course in a normal restaurant costs between NZ$20-30, which is about 12-19 USD), but the entrance fees for tourist attractions, accommodation, car rentals and petrol are pricey.
Then I would like to mention the Internet, which is not really first world-like. If you have a local SIM card, you have to assume that you will have bad or no reception in remote areas. And the problem is that most places in New Zealand are “remote”. Once you are a few kilometers away from a city or a village, chances are big that there is no internet coverage. This is annoying if you have to plan or order something for the next day.
New Zealand is awesome, but…
New Zealand has a fully justified reputation for being one of the most spectacular travel destinations. The country offers fantastic landscapes, a good infrastructure, friendly locals and lots of activities.
What’s great about New Zealand is in my opinion the density of attractions. Especially if you explore the country by car, it is quite possible to see four or five highlights a day. A good help here is the App CamperMate, which is a must for every road trip. The app shows you where the sights, the petrol stations and many other useful things are located in the country.
Another plus of New Zealand is the safety. Unless a volcano erupts somewhere, the dangers in New Zealand are limited. Compared to South America for example, the danger of being robbed is very small. Also the road traffic is quite safe. Only the partly narrow roads with their steep curves can be uncomfortable, but they are manageable.
We enjoyed the two weeks in New Zealand very much. The only real negative thing was the so-called #vanlife, which was more challenging than expected and will remain a once in a lifetime experience. But otherwise we had a great time in New Zealand and could see and experience fantastic things.
However, New Zealand as a travel destination was probably also a once in a lifetime experience and I think it is rather unrealistic that I will travel to New Zealand a second time. This may come as a surprise, as positive as I report about the country.
But the reason is that the country is simply too similar to my home country Switzerland. Although there is no sea and no volcanic landscapes in my home country, the rest of New Zealand looks quite identical.
That wouldn’t be a bad thing yet, but if I take into account that the journey to and from New Zealand including a stopover (I wouldn’t do this trip nonstop) is two to three days each, it’s too much for a country that offers me very little new things.
Nevertheless, I would like to point out clearly that this is the opinion of a Swiss. New Zealand is and remains a dream destination that will give pleasure to everyone and is therefore definitely worth a visit.
