Skip to main content

Keep New Zealand Weird.

I entered New Zealand with mixed expectations. It had never been that high on my list, but it seemed like a must-see if I was going all the way to Australia anyway. People rave about New Zealand. On the other hand, I was coming from an amazing time in Argentina, and any subsequent destination would have a hard time following that!

After two weeks in New Zealand, my impression is pretty much as mixed as my expectations had been. It had lots of pros, a handful of cons, and a whole lot of weird. Here's a taste...




1. Beautiful but overpriced natural wonders.

The Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland boasts tectonic activity out the wazoo. Lakes steam with sulfur. Giant pools glow bright green. Reds, yellows, and blues naturally intersect in boiling hot danger zones. Well-adapted birds happily walk amongst the bubbles.


Though the park is not accessible to wheelchairs, the paths and stairs are fairly accessible to a range of ages and fitness levels.

It's really unique and beautiful, but is it worth the high price of admission? I'm still not sure.


2. Bioluminescent fecal matter.

The Waitomo Glowworm Cave was probably the coolest thing I saw in New Zealand. Super overpriced, of course. But super cool. We jumped off waterfalls into underground caves, where we rode our innertubes under the light of thousands of glow-in-the-dark worms. The tour guide sat us down in the cave, gave us Swedish fish (?!), and then explained that the worms glow as a result of chemical reactions in their intestines. She also explained that the "worms" are actually not worms at all, but insect larvae. See? Weird.


3. Gas stations built on trust.

We couldn't find a credit card slot on the gas pump, so we went inside to pay before filling up. Oh no, they said -- you fill up as much as you need, then you come in and pay. Huh? Like we could have just filled up and driven off. I guess people don't do that in New Zealand? I shouldn't have been surprised, given all the other examples of New Zealanders' total trust in their fellow man... The open-door-policy of my WWOOF host (like, not just unlocked, but wide open). The complete absence of lockers in half our hostels. The ubiquity of hitchhiking. The fact that I accidentally left $100 cash in one hostel's common room, and it was still there the next morning (whew!) Weird.


 4. "I'm not racist, but..."

If that made you cringe, we're on the same page. I actually heard it, followed by a racist comment about Asian drivers. I also heard a hard working volunteer jokingly referred to as a "good little n-word boy." Seriously. Unfortunately, weird does not always mean good.



So I guess when I titled this post, I was really just ripping off Portland and Austin, and I don't actually think New Zealand needs to hang onto all of its weirdness. Especially not that last bit. But New Zealand is huge, and two weeks is certainly not enough time to develop a thorough appreciation. I didn't even get to the South Island!

So what do you think? In what ways is New Zealand good-weird? Bad-weird? Not weird at all? Is it worth going back??

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award.

What exciting news!  I was thrilled to find out on Twitter that Elizabeth from Elizabeth and Dale Abroad nominated me for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!  Thanks so much, Elizabeth!! This award is an opportunity for female travel bloggers to recognize each other, support each other, and get to know each other better.  I loved reading Elizabeth's answers, and it's been really fun to think about my own!  Plus, it's just really heartwarming to be so welcomed and supported by the female travel blogging community even though I'm so new to it!  You all are the best! With that, let's get to it!  The procedure is simple.  Thank the blogger that nominated you.  Answer her 10 questions.  Nominate 10 female travel bloggers.  Ask them 10 new questions. happy ladies on an air conditioned bus in Italy My answers to Elizabeth's questions : 1. What is your favorite mode of transportation when you travel and why ? I have to be honest, I'm real

330 days. 26 countries. 336 seconds.

Winter in Iceland

If a friend asks me about my trip to Iceland, I tell them about the people. My multi-continental travel buddy who agreed to meet me in Iceland for Christmas. Our new bestie from Couchsurfing. The board games and matchmaking and bracing ourselves against the wind, and the board games again. The long winter's nights give you plenty of time indoors. But if a friend who's going to Iceland asks me about my trip to Iceland, I tell them so much more about what I loved of the country itself. The Northern Lights Now that I've seen them, I can be honest. The Northern Lights were the reason I wanted to go to Iceland in the winter. And they were totally totally worth it. But between solar activity and cloud cover, it is highly likely to miss them. So it was important to me to focus on the other reasons to go, and to make sure I wasn't setting myself up for a very expensive disappointment. Once your travel dates are set, there are three remaining guidelines that