My Quick Thoughts On New Zealand (Photos)

I spent about a week in New Zealand over Christmas, staying with my girlfriend's family in the Nelson region. For the wondering, it's situated along the crescent of the Tasman Bay, on the northern tip of the South Island. Everywhere I went, there was a scene that looked directly from a postcard out of Middle Earth. Definitely one of the most picturesque places I've ever been... and I've been to a lot of picturesque places.

It seems to have it all. Rolling forest, snow capped mountains, pristine blue waters. The streets are lined with Victorian-era buildings, which might suggest a sleepy sort of retirement village, but they're painted bright colors and house Buddhist centres, art galleries, and fresh marketplaces. Kids with dreads ride around on longboards and brave the frigid seawater to catch the nearly constant surf. Looking southward, the landscape screams adventure in peaks and valleys and the distant mountains of Abel Tasman National Park. It's a place where cable bridges cross high above canyons and breaks in the tree canopy gives a sneaky-peek at deserted beaches and tropical-blue water far below. It's the scene of fairy tales and dreams, except this place is real.
It proudly waved its counter-culture flag - or, as proudly as they can in New Zealand. And the bud was dope.

I actually did see a lot of sheep, and New Zealanders are a lot like toned-down Australians. They're more relaxed, polite, and humble. The whole culture was relaxed, but not too relaxed. In fact, it wasn't on the end of any extremes; it kind of just hovered in the middle. Which worked well. We spent Christmas day on the beach and had a grill outside. It was all pretty go-with-the-flow, which I can only assume reflects the rest of the country. Surprising, from the place that invented bungee jumping.

I also went into the jeweller who created the rings for Lord of the Rings. Which was a total geekout experience.

All in all, I loved it. I'll go back in a heartbeat, and it's the type of place I can see myself retiring to in another forty years, as an active old stoner catching the morning surf each day.

I think this short and sweet review is pretty good, but if any Kiwis want to set the record straight, have at 'er.

 

It definitely had that home-like feel, and beautiful is an understatement.

As for the food, maybe it was just my experience, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary from typical english-speaking Pacific cuisine. Lots of seafood, British influences, Asian fusion. A bigger nod to English cuisine than we have here in Australia, I found.

It was the wine that took the cake. Especially in the region where I was, there were vineyards everywhere and the quality never disappointed once.

 

Didn't get anywhere else much further south, but I'm stoked to go back and do a more thorough South Island tour in the (hopefully near) future. I'm already watching for a deal on airfare.

It's funny that Europe is more your pace... It really is different strokes for different folks. NZ is totally more my style than anywhere in Europe. I love many European places, but I can't imagine myself ever living there... even in the UK, where I was raised. Living Down Under is so much more me.

 

See, I don't care about history as much in a place. It's interesting to learn about, but I'm more interested in the culture of a place. The people, the modern way of life. Australia is far more my speed - I fit in better down here.

A kiwi gang just doesn't strike the fear into me

You get shit places everywhere. Even if those places are giant cesspits of all your worst nightmares, the rest of NZ more than makes up for it. Place is pretty, man.