Travelling to New Zealand

photo credit: msnbc.msn.com

If you ever thought about travelling to New Zealand, it’s definitely worth a shot.

Being an island country situated in the southwest Pacific Ocean, once there, you may feel as if you’re on the edge of the world! Speaking from the perspective of someone in North America, quite literally!

Comprised of a main North and South island, New Zealand is over 1,600 km long and 400 km wide. It lies 1,500 km west of Australia and there are frequent flights between the two countries.

I was astonished in finding out that a flight from Australia to New Zealand lasts 3 hours! I always thought they were much closer, geographically speaking. Australia being the bigger brother to the little island hiding in the back.

I was wrong.

New Zealand has a mild maritime climate ranging typically between 10 – 16 degrees Celsius and offers breathtaking sceneries. Because the island was isolated for over 80 million years, very few surviving species inhabit this region of the world, offering a unique range of fauna and flora to tourists and backpackers!

The island has a diverse landscape so in case you do not have enough time to travel the stretch of the country, you can choose what to see depending on your preferences. Because you do not plan these types of trips that often, I would highly recommend seeing the entire island. If you’ve already decided this is your destination, make the most of it. It really is worth it.

Let’s remember, New Zealand is not a popular destination with all-inclusive 5-star hotel resorts and weekly trips offered for bargain deals. A trip to New Zealand is ideal for people who love adventure, the out-doors, hiking, sight-seeing and backpacking. If you want to make things even more interesting and cheaper at the same time, consider taking a tent. If you do decide to choose this variant, remember to wear warm clothing as the temperatures do drop quite a bit at night, especially on the southern island, closer to Antarctica.

The Southern Island is home to the Southern Alps, a mountainous region consisting of 18 peaks over 3,000 metres in height. The Northern Island on the contrary, is a highly active volcanic plateau, host of one of the world’s most active super-volcanoes found in the region’s largest lake called Lake Taupo.

With the Ocean all around, the nearly extinct wildlife still sheltered here, maritime climate and mountainous/volcanic regions; New Zealand truly does offer a trip of a life time.

Let’s take a look at some of the transportation methods in the country and how to get there.

Air

The easiest and most convenient way of getting to this far destination is by flying. A flight to New Zealand, depending on where you are is reasonably expensive. But then again, if you want to get the sense of hanging on the edge of the world, you will have to invest a bit.

Average flights to New Zealand cost approximately: 900$ US from Toronto.

Once you are there, if you decide to see as many places as possible under time constraints, domestic flights will be your best option. The country has several airports which can cater to your destination needs.

Ground

If on the other hand, time is not a factor and you prefer to take your time, I would recommend sightseeing by travelling inland as your best option. Biking, driving or taking a train are all great ways to get around.

If you prefer to travel in a group, you can get a scheduled bus service, luxury coach or custom tour for a fair price.

Water

Passenger and car ferries connect the North and South Islands and provide easy access between the two main parts of the country.

Interesting Fact

To finish off and give you an additional punch to why you should take New Zealand into account when thinking upon travel destinations, it is worth mentioning a few moderately recent films that have been shot on location in the heart of New Zealand.

1. The Piano – by Jane Campion (won a Golden Palm in Cannes 1993

2. The Lord of the Rings

3. The Last Samurai

4. King Kong

5. The Chronicles of Narnia

6. The Lovely Bones

If you’re having doubts – it’s too far, it’s too expensive, it’s not warm enough etc. watch a few of the above listed films, and you will quickly realise how much you can gain by visiting this truly enchanting area of the world. If you’re a student and looking for a cheap flight be sure to check out studentflights.com.au for great deals!