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On the first day alone – after pausing at the famous L&P bottle for a group photo – we hobbled around Hobbiton, rafted the white rapids of Kaitiaki, warmed back up in the hot pools of Hell’s Gate, then enjoyed an amazing evening of entertainment at Tamaki Maori village – complete with yummy hangi food! Perhaps, no, definitely for me at least, the highlight was the Tamaki bus driver’s comic routine and unbelievable knowledge of world languages – you’ve really gotta get on this guy’s bus! Literally! Hilarious!

After a refreshing night at Kiwi paka hostel in Rotorua we headed over to Gisborne, where we were based at the Dive Tatapouri headquarters. Set in a stunning location, the people at Dive Tatapouri not only accommodated us in their dormitories, they took us rock sliding (as much fun as it sounds!), stingray feeding, of all things, and even treated us to an amazing seafood barbecue. Oh my yummy God. If we had more time we might have even gone on one of their shark cage dives (I’m kinda relieved we didn’t, honestly!).

Later there in the evening we indulged in a specially educational wine tasting with Ryan from Long bush, a Gisborne wine company. This predictably turned into quite a long night – so long in fact that those of us with greater endurance even got to see the sunrise, especially special since Gisborne is the first town in the world that can offer this experience. And every day!

The following night we continued up the coast to Magic’s ‘secret spot’ on their East Escape trip, where we got to jump on a team of ten horses and trot out to the wild driftwood-strewn beach. I’d never ridden a horse before – how strange to sit on top of another animal and expect it to drive you around! It takes a little while to build a relationship with your horse, I guess… apparently the idea is to show your horse who’s boss, but most of our horses were assuredly the ones wearing the trouser pants. The highlight – after feeling a bit like I was maltreating the horse clumsily trying to urge it to go the where we wanted – was to receive something like a head snuggle at the end when I dismounted my steed. Oh my God hang on wait! A hongi*! That’s what it was!

Eastender backpackers also supplied our second hangi* meal that evening. Good kai*! The good old Maori way…

The next day was a pretty long bus ride over to Opotiki then down to Taupo, but we made several fun stops! We checked out two unusual, historic churches – one at Tikitiki, the other at Raukokore; saw New Zealand’s largest pohutukawa tree at Te Araroa (where our informative guide was also from); walked this country’s longest pier (not so busy as in the past!) at Tolaga Bay; and of course walked up the 700-step hill to the lighthouse on East Cape itself – yes, the easternmost lighthouse in the world. The absolute eastest!

We stayed at the Taupo YHA that night, we wanted to go out and the town, and indeed did, but were mindful too about what our Magic Bus guide Dan had said: that we needed to be leaving at 6:15 the following morning to PICK UP RUBBISH in a forest. I nearly blew the cover on this sneaky scheme when I said to Dan –‘But Dan, isn’t the Magic Forest in the Mamakus?’ But this was just going to be a different forest that we’d be delittering, he insisted. What of course was actually happening was that we were being driven to Taupo Tandem Skydiving for some early morning lunacy. Stepping out of a plane from 12000 feet to certain peril (were it not for the parachutes) before breakfast? A little hungover? Check check check!

Later that day we bungy jumped slash swung with Taupo Bungy and Cliffhanger, took a freak-out ride on the Huka Falls Jet, then whizzed up the Whanganui River to check out the fabled ‘bridge to nowhere’. Whanganui River Adventures have just teamed up with the Magic Travellers Network to bring people to this – one of New Zealand’s remotest points – based at Pipiriki.

Naturally we were pretty pooped by the time we checked into National Park Backpackers!

A thousand thank-yous to the Magic crew who chauffeured and chaperoned us: Leo, Moana, Lisa and especially to Dan, our dantastic (sorry) guide. Amazing!

Special vocabulary:

Famil- domestic trade familiarisation trip experience offer

Hangi- Maori style cooking in an earth oven

Hongi- the Maori greeting of touching noses

Kai- the Maori word for food

You’re unlikely to regret it, and even if you do, you surely haven’t really, if you think about it deeply.

A quick ferry trip from downtown Auckland will take you to this cute little island paradise!

Tiritiri may not have such a lovely history, what with inter-Maori wars and large scale kiore (native New Zealand rat) poisonings (that also terminated most of the Pukeko population), but since the 1970’s an extensive reforestation project has turned it into a special little sanctuary – especially if you’re one of New Zealand’s endangered birds!

Now visitors can enjoy a walk amongst native birds such as the takahe, little spotted kiwi and our (quite smelly) blue penguin! Come and enjoy an intensity of birdsong rarely heard on the mainland. And even if you don’t come, do come.And the little beach near the ferry landing was so attractive that I miraculously mustered up the pluck to strip down and go for my first swim since winter! This in October! It was very cold but felt somehow great!

1. I am scared of failure. I have friends who have been to surf schools, without even getting their feet up on the board, and have come home bruised and disappointed, which I always felt was my most likely outcome. In addition, I am particularly scared of failure in front of other people, especially people as cool as surfers, when failure in this instance looks something like this:

 2. I am scared of waves. Not the little things that lap at your feet as you stroll along the beach at sunset, but the huge, monstrous, O-M-F-G-I-Am-Going-To-Die tsunamis that real surfers get their thrills from. I literally have nightmares about getting stuck in tumbling waves and never being able to find my way to air again. Which is why I used to be the “cool observer” on the beach, watching rather than living the action every time Bondi Beach got a little rough.

 But I did watch. I watched surf lessons, pro surfers, surf competitions, surf training videos, surf movies. My eyes would devour every take-off and the subsequent symphony of perfect pop-ups, beautifully executed cutbacks, even the unfortunate wipeouts. But I never once got on a board. Until now…

Raglan is a beautiful Bohemian coastal town 2-3 hours south of Auckland on the west coast of Waikato, New Zealand, with not a single McDonalds or Starbucks in sight. Backpackers gather in front of the sushi bar with guitars and ukuleles and play away the afternoon. Kids (and the young at heart) jump off the jetty or the Raglan Bridge into the warm water. The YOT Club provides an extensive music scene Thursdays-Sundays with a great crowd of welcoming locals and international travellers. A creative market sets up shop every second Sunday of the month, with intricate and exquisite homemade wares. The awesome Wahine Moe cruise boat will guide you around the scenic harbour at sunset while providing great music to dance to, a fully stocked bar, gourmet barbecue and even the chance to dive in and take a dip if you desire.

And they surf. Home to one of the longest left hand surf breaks in the world, and featured in the movie “Endless Summer”, Raglan produces and attracts world-class surfers and has hosted world championship surfing events. For those wanting to live a relaxed seaside lifestyle in a supportive and stimulating community, it is paradise. But for those of us not lucky enough to be able to spend our lives living the dream, Mojosurf offers a taste for 2-7 days of your life that will embed surfing, and Raglan, deep into your soul.

This company has strong links with Raglan – the bus driver I went with grew up and lives there, the sales boss for Mojosurf grew up there, and after just 2 days I was made to feel so welcome that I feel like I’ve lived there a lifetime too. You will stay at the beautiful Karioi Lodge, in the middle of the New Zealand bush, with breathtaking horizon views from the lookout point, a bushwalk, flying fox, Scandinavian sauna, sustainable garden programme & hens, games/hangout barn, daily shuttles to town, immensely comfortable mattresses, surf equipment and cycle hire, Saturday night barbecue, glow worms lighting up the access drive by night, and a great team of surf-friendly staff. On the 5 or 7-day runner you will also stay in Opoutere on the Coromandel Peninsula for a few nights before hitting Raglan.

You will surf. This is the Mojosurf guarantee, and the reason I went with this company. They guarantee safety in the water, fully qualified instructors, many of whom surf on the professional circuit, flexible locations to find the best surf for your ability (which in the case of my beginners group was VERY mild waves!), excellent equipment matched to your size, technique and ability by the amazing instructors, video and photo analysis where required, and so much fun your socks will fall off. What’s more, and I still can’t quite believe this myself, is that someone as uncoordinated and water-shy as I am, with minimal upper body strength, gawky limbs, no water sport experience and no balance, is STILL GUARANTEED to stand up and ride a wave while learning to surf with these guys. I did it on my very first wave:

And then I went back and caught another. And another. Every single one of the 28 surf novices that weekend mastered a wave in their first lesson. Every one came out after 3 hours of surfing with a huge smile on their face and a desire to do it again, which we all did, the next day. I can see why surfing becomes a way of life for so many people. It is totally addictive.

I can fully attribute my success to the amazing Mojosurf way. These guys made me feel at home, gave me the confidence to get in the water and try, and the instruction to succeed. And let me tell you, that first wave, is such a high, you will want to live it forever -  which thanks to the awesome surf photographer in the water, calling out encouragement and capturing those unforgettable first experiences on camera – I can! Back in Auckland, with aching arms and stiff shoulders, I am looking wistfully out of the window, dreaming of the waves and the next chance I’ll get to go back and do it all again. But, until then, if you have ever wanted to feel on top of the world in a place that will capture your heart and imagination, go down and say hi from me…

Mojosurf 5/7 day surf tours, 2 day surf runners, and 2/4 day surf & stay packages can be booked through Surf ‘n’ Snow Backpackers.

 Photos courtesy of Jane Alice BFA, Surfshot

By Sarah Quilter: Receptionist, Travel Agent and Newborn Surfer for Surf ‘n’ Snow Backpackers, March 2012

The first European explorer to discover New Zealand (in 1642) was the Dutchman Abel Tasman – who gave us the name New Zealand (although there have been some clues suggesting that Portuguese explorers may have made it to the west coast of Northland in the early 1500s…). English explorer James Cook first sailed right around this country, making a complete map of the islands and documenting its life forms and culture.

From 1840 there was considerable European settlement, primarily from England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland; but to a lesser extent also the United States, India, and various parts of continental Europe, including the province of Dalmatia in what is now Croatia (visit KAITAIA and DARGAVILLE to see the legacy of the Dalmatian kauri gum diggers, farmers and wine makers), and Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic (visit PUHOI, not too far north of Auckland). White settlers (called Pakeha by Maori) became the majority of the population in 1859. Nowadays people who identify as Maori make up around 14% of the whole population.

The region of Manawatu around Palmerston North was an area with substantial Scandinavian immigration. If you’re interested in the Scandinavian influence in New Zealand, you can visit DANNEVIRKE for example, whose name comes from the Danes who lived and worked there, or EKETAHUNA, another Manawatu town founded by Scandinavians.

Evidence of French ambitions to take colonial control of New Zealand remains in the charming little French village of AKAROA, near Christchurch.

As is also the case in other countries, New Zealand’s larger cities too have districts where certain ethnic groups are more heavily concentrated. You can meet many Koreans in TAKAPUNA, Chinese in HOWICK and BALMORAL, Somalians in MOUNT ROSKILL, Indians in AVONDALE, all suburbs of Auckland, or many Samoans in PORIRUA EAST near Wellington, to name just a few examples.

Did you know that even New Zealand has its own colonies and territories in the world!

Today it still administers places like Tokelau, the Kermadec Islands (and many other outlying groups of islands in the Southern Ocean) and has control over for example the foreign policy of the Cook Islands and Niue. It also claims a large slice of Antarctica, called the Ross Dependency.

From 1918 to 1962 Western Samoa was under New Zealand administration.

What how about our little backpackers hostel though?

Well, the main countries of origin for our guests are Japan, Korea, the U.K., Chile, Germany and France. We also regularly host travellers from Malaysia, Argentina, Sweden, the U.S.A., South Africa, Brazil, Taiwan and many other countries!

Come and join the fun, ongoing cultural exchange with us at Surf n’ Snow!

This must be one of the first things that people imagine when they think of New Zealand.

Apparently there are more sheep in this country than human being. My quick google research told me that there is 11 sheep per person in this country!

Why not get amongst it while we are here? Yep, why not.

We took a little day trip to Rotorua to get amongst it. I mean, you can’t just find sheep in Auckland central city. But after half an hour drive outside of Auckland, we could already spot few sheep here and there.

It was not enough for us! Our aim for this trip is to get amongst it.

The day trip we joined took us to a place which is more like a farm-wonderland, called Agrodorm.

There we got on the trailer with a sheep sheerer who drove us down the farm.

AND we got our dream come true!

Here is the proof that we did…

This was way more than a petting zoo! We fed the sheep, met cows, alpacas, llamas, deer and much more. Surprisingly they were all friendly and came to see our group.(Or they knew that we had their food in our hands…)

Farm stay may be on a lot of travellers’ must-do lists when they travel to New Zealand, but if you want to enjoy the grasp of what farm life and getting amongst sheep are like, Agrodorme is your answer!

Waiheke Island!!!!!!

Off we went again to this island for the Waitangi weekend. (Waitangi day is on 6^th of February, and commemorates a significant day in history of NZ.)

Here we were with hundreds of other excited people on a ferry to Waiheke Island from Auckland City. ($35 Return; pretty reasonable for a weekend getaway to an island) Arriving at Matiatia Ferry Terminal, we headed straight to Ross Adventures for our 4 hour kayaking journey!

Yes, Kayaking. Majority of people go to the island to do a winery tour or two, but since none of us drinks alcohol, we took the adventurous option rather than a luxurious one.

To be honest we now have no idea where exactly we went during the four hours, but we got to paddle around the beautiful water, had a snack break on an awesome hidden beach and race back to the starting point.

The only regret I have after our adventurous journey is that I have completely forgotten to put sunscreen on my legs that I woke up the next morning looking like a roasted chicken…

Lesson Learnt. Put some sunscreen all over my body next time.

All in all, we all decided that we got to go back there again ASAP to kayak. Highly recommended work out with joy- it’s better than going to the gym! (In our opinions anyways, since we all are members of the gym in town but we hardly go)

I am from Chile and from Early 2000 Chilean people started to know more and more about Working Holiday visas in New Zealand.

Just 1.000 visas per year, I don’t know if they are enough for all of us, but who can get one… LUCKY YOU!!!  

I didn’t make a single plan before coming to NZ, for me this one would be a new adventure, and I wasn’t wrong, it was.

Hiring or buying a van to travel and sleep in it is an increasingly popular formula in countries with a beautiful and large land areas and lots of nature lie NZ, however I didn’t take it.  I wanted to meet people, so I decided to take a bus for traveling and sleeping in backpackers (hostels) which are not very known in my country.

The distance from Chile to New Zealand is over 9.000 kilometers.  However, neither the distance nor the long hours of the flights, about 15 hours, between flights, stopovers and transfers prevent Chileans from coming to New Zealand. More Chileans want to know the exoticism of this land, with beautiful and dreamy landscapes virtually untouched nature and in perfect condition. Although there are beautiful cities, New Zealand stands by its nature. It has the highest percentage of its territory as national parks around 14.

The North Island:

Of volcanic Origin, this island has less lush vegetation than its sister the south island, but it has a rich area of geysers in Rotorua.  In this island I found the famous Polynesian Spa, where the temperature of water is around 30 degrees, water rich in minerals.   This Spa is especially advisable during the night.

In Rotorua there are a lot of Maoris (12% of the population), here I had one of the most exciting experiences, in a Maori Village, called Te Puia trying the Hangi (Maori Food), Maori typical dances and of course HAKA.

Although the capital city is Wellington, Auckland has the largest airport in NZ.  Besides being the largest and most populous city.  Auckland is more than the SKY TOWER, it has an impressive bay with thousand of sailboats docked.  Here you also can see volcanoes (Rangitoto and Waiheke Islands) now extinct, and the famous iron bridge HARBOUR BRIDGE, where I tried to do BUNGY JUMP and of course where you can have a beautiful view of the bay and the Pacific.

In anticipation of what you will see throughout the country, there is nothing wrong for nature lovers to enjoy a little museum of Kelly Tarlton. Penguins, all marine species including sharks, rays and wild piranhas come together in a large aquarium that shares space with a museum dedicated to the expedition of Antarctica.

Between Auckland and Rotorua, you can divert to visit the Waitomo Caves. The silence is absolute in its interior, and the visual effect produced by thousands of glowworms, in the ceiling of the cave and ride on a boat that moves gently lead the tourist the feeling of crossing the Hade. It’s one of those moments that are repeated throughout the trip in which you have the sensation of seeing something that is difficult to repeat.

Lake Taupo, such a great lake, BEAUTIFULL!!! Here I did SKY DIVING and one of the best tracking “TONGARIRO CROSSING”.

This’s considered the best one-day trekking tour of the country and is not in vain, The Tongariro Crossing is among the ten best single-day treks across the globe.

Tongariro National Park, about 20 miles southwest of Lake Taupo, was the first national park created in New Zealand and one of the first in the world.  Also it owes its name to the Tongariro volcano, 1.978 m above sea level and although it actually consists of twelve cones, the main peak has two craters, the slope of the northern and the southern slope.

The tour has a distance of 18.5 km and do not forget to come prepared because the weather is very variable and can be passed in a few minutes of clear weather to dense fog and strong winds.

Napier

I came to this city by bus, a fast, safe way to arrive, as well as economic. Since the distances are short in this country, not worth spending to take plane, unless you are in a hurry. You can learn more about all their territory, beautiful landscapes, colors, etc..  The terminal is small and is located near the center. You can easily walk to the hotels and the central avenue. This coastal city of 50,000 is best known for its architecture. After an earthquake destroyed the city in 1931, the inhabitants rebuilt the art deco style today.  Its well-preserved uniformity in style, make it an exceptional site. Only a few buildings survived the double blow (the Public Services Building, with its neo-classical pillars is one) and the dead were more than 100.

I stayed at a hostel that was across the sea, as it was low season I didn’t pay much. The view was beautiful, and despite being on a central avenue, there was not much noise from cars. The hostel was run by its owners, a Kiwi man and Dutch woman, impossible to forget them.  Then I went out to walk the beach overlooked Marine Parade Ride, I liked very much, very artistic. Among the attractions of the region are in Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony (Cape Kidnappers), the National Aquarium, its beach is long but narrow, where you go you can find parks, fountains, trees or just a single route.   Art deco districts, concentrated between Emersion, Herschell, Dalton and Browning streets, is an immersion in style. The decorative elements are often above the buildings, so keep your eyes on high.  Hawke’s Bay, the Spanish Mission and Art Deco architecture, gardens and walks through the bush.  Another attraction is the first known prison in the country.   Definitely this is MY CITY.

THE SOUTH ISLAND

If the volcanic North Island surprises you, The South Island, very mountainous, with much more lush vegetation, gives to you great feelings.  Christchurch, one of the best cities here.  Everybody calls it, The Garden city due to all trees, parks, vegetation which surround the Avon River.

As faithful reflection of the United Kingdom, the Scots also settled in these lands.

Dunedin, a university city par excellence and rich in cultural activities, has many memories of Edinburgh, with impressive buildings such as railway station and the university by itself, built of dark stone of the Otago Peninsula.  It’s in this peninsula where we can find the biggest colony of albatrosses in the world, and numerous seals and curious penguins with yellow eyes.

The main treasures are located on the other side, on the west coast, in front of the Tasman Sea.  Fiordland National Park is the biggest.  Among the many fjords are two: Milford Sound and Doubbtful Sound. Rudyard Kipling defined this as the eighth wonder of the world.  And the road that leads up there, the Milford Track, is considered one of the best routes. Over 55 kilometers that crosses an impressive forest of giant ferns and trees that make up the dense Fiordland region.  To preserve the environment, the New Zealand Government restricts the number of tourists who can go there, so you have to apply months in advance.  Most of the people who come into this park, come by car, where not detract from the stunning views, waterfalls, streams, lakes, snowcapped mountains and a permanent fog accompanied by a dull rain coat (it is one of the places with highest rate of rainfall in the world).

Superhaka was held by Super Shuttle and Iwi(Tribe) of South Island, Ngai Tahu .   Super Shuttle held this event to express our support to the people in Christchurch who has suffered the huge earthquake on 22 Feb 2011. The event was held in four different cities: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin.

In Auckland where I am staying, the event took place in Aotea Square, just a couple minutes walk from Surf n Snow Backpackers. A number of people from different countries gathered in the square to join this memorable event.  We all learned and practiced the words to Haka, meaning of them and how to do it right. As the time turned to 12:30pm, everybody recited the words and performed the Haka that they practiced, loudly and proudly. It was a powerful display of strength, courage and support from not only Kiwis but for those from all over the country.  We hope the people in Christchurch felt our message that they are not alone and we are always by their side.

The performance of Haka by four cities can be viewed on their website http://www.superhaka.co.nz/about-superhaka

Emily