OCEANIA

New Zealand

Facts about New Zealand

population

4,4 million (2017)

CURRENCY

New Zealand Dollar (NZD)

Drive on

Left side

TID

UTC + 12

New Zealand's South Island is inaccessible, mountainous and endlessly beautiful. Here, among glaciers, penguins and fjords, you will find the country's largest mountain - Aoraki (Mount Cook). We have traveled around for 2 weeks by car on the south island. It was a really wonderful adventure, with many nature experiences and good food. But the internet - you can forget that!

10 things you shouldn't miss

1. Take a boat trip in Milford Sound
2. Visit a Marlborough winery
3. Watch whales in Kaikoura
4.Hiking at the glacier in Fox Glacier
5. Visit the little penguins in Oamaru
6. Hike in beautiful Mount Aspiring National Park
7. Visit a sheep farm
8. Catch the lupine bloom at Mount Cook
9. Glide along in a kayak in the Abel Tasman
10. Marvel at the nighttime performance of the glowworms in the forest around Fox Glacier

Five travel tips

01.

The roads

The roads on the South Island are narrow and crooked. Do not expect that you will be able to drive faster than 70km/h. Plus, you'll want to stop and admire the view very often. It simply takes time to drive around New Zealand.

02.

Climate

New Zealand has opposite seasons to Sweden and the climate on the South Island during the summer is a bit like a Swedish summer. When we were there in December, the daughter wore a hat the whole time. So don't count on too much bathing weather.

03.

Internet

The internet is neither as accessible nor as fast as in Sweden. I had problems throughout the trip uploading my photos to my cloud backup. It was simply too slow.

04.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes occur relatively often in New Zealand. Keep an eye on the emergency exits and make sure you know what to do if it starts shaking.

05.

Volcanoes

New Zealand has plenty of hot springs and volcanoes. Make sure you read up on the latest travel warnings before you head out on your hiking trip.

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