New Zealand, Beauty at Every Turn

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New Zealand has an excellent road infrastructure, but there are very few major highways, which reduces getting lost to a minimum.  It also seems to have the most single-lane bridges in the world.  No doubt it's a way to save both money and resources in low populated areas, as traffic in the winter months was nearly non-existent.  And as a word of caution, the approach to some bridges was obstructed from view so it was impossible to see if any other vehicles were on it until the last minute.

New Zealanders are a hearty bunch and willing to try anything at least once.  The country is the birthplace of nearly every extreme sport, most notably bungee jumping.  There were numerous opportunities throughout the drive; however, we never partook for two reasons.  First, it's not cheap (a resounding theme throughout our trek), and second, we all thought that jumping off a perfectly good bridge and plummeting several hundred feet at a high rate of speed hoping the cord did not break was a bit nuts.  However, there was no shortage of people lining up to pay the $150 USD per person and subject themselves to sheer terror and in some cases soiled underwear.

Another prominent feature of New Zealand is the Maori culture.  The Maoris arrived from Polynesia around 1300 A.D. and populated both the North and South Islands.  Their culture and customs are fascinating in every respect.  From their fearsome facial tattoos to their music, dance and the custom of rubbing noses to greet one another, the Maoris are unique and diverse.  The Europeans made an attempt to co-exist with the Maoris in 1840 when they signed the Treaty of Waitangi.  However, as with most treaties, the Europeans changed the rules and major wars broke out between the two races.  In addition, white-borne disease decimated the indigenous peoples and only added to the misery.

Like so many other aboriginal cultures the land was their life-source and something that could not be owned by any one person.  At the heart of the conflict was the issue of land ownership.  The Maoris believed you could not give away or sell what you did not own.  In other words, land was "unownable" because it did not belong to any single person or group.  A concept considered barbaric by Europeans who saw wealth and prosperity from taking what did not belong to them at the end of a gun, and redistributing it for their own benefit and that of the Crown.  A recurring theme in almost every country we visited.

There are several theories why New Zealanders are referred to as Kiwis.  The most popular is that it was the name given to the Europeans by the Maoris, and was based on the small flightless indigenous bird, not the small green fuzz-covered fruit.  To support this assertion, the locals always refer to the latter as kiwifruit and not just kiwi as we are accustomed to in the U.S.

In addition to its majestic snow-covered mountains, New Zealand is also known for the vast tracks of fertile farmland.  A unique feature of the countryside is the very tall, very long windbreaks created by enormous hedgerows and rows of Australian pines.  Their purpose is to help slow down and reduce the effects of high winds that whip through the valleys and off the ocean.  Some of the windbreaks are manicured by using cherry pickers, while others are left to grow haphazardly.  To prove they work, it was common to see cows, horses and sheep huddled against them during blowing rain, which was often.

Speaking of sheep . . . sheep are to New Zealand what oil is to Saudi Arabia.  Combined, there are more sheep on the two islands than any place in the world.  Looking down into a valley from high up, the fields looked like they were crawling with white ants.  The people to sheep ratio estimates vary wildly and have been reported as high as 20 sheep for every one Kiwi.  However, according to 2008 data the number is closer to eight to one.  Regardless of the number, it's a great place for insomniacs to hangout, as there are plenty of sheep to count.  With approximately four million people, that puts the sheep population at roughly 32 million.  New Zealanders better hope George Orwell's book Animal Farm never comes true or humans will definitely be in the minority.

The journey in our huge motor home took us south along the coast from Christchurch.  New Zealand is not as liberal with its bush camping as Australia.  Most pull-off sites did not allow overnight camping, which made it necessary to use caravan parks.  Although we did bush camp several times, the majority of the nights were spent in full-service campsites.  All were clean and had a variety of amenities; although every one of them lacked something we desperately wanted each morning during our pilgrimage to the bathrooms, heat.  As stated earlier, New Zealanders are a hearty bunch.  I cannot say the same for five Floridians who believe in the right to have some warmth during their morning rituals.  Even confirmed travelers long for basic creature comforts.

The coastline is home to a wide array of marine life.  Seals, sea lions, whales, penguin colonies and sea birds of every type can be found in this part of the world.  The Royal Albatross Colony is a one-hour scenic drive from Dunedin on the East Coast.  It's the only mainland breeding-colony for this species of bird in the Southern Hemisphere.  Except for the time raising their young, they glide over the oceans nearly all of their lives.  With a wingspan of nearly 10-feet, it is one of the largest birds in the world.

One of the most visited towns in New Zealand is Queenstown, which is located on beautiful Lake Wakatipu.  With the lake and snow-covered mountains as a backdrop, Queenstown is reminiscent of a Swiss village.  There are a wide variety of accommodations and several caravan parks.  The town has many shops and restaurants catering to every want, need and palate.  Some of the best skiing in New Zealand is available around Queenstown including Coronet Peak, a 25-minute drive from the city center.  And last but not least, the Queenstown area is ground zero for most of the Lord of the Rings tours on the South Island.

In Central Florida we are full of Worlds.  From Hub Cap World to Disney World, everyone wants to get in on what the word implies to the general public.  Wanaka is just north of Queenstown and is home to Puzzle World, a mind-bending attraction complete with a maze that takes the average person more than an hour to find their way out.  There are hundreds of displays designed to mystify, baffle, stump, confuse, bewilder and discombobulate visitors.  Since I am not good with puzzles, I would add frustrate to the list as well.

North and west of Wanaka near the coast are the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.  These massive ever-moving ice fields slowing grind their way through valleys reshaping them as they go, and carrying boulders the size of cars over long distances.  Whether it's due to global warming or some other natural phenomenon, the glaciers have receded dramatically over the years.  On the long winding road to the Franz Josef Glacier, a marker indicated that in the mid-1900s it had stretched to that point, which is more than a mile from where the face of the glacier currently stops.

Between Wanaka and the road east to Christchurch, much of the scenery and vegetation looked like a scene from Jurassic Park.  The palm trees, ferns and other vegetation were huge and thick on both sides of the road.  It seemed that at any minute a dragonfly the size of a small Cessna would swoop by or a roach as big as a dog would scutter across the road.

We eventually headed east toward Christchurch and drove through Arthur's Pass National Park, which not coincidentally is where Arthur's Pass is located.  Highway 73 dissects the park and takes travelers over the top of the mountain.  It is a spectacular but somewhat harrowing drive; especially when the winds are blowing, which is most of the time.

By the time the motor home was returned, we had driven nearly 1,500 miles.  By now, we all had had enough closeness and were ready to move on to our next destination, which was Fiji.  We believe New Zealand should be on everyone's bucket list, as it is unquestionably one of the most beautiful countries on the planet.  Just make sure you choose your travel partners, mode of transportation and type of accommodations with care.

And remember, "Travel is the ultimate education."

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