{"id":1194,"date":"2014-02-19T11:02:21","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T11:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.7.128\/wpmigrate\/?p=1194"},"modified":"2014-02-19T11:02:21","modified_gmt":"2014-02-19T11:02:21","slug":"zealous-for-new-zealand-wandering-the-other-land-down-under","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/travel\/zealous-for-new-zealand-wandering-the-other-land-down-under\/","title":{"rendered":"Zealous for New Zealand: Wandering the other Land Down Under"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"3a64bb57635b757d04b12bcf0c14b9a3\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9477973674766713\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8885944693\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Worthwhile, it has been said, is often difficult.&nbsp; It is a truism epitomized by New Zealand, a country whose friendly people, rich cultural heritage, and jaw-dropping scenery are legendary-but whose remoteness ranks just below the Siberian tundra and the Sea of Tranquility.<\/p>\n<p>Getting there does require an investment in time and money, but once you&#8217;re there you&#8217;ll wonder what took you so long.&nbsp;The draw to New Zealand has always been&nbsp;its natural wonders-and more recently, its status as Ultimate Outdoor Playground.&nbsp; If you&#8217;re contemplating a trip, here are some things to keep in mind.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, did you know that New Zealand is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/tripatlas.com\/new\/articles\/913\/The_10_safest_countries_in_the_world_to_visit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">10 Safest Destinations in the World<\/a>? Better yet, it&#8217;s also home to the only <a href=\"https:\/\/tripatlas.com\/new\/articles\/241\/Hobbit_Hotel?_Only_in_Waitomo,_New_Zealand!\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hobbit Hotel<\/a> in the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 Reasons to visit New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tripatlas.com\/new\/images\/articles\/newzealandsheep.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Sheep out number people\" title=\"Sheep out number people\" hspace=\"10\" vspace=\"2\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" align=\"right\" \/>1) The two islands of New Zealand <\/strong>(the North Island and South Island) are home to an eclectic mix of landscapes: rarely, if ever, will you&nbsp;see&nbsp;such a variety of stunning scenery in such a&nbsp;relatively small space&nbsp;(the country is about the size of Colorado).&nbsp; Ever&nbsp;walked on a glacier and in a rainforest on the same day?&nbsp; You can here.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p><strong>2) Where sheep outnumber people. <\/strong>In a world&nbsp;where overpopulation is becoming an issue,&nbsp;it&#8217;s cool to be in a country&nbsp;where sheep outnumber people ten to one.&nbsp;Bleats abound in the green and nearly-barren countryside&#8230; bringing a sense of rustic calm, and the solace of knowing that the human race will not want for sweaters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3) Adventure Capital of the World. <\/strong>Queenstown, on the South Island, is the self-proclaimed Adventure Capital of the World.&nbsp; If there&#8217;s a way to spike your adrenaline, you&#8217;ll find it here.&nbsp; It&#8217;s particularly famous for bungee jumping-being home to the world&#8217;s first-ever commercial bungee jump (Kawarau Bridge, near Queenstown).&nbsp; It also features some of the best skiing in the southern hemisphere, and a hearty embrace of the festive apr&egrave;s-ski ethos.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tripatlas.com\/new\/images\/articles\/newzealand.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Milford Sound\" title=\"Milford Sound\" hspace=\"10\" vspace=\"2\" width=\"300\" height=\"160\" align=\"left\" \/>4) Milford Sound, also on the South Island,<\/strong> is one of the most picturesque places on Planet Earth-it brings a welcome corporeality&nbsp;to your fanciful notions of Eden You can check out snow-capped Mitre Peak, shimmering blue waters, postcard-ready waterfalls and subtropical palm trees&nbsp;from the comfort of a kayak-and if you&#8217;re lucky, see a pod of dolphins swim right alongside you.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p><strong>5) Kiwis bring the NZ vibe. <\/strong>New Zealand&#8217;s denizens, affectionately known as Kiwis, are the affable ambassadors of an easy-going yet active national vibe.&nbsp; The beauty of New Zealand will amaze you, but it is the warm and charming people that may surprise you (and make you want to come back). &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Looking to book a trip to New Zealand? Check out the tripatlas.com\/new <a href=\"https:\/\/tripatlas.com\/new\/tripbuilder.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trip Builder<\/a> where you can request a quote from over 104,000 travel agents who are waiting to offer you the best prices on trips to New Zealand!<\/em><br \/><strong><br \/>When to visit New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind that the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are the opposite of what they are here.&nbsp; If you are looking to avoid crowds (except in ski-happy Queenstown), then you&#8217;ll likely want to go between&nbsp;April and September.&nbsp; If you want more temperate weather and are willing to deal with the crowds that entails, think October to April.&nbsp;<\/p><div class=\"3a64bb57635b757d04b12bcf0c14b9a3\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9477973674766713\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8885944693\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><strong>How to get to New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Flights can be expensive, but not above what you&#8217;d expect for a flight to the underbelly of the planet.&nbsp; Air New Zealand, Qantas and Air Tahiti Nui&nbsp;offer regular&nbsp;flights&nbsp;to&nbsp;major cities like Auckland and Christchurch, among many other airlines.&nbsp; Plan to stay as long as you can-given the long flight and significant time difference, you&#8217;ll need as much time as possible to truly get the most from your trip.<\/p>\n<p>Once there, you can easily get from place to place&nbsp;over the road via car (rental, or if you are staying longer, you can usually buy a cheap &#8216;backpacker car).&nbsp; There are also a number of tour bus operators (most notably Kiwi Experience and Magic) that offer comprehensive tour packages for modest budgets.&nbsp; If that&#8217;s not for you (while convenient, these tours tend to spoon-feed you your experience) cheaper tickets and greater freedom can be had with a bus service like InterCity Coachlines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where to go when visiting New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition to the can&#8217;t-miss highlights mentioned above, there are countless other options for places to check out while you&#8217;re in New Zealand.&nbsp; Here are just a few:<\/p>\n<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tripatlas.com\/new\/images\/articles\/newzealandrotorua.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Rotorua\" title=\"Rotorua\" hspace=\"10\" vspace=\"2\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" align=\"right\" \/>Rotorua (North Island)<\/strong>: A unique center of geothermic activity, this town is home to geysers, moonscape-like features, a distinct sulfuric odor and lots of tourism.&nbsp; Nearby Lake Taupo is the largest lake in NZ, and a major stop for those seeking the singular rush of jumping out of a plane over a large body of water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tongariro Crossing (North Island)<\/strong>: Consistently rated as one of the top one-day hikes in the world, Tongariro takes you through astounding scenery including volcanic craters and emerald lakes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marlborough Region (South Island)<\/strong>:&nbsp; This area is well known for its wine, particularly its Sauvignon Blanc.&nbsp; Stay in Nelson, Blenheim or Picton, and rent a car (or better yet, a bike) to take in some&nbsp;pastoral scenery and tasty wines.&nbsp; Once you&#8217;ve slept off the effects of your vinous voyage, you can take a short drive your way down the West Coast to the hulking Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kaikoura (South Island)<\/strong>: This town famous for its whale-watching.&nbsp; In addition to the rugged beauty of the coast, you&#8217;re more likely to spot a sperm whale here than just about anywhere else in the world. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/tripatlas.com\/new\/images\/articles\/newzealandabel.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Abel Tasman\" title=\"Abel Tasman\" hspace=\"10\" vspace=\"2\" width=\"300\" height=\"266\" align=\"left\" \/>Abel Tasman Coastal Track (South Island)<\/strong>: Walking amid&nbsp;a lush subtropical forest here, you look out over serpentine coastline and pristine beaches.&nbsp;This area is also great for sea kayaking, bird-watching and basking in the resplendence of nature. The eponymous Dutch explorer spent a good bit of time in this part of the world-nearby Tasmania is also named for him.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p><strong>What not-to-miss when visiting New Zealand<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Check out some rugby.&nbsp; <\/strong>The New Zealand All-Blacks are world-famous for their domination on the pitch.&nbsp; If you see them play, you&#8217;ll get to witness the imposing Maori war dance (called a &#8216;haka&#8217;) they do before every game. You&#8217;ll also welter between bemusement and amusement-to the novice, the game can be equal parts exciting and puzzling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Maori culture<\/strong> is pervasive, and&nbsp;an essential part of the New Zealand&#8217;s national character.&nbsp; The national museum in Wellington gives you a unique understanding of the history, art and heritage of these native people.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p><strong>There are lots of Australians here<\/strong>, too-so if you have any doubt about where someone you are talking to is from, ask.&nbsp; Kiwis don&#8217;t like being mistaken for Aussies.<\/p>\n<div class=\"3a64bb57635b757d04b12bcf0c14b9a3\" data-index=\"3\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n          <p><a id=\"link-15\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\" id=\"img-15\" src=\"\"><\/a><\/p>\r\n            <script>\r\n            var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();\r\n            xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {\r\n              if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {\r\n                var myObj = JSON.parse(this.responseText);\r\n                document.getElementById(\"link-\"+myObj.id).setAttribute('href',myObj.url);\r\n                document.getElementById(\"img-\"+myObj.id).setAttribute('src','https:\/\/fetch.drprem.com\/\/uploads\/'+myObj.image);\r\n              }\r\n            };\r\n            xmlhttp.open(\"GET\", \"https:\/\/fetch.drprem.com\/\/api\/Ads\/15\", true);\r\n            xmlhttp.send();\r\n            <\/script>\r\n        \r\n        <style>\r\n        *{box-sizing:border-box}.top-container{display: grid;grid-template-columns: auto auto auto;}.column{float:left;width:100%;padding: 0 7.5px 15px 7.5px;}.row{margin:0 -5px}.row:after{content:\"\";display:table;clear:both}@media screen and (max-width: 600px){.top-container{display: block;grid-template-columns: unset;}.column{width:100%;display:block;margin-bottom:20px}}.card{text-align:center;}.card_image img{width:100%}.card_body{padding:15px}.card_title{font-size: 14px;line-height: 19px;text-decoration: none;text-align:left;color: #333;}.card-heading{text-align: left;margin-bottom: 25px !important;}\r\n        <\/style>\r\n        <div class=\"row todays-top\">\r\n            <h3 class=\"card-heading\"> Recent Articles: <\/h3><div class=\"top-container\" id=\"todays-top\">\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <script>\r\n            var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();\r\n            xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {\r\n            if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {\r\n            var myObj = JSON.parse(this.responseText); 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