You MUST see and do... Queenstown Gondola

I mentioned this in a previous post but if you're in Queenstown you MUST go up the gondola and I highly recommend going on the luge (not an ice luge check out the pic). Once up the gondola there are gift shops and a restaurant and magnificent view you can go bungy jumping or for a walk. It would even be nice to take a picnic lunch up there but remember that it is really high up, I was there in summer and there was still a chill in the air so make sure you have a jersey to put on, and if it's winter take some really warm gears.

• Skyline Queenstown

Which Ferry?

When you're looking at crossing Cook Strait (between the North and South Island) I highly recommend traveling by ferry, but which one? There are two main shipping companies for crossing the strait. The Interislander is the longest running passenger service however in recent years Bluebridge has begun catering for passengers, and they both have their pros and cons.

The Interislander has 3 vessels and having been around for longer has a much larger variety of onboard entertainment from movies to gift shops, kids playgrounds, work stations and a club class lounge, however it costs to see the movie which is usually a second rate movie and the cinema isn't the most comfortable, and the gift and food shops are priced to target tourists. The ticket prices range from about NZ$35 - $60 per person depending on ticket availability. I wouldn't pay $60 unless I had no other option. It is a 3 hour trip.
http://www.interislander.co.nz/mainpage.asp

The bluebridge on the other hand developed from a freight shipping company and had a ship refurbished in 2003 to take passengers. The good thing about bluebridge is that there is one set price $45 per person (adult). There is no movie cinema but they do play a couple of family movies on large screens around the ship but they can sometimes be hard to see or hear. There is a cafe and a snack shop onboard which is also quite expensive. I have found that in rougher weather the Bluebridge doesn't seem to roll around as much but the trip does take 20mins longer
http://www.bluebridge.co.nz/passenger.htm

All in all it's only 3 hours and if it's nice weather you'll probably spend most of the trip on the deck, when I travel I usually take whichever ferry I can get the cheaper ticket with, but check out the websites and I'll let you choose for yourself.

NZ Facts

New Zealand is located in the Southern Pacific Ocean Southeast of Australia, it is also known as Aotearoa which means 'Land of the Long white Cloud' .

NZ's land area is about 268,000 sq km or about the size of Colorado but it has a coastline 15,134km long!

The terrain is predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains the highest point is Aoraki - Mount Cook which is 3,754 meters high.

Brief History:
The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800, an agreement with Britain (the treaty of Waitangi) was entered into in 1840. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily
in both World Wars.
In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances with the treaty.

NZ now has a Population 4 Million and the largest city, Auckland holds about 1.1 million of them. Wellington is the Capital city of New Zealand and is the Southern most capital city in the world.

The Prime Minister is Helen Clark, yes a female Prime Minister!

Apart from bats and marine mammals, NZ has no native mammals, however we are home to some very unique birds such as the kiwi, and kakapo.

Word of the Week - "Kiwi"

For all those US readers out there who think a kiwi is a small furry green fruit, you'd be wrong. If you were to ask for a piece of kiwi in NZ you'd probably be arrested for one of two reasons.

A Kiwi is a native flightless bird that is only found in New Zealand and therefore protected, at the same time Kiwi can also be an informal word for a New Zealander

So if while in NZ you think you'd like a kiwi (the fruit) be sure to call it a 'kiwi fruit' as it is known over here.

kiwi
• noun (pl. kiwis) 1 a
flightless, tailless New Zealand bird with hair-like feathers and a long
downcurved bill. 2 (Kiwi) informal a New Zealander.
— ORIGIN
Maori.

What's to come?

I just started this blog today but here are a few things I plan to write about:

• Hokitika Wild Foods Festival (West Coast, South Island) and accommodation
• Last year I went on a 5 day sailing trip around the Hauraki Gulf (out of Auckland, largest city at the top of the North Island)
• NZ facts
• Upcoming NZ events
• Places you MUST see, Things you MUST do
• NZ sayings

If you want to know or hear about something specific leave a comment below and if I have been there seen it or done it, I'll put out a post about it .

I look Forward to hearing from you.

A Little About Me

I was born in Wellington (bottom of the North Island) which is the Capital of NZ and moved across Cook Straight to Picton at the top of the South Island when I was young. I grew up in the small tourist town located at the end of the picturesque Marlborough Sounds.

Marlborough is a playground for all tourists on the water there is, kayaking, sailing, fishing, cruising, and diving all available from Picton. Back on dry land you can go tramping from easy 30 minute bush walks to 5 or 6 day full tramps with camping, or you could mountain bike the tracks. Then further inland in Blenheim there is vineyards galore and it's quite simple to arrange your own wine tour (if you can find a sober driver). Hunting is another popular Marlborough pastime. So there is definitely plenty of entertainment to find in the area.

I have now moved on from Picton and live about 2 hours North of Wellington near Palmerston North which is a good Base for the lower half of the North Island.

My boyfriends family lives lives in Central Otago which is right down the bottom of the South Island another popular destination for tourists. Queenstown is THE place to visit in NZ but it is really expensive because the tourists will pay for it. It is the center of extreme sports in New Zealand world famous for it's bungy jumping and ski resorts, the town itself is nestled at the head of a beautiful lake. There is a gondola that heads up the mountain to a restaurant overlooking probably the most magnificent views you'll ever find, there are also gift shops a luge and the bungy jump up there.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have family and friends spread out all over NZ and therefore spend a bit of time in these places (so have the inside information) I also do a bit of traveling for work so get to see a fair bit of the country.

So all in all I want to share with you all that I discover throughout all of NZ and hopefully I can make your visit to my country much better.

Welcome

Kiaora from New Zealand, as you can see there is not a lot on this blog yet but it is work in progress and I'll try to get some helpful posts up ASAP.

I am a Kiwi that is very interested in travel and learning about other cultures and countries however I'm sure I will always return home to NZ. So I've started this blog for like minded travel addicts (or anyone venturing out for the first time). If you are coming to my beautiful country and want to know some specifics leave a comment and I check them daily so I'll either get back with an answer or a website that might be able to help.

I look forward to sharing my country.

Sandi