[SRM]

Wow! What timing! My dad is about to visit this beautiful country next week and now I can share with him quite a few pointers in terms of what to expect.

Varun, amazing travelogue with really beautiful pictures. This one is definitely for keeps as it will save me considerable research time whenever I plan to visit. A road trip on international destination is definitely in the bucket list!

Just a thought though, were you tempted to throw in Australia as well for some days and balance time spent in both the countries? As even Australia is beautiful for road trips.

[RoadTrippin]

Thanks for the detailed travelogue, have been looking around for good routes in NZ covering both North and South Islands. This has given a lot of inputs on picking routes and rentals.

Would have loved to see some pics of the exotic wildlife there, please share if you have any

[varunraizada]

Originally Posted by SRM

Varun, amazing travelogue with really beautiful pictures.

Just a thought though, were you tempted to throw in Australia as well for some days and balance time spent in both the countries? As even Australia is beautiful for road trips.

After going through the trip I'm happy I wasn't tempted . 15 days in NZ and I missed out quite a few things which I wanted to do

1. The southern scenic drive - It's supposed to be majestic and I would recommend that over doing north island
2. Whale watching - Could not do as road was closed
3. Eastern coast of North island - has some lovely places too

Australia is huge and has lovely roads and definitely a better driving experience. But it's not half as beautiful as New Zealand is what I read.

Plus we wanted to spend time with our friends so did not consider Australia

Originally Posted by RoadTrippin

Thanks for the detailed travelogue, have been looking around for good routes in NZ covering both North and South Islands. This has given a lot of inputs on picking routes and rentals.

Would have loved to see some pics of the exotic wildlife there, please share if you have any

We saw seals and dolphins - pics of which I have uploaded . You can't click kiwis as they are mostly preserved and venture out only in the dark . Kia bird is another New Zealand speciality and I'll have to dig out the pic

Other than that there are opportunities to see penguins and whales along the southern scenic route which I decided to skip

Wild life in general is absent in new Zealand. There are no snakes no rats in the country and no carnivore predators at all so it's considered to the most safest country to go camping

If you doing north and south island both , pls do north before south ( surely you know why in the pics )

[sandeepmohan]

Spot on observation on the weather. I don't think I've fired up the Weather App on my phone as many times when I was in India. In NZ, I look at it almost everyday. Even then, somtimes it is very unpredictable.

Changi Airport is indeed a nice place to be. I lost track of time and the number of times my little boy dragged me to ride the little shuttle road train between terminals. Thats mostly because he is a train buff like me. The street food sorta vendors on the mezzanine floor are excellent.

Wind is almost at a constant in Wellington. Its what keeps it cool in summer which is really harsh when the sun is out. We had a bad winter last year. Having moved from India, for me and my family, it was freezing. The wind just makes matters worse. Moreover, insulation for houses are terrible. For the ones with a carpet, it is okay. For the one's that don't (Like ours), it is almost like a fridge on the inside during winter. I remember carrying a brand new umbrella all the way from India with a claim to survive a 60kmph wind blast. It ripped itself apart on the first day I used it. The better solution on a rainy or windy day is a jacket.

Rentals can be cheap or expensive depending on the provider and type of car you choose. I used Apex recently for a family road trip as we had extended family visiting. Was a Hyundai iMax petrol. Acres of space, full bucket seats for all 8 passengers with 3 point belts and a full size boot. The driver is treated to a car like cockpit too. Things like touch screen infotainment system, heated seats, dual zone climate control, etc. Apart from the wheezy engine, zero complaints. Very economical for the size. The icing on the cake was $97 a day and we are talking about a busy season as we hired the van on the first week a January 2018. Does not get cheaper than this. You can rent even a Camry and it is still very reasonable.

I have to agree with you on the beauty New Zealand offers. As you are driving, you keep wanting to stop and take pictures. It is almost mesmerizing. I've got to that point where I stop to take a picture just for the purpose of recording I was at this place. The real beauty is etched in my head.

As you discovered around the The Mcaulay River, there are several off road trails that you find along the highway that will give you a slightly different perspective of the area you are in. Off course, it is possible to take these roads with an SUV but worth exploring if you have the time.
It also helps to map a place in your mind or use a map itself of the area which you can get from the Information Centre's. There are times Google Maps do not work too due to lack of coverage.

New Zealand cuisine is no more than a Pie (Meat, Steak n Cheese), a steak (American inspired) or Fish n Chips (UK style). I've been on the hunt for what is "Kiwi" cuisine and I've almost given up. I've asked my colleague too who is a kiwi and he too does not really have much to say for what is "kiwi" cuisine and he's someone good with food too. I am keen to explore Maori cuisine though.

On the Fortotten World Highway, I noticed that you passed a place called Taumarunui. This is the place where there is a 145 km stretch of old and abandoned railway track that you can explore on a golf buggy. It isn't listed anywhere as those "must do" things. I did the trip recently though I took the shortest trip which was 35km and it was an experience. Kiwi Rail basically abandoned the line way back and a small tour company in Taumarunui has leased it for 30 years. You pass through places where the population is less than 500 people! We ended our journey at Matiere where they flip the golf buggys backwards on a turntable and we head back to Taumarunui. This rail line has been in existence from 1920. They gave it up as it was not profitable. You could do this on your next trip.

On meeting the Indian gentleman at the coffee shop, trust me, we are everywhere in New Zealand. I met one guy who runs a BP pump at Masterton! Almost every corner shop in my neighborhood is run by a Gujarati. We seem more humble in a foreign land too.

Weta isn't entirely into props and creatures. Their main business is visual effects for film. They are a multi award winning studio. LOTR, Avataar, Tintin, the recent War for the Planet of the Apes, etc (A whole lot more infact) done entirely at Weta. It also happens to be where I work :-). The next time you are around these parts, let me know.

On cars, you are spoilt for choice in this beautiful country. Pretty much everything is indeed imported. The thing is, they depreicate fast. You can get a well groomed, not so old 5 series for under 10lacs and even though it may have 100k km on the odo, it is nothing as cars do not age here. You can buy a car for $1500, drive it till it stops and trash it. Heck; the scrap guy will pay you $300 to pickup the car. Even if it runs for only a year, I see no loss in it. If you do decide to maintain it, it will keep running forever. As a result, you see a lot of people driving around really old Toyota Corolla's or Honda's. They just keep running. 2lac km on the odo is nothing for these cars. Change the cambelt and you're good to go. Nothing happens to the suspension or mechnical bits.

To end, Thank you for that excellent travelogue. I moved to NZ 9 months ago and have explored only a fraction of what you have. Your travelogue is going to be a good guide for me, especially the South Island which I have yet to explore.

[kbishwa]

This is the best reason, for me at least, to be a member of team bhp. Bindaas sharing of experiences we love and value!

Thanks a ton Varun for the travelogue..felt I was travelling with you!

After going through most of the photographs I can be able to relate many of the amazing places visited with some place in India like (which I've visited):

1. Lakes with snow-covered mountain in the backdrop: Kashmir, Gangtok
2. Meadows: At all hilly terrain including, Ooty, Manali etc..and above locations
3. Rivers & sea beaches: Uttar Kashi, Kashmir, HP, Sikkim for rivers..and for sea beaches...we are surrounded by them actually, similar one I guess, there at Kovalam, Goa..etc..

But the kind of cleanliness and lack of crowd cannot be matched!

Again thanks for your butter smooth ride of NZ!

[psp62in]

Wow, what a travelogue! And Super Pictures too.
Nz on Road is now added to my bucket-list.

[naphill]

Originally Posted by kbishwa

This is the best reason, for me at least, to be a member of team bhp. Bindaas sharing of experiences we love and value!

Thanks a ton Varun for the travelogue..felt I was travelling with you!

After going through most of the photographs I can be able to relate many of the amazing places visited with some place in India like (which I've visited):

1. Lakes with snow-covered mountain in the backdrop: Kashmir, Gangtok
2. Meadows: At all hilly terrain including, Ooty, Manali etc..and above locations
3. Rivers & sea beaches: Uttar Kashi, Kashmir, HP, Sikkim for rivers..and for sea beaches...we are surrounded by them actually, similar one I guess, there at Kovalam, Goa..etc..

But the kind of cleanliness and lack of crowd cannot be matched!

Again thanks for your butter smooth ride of NZ!

Spot on. My thoughts exactly. India is a much bigger country in terms of area and natural splendour, but unfortunately, we the people as a community do not respect its grandeur and beauty. There in lies the difference between New Zealand and India. More importantly, a road trip in India to these spots you mentioned can never be as relaxing or enjoyable as the one in New Zealand, simply because we don't respect road rules or other users even if the roads are in good condition (sporadically).
I went on a road trip to New Zealand recently as well and the true beauty of the country is best explored in a self-drive and not in conducted tours.
Thanks for the fantastic travelogue varunraizada