Page 18 - Pierce County Lawyer - May June 2024

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Travel
Yes, You Should Visit New Zealand By Jennifer Loynd
Idon’t believe in having a travel Bucket List. It’s a bit too morbid and checklist-y for me. But I am a huge advocate of making time for travel. For any budget and even the
busiest calendar, there is a trip that works. Whether that means an overnight just a short drive away, turning a Monday holiday into a 5-day beach vacation, or a two-week holiday in an entirely different hemisphere. Whatever trip fits into your budget and schedule is a trip worth taking.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”. – Gandalf
For me, looking forward to a
trip makes the daily grind more manageable. Planning excursions and shopping for vacation togs is one of my favorite ways to unwind after a stressful day at work. I have found it much easier to schedule other commitments around a planned vacation than trying to fit one into an already overbooked calendar.
After quite a bit of planning, I spent two weeks this past March exploring New Zealand. With welcoming people, beautiful cities and towns, absolutely gorgeous landscapes, and fun activities of all sorts, Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) is an amazing place to visit. Here are a few Dos and Don’ts I am happy to share:
DO visit New Zealand in March. While we are still in the clutches of the Big Dark here in the Pacific Northwest, New Zealanders are enjoying long, late summer days. The hills are green, and the weather is warm. I prefer ‘shoulder season’ travel where crowds and hotel rates are a bit more manageable, so March in New Zealand during the late summer/early fall was perfect.
DON’T skip it just because you think a longer trip would be better. Is two weeks enough time to see both the North and
Sound islands of New Zealand? Absolutely not. But with 14 days in the country, we were able to explore Auckland and the Northland, drive down the west coast to Wellington, then fly to Queenstown and spend time in the Deep South before driving back up to Christchurch. The list of places and activities we would have liked to add is long, but that does not diminish the wonderful experiences we did fit into the time we had.
DO pick a range of places to stay. When it comes to accommodations, New Zealand has everything from campgrounds and motels to Ritz Carlton-level luxury hotels. I have champagne tastes and a beer budget, but I make it work by picking a range of different hotels. In Queenstown we booked
a boutique hotel with views overlooking Lake Wakatipu. But then in New Plymouth we got a great rate at what turned out
to be a Red Lion style hotel with a broken hot tub. It’s all about balance. (And taking the extra tea from the nicer hotel with you when you check out.)
DO rent a car. The North Island of New Zealand is about 515 miles from tip to stern. The South Island is larger and spans about 540 miles. Over the course of 14 days we drove almost 1,500 miles. There are buses, trains and other travel options, but our time was limited so we opted to drive. I prefer being on my own schedule so there’s no rush when a quick stop to pick up drinks at a roadside grocery turns into a shopping trip through a market of locally made artisan goods.
DON’T forget to keep left. Like the Brits, Kiwis drive on the left. It takes a minute, but you’ll get used to it.
DO download an offline map. I use Google maps to navigate, both at home and abroad. You can download an ‘offline map’ to your phone that remains accessible even if you are out of cell phone range. It was very helpful when driving little 2-lane highways in the countryside and the switchbacks between craggy granite mountain peaks in Fiordland National Park.
DO book some activities before you go. New Zealand is packed with things to do and places to see. Do you want to visit Hobbits? Kayak underground rivers? Hurl yourself down a hill in a plastic hamster ball? They have it all. And many of these excursions fill up well in advance. I was particularly interested in stargazing at the Dark Sky Reserve. Six weeks before our trip, when I made a hotel reservation in Lake Tekapu, the Dark Sky Project’s Summit Experience was already full. But their Crater Experience had room and we loved it.
DON’T plan an excursion without checking how far away it is. Did I book a cruise around Milford Sound without realizing it meant doing a 4-hour drive from Queenstown? Yes. Did we do the drive out and back plus the 90-minute cruise in one day? Yes. And it was definitely worth it! But I should have checked before making the booking.
DON’T overbook yourself. We lined up a few excursions
18 PIERCE COUNTY LAWYER | May/June 2024