Now that our time down under is finished and our trip is nearly complete, I thought I\u2019d write down a few observations from my perspective.\u00a0 So here they are, in no particular order.<\/p>\n
New Zealand is a country of great natural beauty.\u00a0 Each region of the country seems to offer scenery that is magical and unique.\u00a0 In a way, the sights of New Zealand remind me of many parts of Canada.\u00a0\u00a0 However, in New Zealand, you can see all of those sights inside a much smaller geographic area.\u00a0 It\u2019s like having the Canadian Pacific coast, the Rocky mountains (on a smaller scale), the Athabasca glacier, and the Ontario Great Lakes rocks and rivers all compressed into an area the size of a small Canadian province!<\/p>\n
Gasoline is expensive!\u00a0 In Canada, we complain when the gas price hits $0.90\/Litre.\u00a0 In New Zealand, I never saw it below $1.81\/Litre, and even paid $2.05 on the west coast of the South Island!\u00a0 Also, don\u2019t expect your vehicle to get the same mileage as in North America.\u00a0 Due to the constant curves and hills in the roads, you\u2019ll be switching between the accelerator and the brake a lot.<\/p>\n
The kiwis are a very friendly and helpful people.<\/p>\n
Food is expensive.\u00a0 I recall one grocery store in New Zealand where we paid $10.50 for a 12-pack of Diet Coke!\u00a0 I know that 1.00 NZD = 0.70 CAD, but still, in Canada you can find cases 3 for $10.<\/p>\n
As with groceries, restaurant meals are expensive.\u00a0 After factoring in exchange rates and tipping (which you do not do in New Zealand), they seem to cost about 50% more in both Australia and New Zealand than in Canada.\u00a0 The other difference is that in Canada, you only pay for your Diet Coke once.\u00a0 I don\u2019t recall anywhere in New Zealand or Australia with free refills on drinks at restaurants, and that Coke generally costs about $4.00.\u00a0 If you want a second drink, the cost difference will increase.<\/p>\n
The roads are an interesting experience.\u00a0 Divided freeways are rare, and generally only exist around the largest cities.\u00a0 The rest of the time, the roads are narrower than what we\u2019re used to in Canada, they\u2019re twisty, have lots of single-lane bridges (and sometimes no bridges at all), and guard rails are not terribly common.\u00a0 You just can\u2019t cover the same distance in the same amount of time as in North America.\u00a0 I suppose that\u2019s fine, because we weren\u2019t ever in a hurry.\u00a0 It also added to the excitement of the drive.\u00a0 And speaking of travel time, these narrow and twisty roads generally have speed limits of 100 km\/h, but except on the rare straight portions, we didn\u2019t get going that fast.\u00a0 Perhaps if we rented a smaller car instead of the SUV, we might have made better time, but it was worth it to ride in comfort and to be able to sit up higher to take in better views.<\/p>\n
I found it interesting that each and every electrical outlet has a little switch to turn it on.\u00a0 I suppose this is a safety requirement, but it was rather annoying, especially when housekeeping staff at the motels would go around and turn off the outlets you turned on to use.\u00a0 Also, with so many switches in an unfamiliar motel room, you have to be careful you don\u2019t accidentally turn off your refrigerator or microwave when trying to plug in the coffee pot!\u00a0 And one more difference\u2026 switches here are generally flipped down to turn on a device, not up.<\/p>\n
One thing I\u2019m looking forward to when I get home is a cup of coffee.\u00a0 There are many things about New Zealand and Australia that are similar to North America.\u00a0 Fashion trends, language and television shows are basically the same as I\u2019m used to back in Canada.\u00a0 However, the coffee here is much stronger than I would like (and much more expensive than I would like), and with too many fancy swirls and foam\u2014perhaps it\u2019s more European (I’ve been to Europe, and I hated the coffee there too)?\u00a0 In fact, the best coffee I had over the entire trip, were the cups of instant coffee I made in the hotel room each morning!\u00a0 I’m looking forward to brewing my own cup when I return to Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Now that our time down under is finished and our trip is nearly complete, I thought I\u2019d write down a few observations from my perspective.\u00a0 So here they are, in no particular order. New Zealand is a country of great … Continue reading