Travelling to New Zealand

So you've decided to throw down a hunk of cash and make the trip for our wedding!?  How exciting!

Here's a few things you might want to know (directed at everyone coming over from the USA).

• It's expensive!  I'm sure you've already realized that, but my point is: If you're spending all that money to fly 12 hours over the Pacific Ocean,  you'll want to plan on staying for at least 2 weeks, more if possible.

• New Zealand is made up of 3 Islands.  The North Island (we live near the top of this island), the South Island (the bigger of the 3), and Stewart Island (it's heaps smaller than the other two, rains a lot, and has only one town on it......but it's your most likely place to see a kiwi during the day (as kiwi birds are nocturnal, but being so far south, this island gets light for long periods of time in the summer and the kiwi's become adjusted).  You'll just have to hike through a lot of mud in order to improve your kiwi spotting chances).  

• We live in Thames.  It's about an hour/hour and a half from the Auckland International Airport (AKL).  This is the airport to choose for your arrival before the wedding if coming straight from overseas to the wedding.  If you want to tour the S. Island first, fly into Christchurch International Airport (you may have a layover in Auckland anyway?).  If you're lucky, Christchurch will have finished shaking by the time you arrive.  (They just had a 5.3 yesterday (7 Jan) at 1:30 am).  There is a smaller airport (Hamilton) that may or may not be cheaper to fly into/out of if flying within NZ.  Thames has an airport, but it is for super small, private charter planes.

• We drive on the left side of the road here.  It's a bit unnerving to begin with, and you might find it helpful to continually chant "keep left keep left keep left", but you get used to it.  We also use the metric system here, which means that we drive in kilometers per hour (km/h).  The "open road" speed limit is 100 km/h.  This sounds like a lot, but I've only just now looked up the conversion......it's only 62 miles per hour! Hence, most people routinely drive 10 km/h (or more) over the speed limit.

• While NZ is quite a small country (slightly less area than the state of California), there is HEAPS to see and do.  Prioritize what it is you want to see while you are here.  2 weeks is barely enough time to see the North Island, I wouldn't recommend trying to see both Islands in that time.  However, you could do bits and pieces of the both islands. Drive times between towns can be found here.  Send me a message (through my profile to the right) if you have questions about where to go to see certain things (penguins are on the South Island, as are most sea lions, all glaciers, and the large rocky mountains....the North Island has massive kauri trees, lush green vegetation (when it's not been turned into grazing land), and lots more people).

I'm working on a list of my favorite NZ places.  When it's done, I'll put a link here.