We had a wonderful New Zealand trip. Seven nights in a decked-out KEA campervan and one night in incredible eco bed and breakfast, the Great Ponsonby, (full reviews of both later) resulted in a very memorable vacation.
The sights were fantastic, but because of what friends and readers had told me, I went into the trip knowing the scenery would be beautiful. So some of the best parts of our New Zealand trip were the small surprises. Here are a few of them.
Free Coffee and Tea at the Airport
We arrived at the Auckland Airport at 6 a.m. local time, tired and dazed from a 16 hour journey. A friendly hospitality booth near the baggage claim provided us and our fellow passengers with free coffee and tea. The caffeine and smiling faces were a great way to start our trip.
New Zealand Friendliness
Minnesota, where we currently live, is well known for “Minnesota nice.” People are generally friendly. New Zealand Friendliness topped Minnesota Nice by a long shot. Everywhere we went people took time to engage us in conversation. Even while checking out at the Pak-N-Save supermarket, the cashier went beyond mundane small talk and instead asked us questions about where we were from and where we were going in New Zealand. New Zealanders were always happy to provide advice and suggestions.
Public Restrooms
Unlike most other places in the world, where a public restroom is hard to come by (especially a free one), New Zealand had free public restrooms almost every few blocks.
Pavlova
My friend Alison, who currently lives in New Zealand, told me that New Zealanders love their Pavlova. So of course I immediately found some to try. Pavlova is a type of meringue – but unlike many US meringues it’s not crunchy all the way through. Pavlova has a light crispy crust and a soft, melt-in-your mouth middle. It reminded me of a cross between meringue and angel food cake. Now I just need to find a good pavlova recipe to make at home.
Gold Kiwi
All the kiwis I remember having in my life have a green middle. But in New Zealand we consumed at least 5 kilograms of gold kiwi. Gold kiwi are a little sweeter than green kiwi and they are delicious.
Kea Birds
Alison (the friend who lives in New Zealand) also told us stories about how Kea birds are known for stealing items (like shoes) from campsites. Then we visited Rainbow Springs where we met Jenny, a Kea bird that loves people and cries when you leave her.
Qualmark Rankings
Qualmark is the country’s national ranking agency. It’s similar to AAA rankings, except it’s an official partnership between the New Zealand Automobile Association and Tourism New Zealand. Their ratings were reliable and they even have a comprehensive environmental rating system. Honestly it’s the best and most universal environmental rating system I’ve seen.
These were some of the most surprising and best parts of our New Zealand trip. We’ll post more details, reviews, and photos in upcoming weeks.
Full disclosure: Our trip to New Zealand was sponsored in part by Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand.
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love this – i learned many things abt NZ i didn’t know before! i bet you miss it!
Wonderful post. The “friendliness” aspect of New Zealand is a great aspect to touch on. So often, people think of an area and automatically assume the friendliness or often the non friendly aspect of an area based on what they have heard. Europe usually considered rude, Italy and Australia friendly and the Pacific rarely has a bad word said about them. What about the U.S.? In your travels, have you heard what others think about the U.S. as far as if we are one of the friendly’s? Just wanted to know. Thank you again for sharing your great information, I always enjoy reading them.
@Outrigger I think depending on where you are in the US the friendliness varies. In large cities people tend to be less friendly and in small cities folks are friendlier. But there are exceptions to every rule!
Keas are awesome, very intelligent, but if you want the best for the birds, do not feed them! Even a small amount of chocolate can kill them.
That is a very wonderful travel story to share. I just love reading travel stories especially when it is moving. As if you are part of the trip. Thank you for making me experience what you have experienced. You just gave me the drive to go one with my dream exploring the world.
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