September
14
2009
By Charlie Scott
If you’ve seen even a minute of ‘Lord of the Rings’ then you already know the most important thing you need to know about New Zealand. It’s gorgeous.
Not just pretty or scenic, but phenomenally, overwhelmingly, epically gorgeous. Beyond that fairly obvious fact, however, New Zealand has some charms that are often missed or misunderstood. So we thought it might be helpful to boil it down to the basics and tell you why we love this little country.
It’s easy to get there.
I know, this sounds like a lie. But quite honestly, flying to New Zealand is surprisingly effortless. Air New Zealand operates direct flights to Auckland from Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Flight time ranges from 12-14 hours each way, depending on the departure city. A long time in the air, true. But here’s the thing. You depart North America in the evening and arrive in New Zealand at the crack of dawn two days later. On the way back, you depart NZ in the evening and arrive home earlier that same day. Because the flights are longer, you actually have time to settle in and relax. You can have a proper dinner, watch a full movie (or two), have a deep sleep (especially if you opt for the flat bed Business Class route), enjoy a proper breakfast, and arrive fresh as a daisy. No connecting flights, no awkward arrival times. And the net time zone loss is little more than flying to Hong Kong or Mumbai.
Nirvana for the outdoorsy.
New Zealand is not a cultural destination, per se (though the Maori vibe is vibrant) and its history is thinner than a fern leaf. This is okay, and not the point. What New Zealand does promise (and deliver) in spades is a natural environment that’s so pristine, so vast, so diverse and so weird and wonderful that it looks like a set for some J. R. R. Tolkien book, which... uh, it is. Looking out the window is breathtaking enough, but if you really want to feel alive then you’ll find a menu of active pursuits that could keep you busy for months. From gentle glacier hikes to thrilling jet-boating to extreme bungee jumping—and everything in between. It’s Mecca for the active.
Moving about is a breeze.
New Zealand is a big small country with dozens of distinct regions to visit. Once you narrow it down to the perfect blend for your sensibility, it’s a piece of cake connecting the dots. Even the smallest cities are served by reliable and reasonable domestic flights, and you rarely need to check-in for your flight more than 45 minutes before departure. It’s like the golden olden age of jet travel, when planes were small, service was gracious, and there was no security to clear. You read right—no airport scanners to walk through, no shoes to take off, no checking your bottle of orange juice. Travelling by car is a similarly gentle experience. Roads are smooth, well marked and traffic (at most) means a herd of sheep crossing the road. Yes, it can take a moment to adjust to driving on the left side of the road, and true, distances can be great. But with the going so good, you’ll want to get going all day.
The lodgings are lovely.
At the top end, New Zealand has as luxurious, charming, thoughtful and memorable a standard of accommodation as I’ve seen anywhere. Really, they’re amazing. Almost always small (20 rooms or less) and often owned by people who’ve invested in a dream as opposed to a dividend, New Zealand’s high end lodges and hotels (such as Eichardt’s, Greenhill, and Otahuna) are a study in style and care. The even better news is that this same approach to lodging trickles all the way down the price chain. You can spend a mint and live like a king, but princes and paupers sleep well too.
Winter is summer.
This point requires little explanation. Miserable weather in New York equals sensational weather in Wellington. Which would you prefer?
Fantastic friendly people (and they all speak English). Consistently yummy coffee. No snakes.
Ok, eight reasons. What more could you ask for?
Charlie Scott is a Kiwi enthusiast. He'd like to help you plan a trip to New Zealand, and it would be really thoughtful if you'd invite him to come along. He'd enjoy that. Email Charlie at charlie@trufflepig.com, or check out his other Sounder posts here.