Aotearea, the land of the long cloud... New Zealand.

Probably the most... overrated travel destination in the world.

Some people say it is all about managing expectations. In the case of NZ, even before you arrive, only superlatives seem to apply : "the most beautiful" country, the "most value for money", the most adrenaline activities available anywhere, the best trekking... And once you get there, all the hype continues, all the marketing of the country, of the places, of the activities, is "most this" and "most that".

And what a disappointment. The South Island, rumored to be wild and beautiful... is an extremely commercial place. The famous walks (or treks) have to be booked months in advance, and you can only do them the way you're told, so many days, stop there, super organized and structured. All the nice places on the map have such an abundance of activities that you get a headache even before getting to see the "goods". They are packed with tourist buses and tourist groups. Anywhere you look, someone will try to sell you a "Lord of the Ring" safari, tour, trek, cruise, flight... whatever it takes... Did this country even exist before the movie trilogy was shot ? One might wonder.

Following the massive tourist rush, prices are going up. It is now about twice as expensive to do a freefall jump in NZ as it is in Brazil. Restaurant and activities prices are out of control (for example, restaurants are cheaper and better value in Japan and French Polynesia, places not reknowned to be cheap). Backpacker hostels are still not too pricey, but then you need to book them weeks in advance if you do not want to camp out.

And as with most successful tourist destination, it seems that the more tourists come, the less effort people working locally make to be nice. In a lot of places, the welcome was about as warm as in a busy Parisian cafe.


Anyway, some places are beautiful, obviously a lot of Kiwis are really nice people (but you have to meet them). Here follow a few pictures :

Milford Sound, with its towering peaks, deep blue waters, scenic waterfalls, lovely dolphins, was a stand-out, as well as the road leading there from Te Anau.


  Castle Hill, which is definitely not a tourist destination in summer, was stunning. The climbing/bouldering there was brilliant.


  Kaikoura was worth a stop for its dolphins tours and its scenic location, as was Akaroa.


  Some other stops along the way in the South Island were also beautiful (the Catlins, the glaciers, some old buildings...).


  Wellington lived up to its reputation of "windy city" and artistic vitality.


  Auckland, on the other hand... well, let's say Sydney is about ten times more happening.

Certainly, a lot of travellers have enjoyed NZ a lot more than we did. Go there if you have some time and make up your own mind. Avoiding february and march might be a good idea if you do not like hords of tourists.

Contact :  julienrio@hotmail.com

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