| Discover
The Real New Zealand |
| How To
Enjoy Your Time In New Zealand |
| by Greg Scowen |
| Discover
The Real New Zealand
One of the
major attractions of visiting New Zealand is the possibility of losing
yourself in its rugged and wild countryside. The desire to be alone
and at one with nature frequently leads New Zealand tourists to buy travel
guides in hopes of finding advice on ‘getting off the beaten track’. To
get off the beaten track, however, you need to throw away your travel guide…
and discover the real New Zealand.
Where Is
The Real New Zealand? |
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| You certainly
don’t find the real New Zealand by buying a travel guide that thousands
of other tourists already own. If you do that, you will end up on a supposed
unbeaten track with hundreds of other ‘bulk produced tourist guide’ readers.
The real
New Zealand is not a tangible location, it is not a hidden village in the
mountains or by the sea, it is not a beach, nor a farm, nor a quiet city
corner. You will find the real New Zealand in the people of the land and
their rich culture.
Discover the
real New Zealand by fishing with a Maori (an indigenous New Zealander),
or shearing sheep with a Pakeha (a European White New Zealander), or singing
karaoke with one of the countries broad range of immigrants. While they
come in a variety of shapes, colours, and sizes, all New Zealanders are
proud to communally call themselves ‘Kiwis’.
It is through
the eyes of these Kiwis that you will discover the real New Zealand! How
do you find the real New Zealand? Just ask. I am serious, all you need
to do is ask. New Zealanders are known worldwide for their friendly and
open personality. It isn’t just a rumour; the further into New Zealand
you go the friendlier the locals become. |
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| Admittedly,
Auckland is not the friendliest part of the country, but then big cities
never are. But even in Auckland you will normally find at least one
local who is happy to give you sound advice on what to see, where to visit,
and how to get there.
Leave Auckland
behind (after a good visit to the cities wonderful attractions) and you
will quickly find yourself surrounded by good-natured Kiwis, ready to show
you what New Zealand is all about.
Tips For
Getting The Conversation Started
1. Look
lost. Trust me on this, Kiwis always feel sorry for someone who looks lost,
and because we love to show how well we know our land, chances are we will
walk over and offer help. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| 2. Go into
the nearest open store and ask for directions, making sure the shopkeeper
hears your accent. This is particularly effective if English is your second
language.
3. Be honest.
Simply walk up to someone, tell him or her you are a foreign tourist, and
you would like to discover the real New Zealand. They will probably call
in some assistance from friends and family and plan the rest of your New
Zealand holiday with you.
Good Places
To Find The Real New Zealand
Northland
Do not confuse
Northland with the North Island. Northland is basically comprised of all
of the land north of Auckland. Northland stretches from Orewa, a popular
beach village 20 minutes north of Auckland, to Cape Reinga, the northernmost
point of New Zealand.
Northland
offers many beautiful unspoilt beaches, wonderful diving, and some of New
Zealand’s most important history. |
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| Add to this
that Northland embodies a full Maori culture and you have discovered an
open doorway to the Real New Zealand.
East Cape
Getting
off the beaten track is easy to do on the East Cape. Driving the road
that leads from Whakatane, in the sunny Bay of Plenty, around the easternmost
tip of New Zealand to Gisborne is one trip not to miss. This lonely
and rugged land is home to hardened farmers and fishing families who have
worked this land and water throughout New Zealand’s history.
I will never
forget driving this road in 2002 over a three-day weekend and experiencing
a more real New Zealand than I ever knew. It is crazy for me to say
this because I was raised in Whakatane and never really discovered this
treasure before. |
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Offshore
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| The people
are amazing, the scenery and landscape is incredible, and our experience
there, on the whole, was just perfect. It was the real New Zealand.
Southland
Again, this
can be a tricky one. Do not confuse Southland with the South Island. Southland
is the southernmost part of mainland New Zealand. Boasting the southernmost
cinema in the world and various other interesting claims to fame, Southland
is perhaps best known throughout the world for ‘Bluff Oysters’.
But my main
reason for loving Southland is the people. ‘Southlanders’ are without a
doubt the friendliest and most welcoming of all New Zealanders. They
also talk a little different to the rest of us, but that is ok, we love
them all the same.
The high country
sheep farms of Southland are a perfect place to discover the real New Zealand.
Drive
north from Invercargill to the towns of Winton or Gore, ask a local farmer
questions about farming or sheep, and do not be at all alarmed if you are
invited for dinner or a ‘cuppa’. The real New Zealand is definitely
in abundance here.
Taking The
Real New Zealand Home
Remember these
key points, and you will not only discover the real New Zealand, you will
also have the trip of a lifetime.
Yes, you can
lose yourself in the rugged and wild New Zealand countryside, and yes you
can find ‘not so beaten tracks’ in guidebooks, but the real New Zealand
is more than that. You deserve to discover the real New Zealand (especially
after surviving that long flight), and it wont cost you anything.
The real
New Zealand is available through the people, ‘Kiwis’; just talk to them
and you will find the real New Zealand. Chances are, you will take a lot
of it home with you.
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