Last year on Cyber Monday, I stumbled on an unbelievable flight deal through United Airlines for Air New Zealand and bought a nonstop round-trip ticket to Auckland, New Zealand for $395. For context, a flight like this typically costs between $1100 and $1600, so $395 seemed extremely unlikely. Me being me, I bought it anyway, and then waited a to see if it would be cancelled (this is an actual thing that airlines are bizarrely allowed to do in the case of what’s called a “mistake fare”). A month or two later, my ticket was still sitting untouched in my United account, so I started planning a trip that I hadn’t counted on being able to afford for another several years!
Soooooo, now I’ve returned from beautiful New Zealand! I had an ambitious itinerary that hit most of the major spots of interest on both the North and South Islands. It was a whirlwind 9 days full of incredible views, new experiences, brilliant weather, and an astounding absence of travel woes. I packed a ton of stuff into a little over a week – including Hobbiton! – so in true Middle Earth fashion, I’m going to stretch it over several installments.
Core Travel Cost & General Itinerary
$1060 (flights, buses, lodging, airport transfers) + roughly $1025 in tours/activities
9/10 days:
Auckland → Bay of Islands → Auckland →Wellington → Queenstown →Milford Sound → Aoraki Mount Cook → Christchurch → Auckland →Hobbiton → Auckland
Primary Activities: Waitangi Treaty Grounds & Hāngi, Bay of Islands cruise, Weta Workshop tour, TSS Earnslaw cruise, Milford Sound, Mt. Cook & Tasman Glacier, Hobbiton
Bay of Islands
After a 12-hour flight, I landed in Auckland and 3 hours later caught a short flight to the tiny airport in Kerikeri, the closest to a town called Paihia in the Bay of Islands. Starting here meant beginning the trip with breathtaking scenery, which only got more and more breathtaking with each new location.
Lodging
I stayed at Haka Lodge Bay of Islands, my first hostel in about a decade, and it was a great reintroduction to hosteling. I had the chance to stay at three Haka Lodge locations on my trip, and I found them to be consistent and comfortable, offering an elevated level of privacy and cleanliness compared to some of the hostels I’ve seen and heard about previously. Each bunk at a Haka Lodge hostel has a privacy curtain, a personal light, and a small shelf next to the bed. It was interesting – I opted for mostly hostels on the trip due to being a solo traveler whose personality isn’t always the most outgoing, and to free up more money that could be dedicated towards activities and tours. However, the hostels I stayed in ended up being so nice that I never really felt like I was compromising on quality. I mean, with this view, how could I feel otherwise?
Waitangi Treaty Grounds
Shortly after arriving, I walked the half hour or so over to the site of one of New Zealand’s most important moments in history, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, so I could get a look at the museum, explore the grounds, and experience a traditional Māori Hāngi feast.
Like many countries, New Zealand has an indigenous community that did not fare well when westerners showed up. Real talk – when it comes to world history, there are few instances of white folks & colonialism showing up to an existing community of color and everything turning out harmonious and peaceful and rainbow-like. I can’t think of any instances. If you can, please remind me in the comments. In all the examples I know of, it’s a familiar story of disrespected treaties, crimes against humanity, stolen land, stolen lives, stolen wealth, stolen cultures, and generations of social, political, and economic struggle. To start.
New Zealand history, though it shares a lot of these issues, seems unique to me. As far as I observed, the difficult history of the indigenous Māori is acknowledged and taught, cultural differences are celebrated and shared instead of buried under the foolish aspirations of colorblindness that so many in the U.S. hide behind. It was honestly refreshing. While the position of New Zealand’s Māori isn’t all rainbows and butterflies, it is more honest and open than anything I’ve seen with a minority group at home in the U.S. I think if my country had put in this kind of effort to ensure that minorities and their histories are seen as important and essential to national identity, that our narratives be taught and told without centering whiteness in the telling, I would be able to claim a much more cohesive and welcoming home today.
Obviously, there is still work to do to address the lingering generational impact of past policies, but it was so heartening to visit a place like Waitangi and experience a small piece of Māori culture. Visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds is an unmissable educational experience. It’s the site of the original treaty between the British and Māori (a treaty which—not surprisingly given the players and the time period—is at the center of years of debate and imbalance of power), and an admirable effort has been made to really give a nuanced view of the treaty and its controversy. They’ve done a superb job of making history relevant and accessible, and no opportunity to share information about Māori culture is overlooked.
The physical grounds are beautiful, and there is a ton of information available both on the grounds and in the museum. One could very easily spend all day there. I stayed after closing for a traditional-style feast (Hāngi), to learn a bit about the Haka tradition, and to hear an expanded version of Māori songs that are performed at intervals during the day. If you have a chance to participate in a Hāngi, it was a special experience.
Cliffs & Caves Cruise
I booked a half day sightseeing tour with Fullers Great Sights New Zealand to cruise around the Bay of Islands. Since it wasn’t high season, there were only five people on the tour (including me) and it was pretty awesome to have full run of the boat. We did get to see both cliffs and caves, plus dolphins, and we got to stop and explore an island I’m just going to flood you with gorgeous photos because there really aren’t enough words.
I asked to be dropped off in Russell, a small town across the water from Paihia, which was formerly the capital of New Zealand. Russell is a quaint waterfront town, and it’s home to both the first liquor license (at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel) and the oldest church in the country (Christ Church). The church is open to the public for a small $2 NZD donation, which is collected in an “honesty box.”
I decided to eat lunch at the hotel because I’m a sucker for a good historic building and truly superior wines, and to my surprise I also encountered some of the best chowder I’ve ever had in my life – which is really saying something considering I spent 3 years living in San Francisco.
Next up: Auckland!
I got up early on Sunday to catch the bus to Auckland, which is about 4 hours to the south. New Zealand has a few major bus companies for long-distance travel, and based on schedules and pricing, I used Intercity for all my bus traveling between cities. They have a really cool bus pass option that allows you to purchase a number of hours on the pass, and then you reserve the trips you intend to take until you’ve used up all your allotted time. I picked the 15-hour pass, and it got me three trips between 4 and 6 hours each for less money than it would have cost to buy them each separately. I had less than an hour left on the pass afterwards, so I used it to cover a trip to the airport. It’s a really simple and economical travel option, and I wish this structure of bus pass could be more prevalent at home.
In hindsight, I think starting off in Paihia and working my way downwards was a great decision. This was also the most amount of time I spent in one location during the trip. I really appreciated being able to take my time exploring Waitangi, and there was time to just kick it in the common room of my hostel (the one with the magnificent view) and chat with other travelers* from all over the world.
*Don’t be like me and repeatedly fail to exchange contact info with awesome fellow travelers. If I met you on this trip and you’re reading this, please drop me a comment lol.