Well this is it, Auckland, New Zealand, the last leg in our tour of New Zealand. We turned in the rental car, and checked into the Westin Hotel, were we plan on spending our last 3 days, before returning home.
And as I was sitting in my room after a hearty dinner, I starting contemplating the last two weeks, thinking about the similarities and differences between the US and New Zealand, all the experiences we’ve had, and what if anything I would have done differently.
One thing that stood out was the lack of Americans in New Zealand, and the abundance of Europeans. Contrary to popular belief, the US is no longer the dominate force in the world, it once was.
The other thing that stood out, and which I commented on previously, was how different the two islands are. The most notable thing being how sparsely populated the south island compared to the north. The towns are smaller, and the roads are far less congested.
Prices are typically more expensive as well in the south, especially in the more touristy areas, i.e. Queenstown, and the accommodations more moderate..
In many regards, New Zealand is much like the US though. We both speak English, and New Zealanders live in home tracts much like the US, just on bigger lots, and the New Zealand coast line resembles many parts of the California and Oregon coastlines.
But driving in New Zealand is nothing at all like driving in the US, and that isn’t even taking into account New Zealanders drive on the wrong side of the road. The only way to describe the roads in New Zealand is to compare them to Lombard street in San Fransicso, but on a much larger scale.
There are some roads in CA, i.e. Topanga Canyon and Decker Canyon Roads, that come close in comparison, but even those can’t compare to the amount of curves, grades and narrowness of the roads encountered in New Zealand. I actually started getting motion sick on some of the roads, and I was driving.
Still New Zealand is a great country, and New Zealanders are the friendliest people, by far, I have met anywhere else in the world. I hope to come back and spend more time. 18 days is just not enough time.
I will do it just a little differently next time, concentrating on the south island, because of its more diverse and unique environment, and do a lot less driving, preferring to fly between various locations, when ever possible.
After I get my fill of the south island, then I’ll start on the north island.
