New Zealand or Aotearoa in Māori. A truly magical place, with a certain nostalgia of childhood. Everything feels safe, whilst also feeling like an epic adventure.
North Island:
Where the majority of the population resides and you’ll experience the biggest blend of culture, from seeing manu competitions, to eating kiwi pies (not the bird!), to seeing how the Māori have lived.
The North Island is an excellent way to get acquainted with the chilled out NZ mentality and meet the locals.
Here, you’ll get a blend of subtropical weather, islands both uninhabited and with vineyards, natural thermal spas around every corner, beaches, surfing, and some epic hikes.
South Island:
In our opinion there are three main ways of getting around the South Island, and there is one clear winner (if you’re willing to fork out the cash). Hitchhike, hire a car, or, the best option, hire a camper van (we highly recommend Quirky Campers, a site for independent businesses that hire out their camper vans at a big discount to the big players, all whilst having a more thoughtful and personal touch to their camper van designs).
This is without a doubt the more spectacular of the two islands, with a feeling peace that you get with remoteness that you don’t often get elsewhere in the world.
