Planning to spend your holidays in New Zealand? Great idea! But how ready are you to visit this beautiful country? The Christmas holidays are around the corner. While many people are spending them with friends and family sitting around a dinner table, you may want to get out of the comfort zone and travel.
If you’ve never been to New Zealand, you have several things to learn before going. With just a few tips, you can enjoy the new scene and have fun the way you’ve never done before. Let’s go through the expert advice.
1. Buy Plug Adaptors
You can’t live without your smartphone, can you? Even if you are gadget-free, you are bringing a camera, right? In New Zealand, the electric current is 230 V and 50 Hz. It probably differs from what you are used to, so make sure to purchase a plug adaptor.
You can buy one at the airport, but the price might be rather high. It’s better to purchase an adaptor in advance.
2. Get Ready For The Accent
New Zealanders have a wonderful accent, which may seem strange at first. Be ready, it may take you a short while to get used to it. Before you go home, you may acquire a bit of the accent and get perplexed glances from your friends. Don’t worry, it can help you stand out from the crowd in a nice way.
Besides the accent, the language itself differs slightly. No, you won’t feel as if people around you are speaking Chinese, but some blunders are unavoidable. Did you know that sandals in New Zealand sound like jandals while forests are bushes?
3. Prepare Your Praises
New Zealanders love their country and they love when you love it too. So they are very friendly hosts, who can’t wait to hear your opinion. Hopefully, the opinion is positive. If you have some praise for the country, don’t keep it inside. Share your thoughts with your hosts, people around you, hiking instructors, and the like.
While you may be surprised at the spike of interest in your opinion, make use of such interactions to learn new stuff about the country.
4. Bring Your Closet With You
New Zealand weather is very capricious. You can easily experience all four seasons in one day. So make sure to plan for that, when packing your bags. The best advice is to have several layers of clothing in order to put them on and remove throughout the day.
By the way, New Zealanders are highly outfit-savvy. So you could buy great dresses online in NZ at Box Hill or other online store and not worry about your holiday outfit.
Don’t forget that New Zealand seasons are completely different from what you are used to:
- Spring – October to December (varying temperatures from cool to warm, the sun may be hot)
- Summer- January to March (temperatures vary from 20°C to 35°C ( 68°F – 95°F))
- Autumn – April to June (beautiful colors, cooler temperatures)
- Winter – July to September (temperatures can drop below freezing)
5. Buy The Best Sunscreen
The sun in New Zealand is very strong, especially in the summer. Before packing the bag, make sure to invest in a good sunscreen. New Zealand sun can leave you sunburned in just 10 minutes, ruining the rest of your holiday.
6. Plan Road Trips
If are used to traveling in Europe, you may be hoping for a developed train system. However, in New Zealand, the traveling is mostly done by car or bus. Since the roads are often narrow and winding, driving for an unprepared city dweller may be stressful.
While focusing on ever-changing speed limits and sharp turns, you’ll be missing out on the awesome scenery. So it may be a better choice to travel by bus.
7. Be Smart About What You Bring
New Zealanders are very careful about organic matter tourists may bring into their country. So if you have any fruits and veggies leftover from your dinner, the border control will find it and fine you. Make sure not to bring anything organic to New Zealand or you may start your holiday with an unpleasant conversation with border control officers.
Spending holidays in New Zealand is a wonderful idea. Enjoy every minute of your trip with the above tips.
