|
Backpacking in
New Zealand (cont.)
<< back to Backpacking in New Zealand,
page 1
Buses and coaches in New Zealand
With the ever-growing trade in tourism in New
Zealand there are no shortages of coaches and inter-city buses
that you can travel around the country in. InterCity
and Newmans
coaches are the most frequent with very good timetables and routes.
There is also great flexibility in the range of tickets that you
can purchase with everything from one-sector one-price tickets,
to general passes that allow you the freedom to hop-on and hop-off
as you please. In addition to the mainstream coach companies there
are also a myriad of smaller, backpacker-friendly outfits that
can offer a more inclusive itinerary. Click
here for some good resources to check out bus and coach options
around New Zealand.
|
|
New Zealand's weather
For those familiar with the music group Crowded House (from NZ)
you might also be familiar with the song ‘Four Seasons in
One Day’. Well, that pretty much sums up the weather in certain
parts of New Zealand, and Auckland in particular. No sooner might
you be caught in monsoon-like showers, than the next minute the
skies are clear and the sun is burning your nose (and be warned
that the sun can be extremely damaging due to the apparent hole
in the ozone layer above Australia and New Zealand, so take plenty
of sun-cream when venturing outside when it's sunny). The good part
though is that the temperature is generally mild, so even when it’s
raining it’s never too cold (there can be exceptions though).
Of course, in winter the farther south you go the colder it can
get whereas the extreme north would rarely see temperatures dip
into single figures (degrees C.) all year round - even in winter.
For sun-junkies, the best time to travel around New Zealand is during
the summer months (December to March), but the weather is generally
mild all year round even if it does rain a lot in some places. Many
Kiwis take their summer holidays over the Christmas period and the
subsequent months so accommodation can be sparse if you are planning
on traveling during this period. It pays to book ahead if you know
where you are going to be on certain dates, but obviously this is
not always possible. There is however an abundance of camping
grounds scattered around both islands so if you’re packing
a tent you’re never far from good, safe, cheap accommodation.
|
| The winter season in New
Zealand is from June to September and it is during this time that
the ski resorts and surrounds generally spring to life. There
are resorts in both the North and South Islands, with the South
Island also boasting Queenstown,
the adventure capital of the world. There is no shortage of winter
activities to be found in this jewel of a town buried down in
the south of the country.
|
|
|
Home