Auckland city how great does it feel to be speaking to everyone in English again. After months of broken Spanish it sure feels great not to have to worry about language. What I found out was that even the body language is slightly different in South America so can get tricky!
NZ is the capital for crazy things to see and do. They are the inventors of the bungee jump and MANY other crazy stunts. The reason I found out was because they have eliminated the ability to personally sue for liability. So you can do whatever you want and it is totally at your own risk.
CRAZY stuff can be done here. However it is not cheap at leat $150 NZD if not more. However for those that love to try anything once and have a quick rush this is the place to be.
For travelling here, the easiest is to have a car or a campervan. As some of the best places to visit are not in the major towns but between them. The main buses that travel go between major towns and you can often spend more backtracking with tour guides that are very expensive trips. Try www.jucy.co.nz or www.exploremore.co.nz or www.spaceships.co.nz for the cheapest rates. For something unique and a bit upscale try www.escape.co.nz which has every van handpainted in a unique design and much bigger living space for a campervan.
However there is one really cheap bus company if you can book and plan your trip about 1-2 months in advance. They are the naked bus --> www.nakedbus.co.nz - you can get fares as low as $1 - this can be a cheap option for you.
Other alternatives are Stray bus (tour), Intercity bus (tour), FlexiPass(bus and rail public) but can be expensive also. I was suprised at how expensive.
To cross the North and South island is about 200 for the car and 2 people one way. I think about $50 per person without a car. The smallest size campers will go at the rate of a car.
Auckland itself is a buslting big city. With loads to do and great nightlife and lots of history between the Mauris and the Colonial Kiwis. Like and settled country it has its problems which now seem to be much less of a problem at least from a tourist perspective.
They have free healthcare, education and social security. Excellent. That with the crazy stuff wirth a visit even if expensive.
Ciao for now.
