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In New Zealand, we decided to brave the (in)famous coach company frequented by
backpackers and other cheapo travellers,
'The
Kiwi Experience'. As the name suggests, we soon realised
it's not just a method of getting around the island, it's a
complete, all-in-one, in-yer-face, big-barrel-of-monkeys,
jolt-you-back-to-life, unforgettable experience.
The Kiwi Experience offers a variety of 'jump on, jump off'
routes around the 2 islands. The number of places you can visit
depends on how much you pay. After flicking through a big pile
of leaflets, we eventually decided to buy a pass called the 'Kea
Pass'. As far as price went, the Kea was pretty much in the
middle, but it also covered a lot of ground. Perfect.
The Kiwi Experience turned out to be a great way to get
around New Zealand. We had a fantastic time and we left with
some...um...interesting experiences and even more interesting
photos!
At the start, our flight from America actually took us into
Auckland. However, we took an immediate connecting flight to
Christchurch. We then spent the next two months working our way
up the two island, back to Auckland, where we flew out to
Melbourne in Australia. The route we took in New Zealand is
described below:
| From... |
To... |
Date |
|
Los Angeles (USA) |
Auckland |
Left on 15/11/01
Arrived on 17/11/01 |
| Auckland (INITIAL FLIGHT) |
Christchurch (1) (INITIAL FLIGHT) |
17/11/01 |
| Christchurch (1) |
Kaikoura (2) |
20/11/01 |
| Kaikoura (2) |
Picton (3) |
22/11/01 |
| Picton (3) |
Nelson (4) |
23/11/01 |
| Nelson (4) |
Westport (5) |
28/11/01 |
| Westport (5) |
Mahinapua (6) |
29/11/01 |
| Mahinapua (6) |
Franz Josef (7) |
30/11/01 |
| Franz Josef (7) |
Wanaka (8) |
2/12/01 |
| Wanaka (8) |
Queenstown (9) |
3/12/01 |
| Queenstown (9) |
Christchurch (10) |
6/12/01 |
| Christchurch (10) |
Kaikoura (11) |
8/12/01 |
| Kaikoura (11) |
Wellington (13) |
12/12/01 |
| Wellington (13) |
Taupo (14) |
16/12/01 |
| Taupo (14) |
Rotorua (15) |
21/12/01 |
| Rotorua (15) |
Auckland (16) |
24/12/01 |
| Auckland (16) |
Melbourne (AUSTRALIA) |
5/1/02 |
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To know the road ahead, ask those coming back
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