Ke Kite Ano (see you again), New Zealand
Rose Maninang is currently traveling the world on a sabbatical from her life in Toronto, Canada. Fifteen years ago, she backpacked through Australia and Europe. Since then, she has explored over 30 countries. But now her quest is to find the perfect hiding spot from Canadian winters. You can visit her blog athttp://flightofthecanadians.wordpress.com.
We've been in New Zealand four weeks and are about to board a plane again to our next destination - the Philippines. Our first stop is to slip into slightly warmer water, and hopefully swim with whale sharks that are passing through there this time of year.
While the water may have been cold in New Zealand, New Zealanders were the complete opposite. We tried AirBnB for the first time and were entrusted with keys to an entire house, treated like visiting family in another home, and invited to stay with complete strangers we met on the road when they heard we were backpacking.
The simple truth was that four weeks wasn't nearly enough. We did our best, of course. But when you're passing through a landscape that includes volcanos, glaciers, white sand and black sand beaches, bays with dolphins playing in the waves and miles and miles of lush green forests, which you can access on walking trails filled with plants and trees that look like they belong in a dream, all of which is presided over by some of the friendliest people we've ever met, it's hard not to want more.
For instance, I haven't even mentioned wine. If New Zealand already doesn't have enough to brag about, they've also got plenty of that, too. You can more or less find a wine region anywhere you go on the North and South Island. We spent a couple of days in Martinborough and Central Otago sampling incredible Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.
And yet, the list keeps on growing. We watched dolphins swim, seals sleep, sea lions bark, and plenty of birds sing along our forest treks (Sounds like Snow White, I know. But birds really do follow and tweet as you walk).
We even saw Hobbits. At least where they live in Hobbiton, just as it appears in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films.
With so much to see, it meant a fair bit of driving. But in Canada where a few hours drive can mean you still haven't left the landscape of your province, the same few hours drive in New Zealand can take you through a variety of settings and temperatures.
I could try to write the top 10 things to do when you visit, but I honestly don't feel qualified - there's a lot more to see. We could spend at least two months on each island and would still only have an overview.
So, in place of a proper top 10 list, I thought it might make more sense if I put together experiences and sights that made the biggest impression on us:
A). Hiking the Abel Tasman Track at low tide
B) West Coast of the South Island
C) Franz Josef Glacier
D) Drive through the Haas Pass
E) view of Mount cook from Lake Matheson
F) Rippon Winery in Wanaka
While we may have reached the end of our New Zealand trip, this is only the beginning of our travels.
Stay tuned for our next stop - the Philippines - where we plan to swim with whale sharks in Donsol, watch the infamous Holy Week Crucifixion in San Fernando, and slow things down a little on the many beaches of Palawan.