New Zealand

The road-trip is the quintessential adventure mode for anyone touring their country, but why stop there? Why not take a road-trip on the other side of the planet? This week, our editors are highlighting some of the best sites to see not by train, not by plane, but by automobile, and today we’ll be talking about a couple of bloggers that have driven across, around, and through New Zealand.

Known by many as one giant sound stage for Peter Jackson’s film trilogy The Lord of the Rings, New Zealand is packed with incredible beaches, rolling hillside vistas, and plenty to see and do from your driver’s-side window.

For any families interested but unsure of where to start on your New Zealand road trip, here’s some advice from RealTravelers Travelling Family. These worldly London-based road-trippers visited New Zealand in April of 2007, and have plenty of insightful tips for families with small children planning for the trek. The family of four suggests getting to bed early and trying to sneak in an afternoon nap, renting a large motor-home, and taking your time driving through this beautiful country. One attraction the family enthusiastically recommends is the Abel Tasman Park located in the South Island of New Zealand, “You could mistake Abel Tasman for Thailand, it is so exotic. An absolute must to visit - you’d be surprised how many people we met who had bypassed it”.

Another pair of RealTravelers, James and Natalie, set out on their four-month adventure last year, spending one of those months traveling from Auckland (big JRR Tolkien fans, they called it Orcland) to Christchurch and seeing everything in-between. The couple went sky-diving, saw the glowworms at Waitomo Caves, visited a few of the locales used in filming The Lord of the Rings, and surfed along the black-sanded beaches of Raglan, “Raglan is one of the best surf breaks in the world” comments James, “…beautiful, quiet, small, low key and just lovely. We could have stayed here for a fortnight.”

So whether to see the beaches, the vistas or the any of New Zealand’s other stunning and widely diverse terrains, definitely try road tripping when you get there. It’s worth the time and effort, and you’ll get to see a huge amount of what this famously beautiful country has to offer. Here’s a few useful resources to help you plan your trip to some of New Zealand’s most popular destinations:

Auckland Hotels
Christchurch Hotels
Queenstown Hotels

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We all know - in theory - that food comes from the farm, not the supermarket. But it can be an enlightening and rewarding personal journey to make that connection real. When considering volunteer opportunities as part of a trip, travelers tend to take a look at their values. If your values include a passion for organic food and sustainable farming, you may want to consider volunteering on an organic farm as part of your trip. Organic farms in New Zealand, India, the United States, and many other countries have vibrant organic farming movements where select farms open the doors to volunteers. While this isn’t for everyone – farm work can require physical exercise and exposure to sun – it is an excellent way to get to know your food firsthand. In the process, you are supporting an organic business in exchange for learning more about organic food.

RealTraveler Adrian B writes this about his stay on an organic farm in India:

“My original intentions were to do volunteer work 3-4 hours a day on an organic farm here. I found the perfect farm, Solitude, and so far have worked two days 9-12:30pm planting lettuce & watermelon. Afterwards they treated us with an amazing meal that was 90% from their farm…now that’s eating locally.. .literally footsteps away! No potatoes shipped from Idaho, no rice flown over from Japan. This kind of local eating… can do wonders for the world by saving tremendous fuel and carbon burning.” (…read more)

There are many organizations to help you select a farm abroad. Some farms offer living facilities and food in exchange for your labor, while others do not. It pays off to do research in advance to make sure that the volunteer work expected of guests is in line with what you are capable of doing, and that the comfort level of the living spaces is compatible with what you require.

Resources:

India Travel Guide
New Zealand Travel Guide
United States Travel Guide
India Hotels
New Zealand Hotels
United States Hotels

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