"New Zealand has it all !" a New Zealand Travel Page by Sandracula

During the summer of 2005, my husband and I spent almost 4 weeks in New Zealand. We booked a 15-day adventure tour that showed us the highlights of both the North and the South Island. The tour was organized by Connections Adventures, specialized in group tours for travellers from 18 to 35 years. It was very interesting to travel with such an international group (more than 10 nationalities) and very exciting to do some things you would never do while travelling on your own. The tour consisted of some long daily bus drives, but there was never a dull moment. Nature, culture, adventure, ... New Zealand has it all ! Before and after this tour, we explored both islands a bit more ourselves and decided that some day we would definitely come back. Both islands have so many surprises to offer and will enchant every type of traveller, enriched by the unforgettable beauty of New Zealand.

When arriving at the airport, make sure you do not carry any natural products such as vegetables, apples or even mud in your luggage. Airport authorities in New Zealand (and Australia) are very strict as far as epidemical threats are concerned. Passengers are often checked, by both man and dog !

Summer in Belgium means winter in New Zealand. Maybe not the best season to travel, but being a teacher, July and August are the only months that offer me enough time to travel thoroughly. No problem, weather conditions in New Zealand are comparable to those in Belgium. In one word : unpredictable. Nights can be very cold, days very hot, mornings very dry, afternoons very wet. Especially when you travel around in New Zealand, you must be prepared for quickly changing weather conditions. My own experience taught me that the weather in New Zealand can be really nice. In four weeks, I counted one drizzly day and one day of windy Wellington.