Kia Ora, and Welcome to the Grifdog22 & Mathmagicland trip report for the 10/31/2022 New Zealand Adventure! Our goal is to get this finished before the December departures…let’s see if we make it. We think you’ll really enjoy this trip! The people are very friendly and welcoming, and the country is beautiful! As we go along, you’ll likely see a lot of repetitive adjectives like Awesome, Amazing, Beautiful, etc…because that’s what all on our trip kept saying. Each time we thought it could get no better, it did on the next day.
We’ll start the first three posts with some general hints, tips & insights from our trip, to help you either finish up or start your trip planning & packing. We want to get these posted as soon as possible.
New Zealand just started limited opening up to tourism in July. We did not see a lot of crowds yet, and they are trying to ramp up for the larger numbers of summer travelers. For anyone who traveled the USA last summer 2021, you may recall hotels and restaurants struggling to find help, short staffed, shorter opening hours, some national parks overwhelmed, etc. Nearly every shop and restaurant we passed had signs up that they were hiring people. Service may be slower, or some restaurants not open for lunch or dinner or closed on some days. At one shop in Queenstown, the manager said they’d normally have 44 on staff rotating shifts; right now they only have 6. We’d see hotel housekeeping carts around the halls later into the afternoon; you can help out by foregoing housekeeping on those two-night hotel stays if possible.
Miscellaneous –
The pre-trip AbD box of gifts arrived about a week before departure, without the usual duffle bag. It contains a nice backpack made from recycled plastic bottles, with a zipper top, large mesh inside zipper pocket and water bottle pockets on each side. The box also has one aluminum water bottle per traveler. If you don’t bring the water bottles along, AbD guides will give each person a reusable water bottle to use for the trip. Unlike typical AbDs where there are always cases of water on the bus, since NZ is very Eco-conscious, Disney is supporting that with the reusable bottles. NZ tap water is very clean and safe to drink. The only time we had bottled water on the bus was a couple of longer travel days during Week 2, when there were limited or no places to refill bottles at the stops we made along the way.
Bus – the bus was very nice and comfortable! While 21 were booked for our trip, we had only 15 who were able to travel, so we had lots of space. Here’s a picture of the inside of our bus; larger groups will have a bus with two seats on each side of the aisle. Also, NZ law requires wearing seat belts while on the bus. In the second week, while traveling to and along the west coast, a couple of the bus ride days are longer (plenty of stops) and roads windy (or twisty as they say in NZ). If you need something like Dramamine for travel days like that, bring it along or you can pick up something at a chemist shop in NZ. The guides were good about sharing the night before, when we’d be having the longer, windy bus rides so people could be aware. The bus has one USB port at each seat.
Masks - Masks were only required at the Maori marae/communal house visit in Rotorua. Some folks on our trip wore masks while on the bus or inside some of the buildings, while others did not.
Sunscreen and bug spray – the ozone layer is thinner above NZ, so sunscreen is critical to avoid a painful burn. Guides will have some and you can also pick it up at a Chemist, but you may want to bring your own sunscreen and lip balm. Bug spray will be needed along the west coast during the second week, to help with the sand flies which we hear are very annoying and their bites, while not painful, are very itchy. Again, the guides will have some spray but you may prefer your own. *** check NZ immigration restrictions to be sure you can bring in what you want; I don’t know if this is a restricted item. Another sunscreen possibility from
@Grifdog22 – lightweight performance wear shirts both short & long sleeve, with SPF built into the fabric; Duluth Trading Post is one source for these.
Clothing – Baseball caps are OK most of time; there are a couple of times when a hat that has an under the chin strap or a clip that can attach to clothing would be better (sailing and the jet boat or really windy days) so it isn’t lost. A lightweight/wind proof rain jacket is good to have; it was seldom cold enough for anything heavier except when we got to the Franz Josef areas. Layers are always good. Long sleeves will be helpful in the sand fly areas and were recommended by the guides on two or three days. Sand flies, which swarm like gnats, are more prevalent in areas where there is water and warmer weather.
Shoes - closed toed shoes are required for a few activities. Some activities or stops include hikes though trails and forest areas with uneven surfaces, narrow and rocky trails, with exposed tree roots and dirt surfaces, so you might prefer something with a sturdier sole for some traction.
@Grifdog22, who has a lot more hiking experience, suggests hiking boots for the ankle support if needed. Be aware, if you do some on your own touring in the days before the AbD starts that includes the northern and western Auckland area, specifically in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, be aware you will have to spray a disinfectant on the soles of your shoes before entering the park trails and again when exiting, to help prevent disease spread to the Kauri trees, as it is pretty rampant in some areas. I was wearing Skechers hiking shoes & had no issues;
@Grifdog22 was on a different tour & the disinfectant spray seemed to eat away at the soles of his hiking boots as they separated from the boot (we think his tour guide saturated his boots more than my guide sprayed mine). With some super glue from the convenience store across from the Auckland hotel, he was able to make them last through the rest of the trip.
In the Maori marae visit, you will be asked to remove your shoes.
Wine – if you think you might want to bring some wine back, as we visit two wineries, pack some of the plastic wine bottle carriers made especially for luggage. We never found these for sale. There is an NZ Post in Franz Josef that sells bubble wrap which can be used for any wine purchased on Waiheke Island, or future wine purchase at Gibbson Valley Winery.
Forget anything? There is a small market across the street from the Auckland hotel, which is well-stocked with a little bit of everything. It is open from 6am – 10pm so very convenient. Chemists (pharmacies) and grocery type markets or convenience stores can be found around towns.
Something I wish I’d brought along – a lighter smaller backpack, ie packable nylon or string bag, for the hikes & walks. I didn’t always need something big like the AbD gift backpack, when we’d only be hiking or walking and were off the bus for only an hour or so. I wanted something to hold water, and maybe a light jacket or my cross-body bag.
Laundry – first place you can do laundry at a hotel is Franz Josef. They have two washers and two dryers, open 24 hours but you have to get tokens at the front desk which is only open until 10pm. Cost is $5NZ for one wash, one dry, and a packet of laundry powder. The hotel in Queenstown also has a guest laundry. They have three washers and three dryers; cost is $4 for a wash, $1 for a dry, and $2 for a box of detergent; you will need NZ $1 and $2 coins in this laundry room.
Disney accounts access – if you have Disney+, your app content will not be the same as in the US; it is based on what is available in NZ because you are using NZ IP addresses to access it. If you have Disney Movie Insiders, you cannot log in to enter any promo codes, as DMI is not available in NZ so log-in access is blocked using NZ IP addresses.
Weather – use MetService, the New Zealand Weather service – it is great! We found it to be very accurate, moreso than a US based service like
weather.com. Here is a link to their website; you can also download their app. I used their app multiple times a day.
MetService - Te Ratonga Tirorangi
Cash vs Card – repeating a post in the planning thread here, in case folks are only reading this report. New Zealand is mostly credit cards; some places also accept Apple Pay. There are some places that will add a 2% surcharge for using the card. A couple of smaller vendors may only accept cash. One of our short break stops was in the mountains, where internet for the business was spotty and the guides suggested using cash to pay for anything as the vendor sometimes couldn’t get reliable service for a card transaction. In addition, our AbD Local Guide, Victoria, is not set up on Pay Pal or Venmo, so her gratuity must be paid in cash; I don’t know if all local NZ guides will be the same situation. I wasn’t expecting that so had to make a quick rush to an ATM on the last day as I’d not asked her before then. ATMs are plentiful.
SO looking forward to your report! 
