Travelfood

New Zealand is considered to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and yes, there are extraordinary spots to be explored there. But are they unique sceneries and are they worth travelling halfway around the world to be seen? Normally I would say yes, but comparing the pros and the cons, I am now afterwards not that enthusiastic. The customer service in the country is extremely friendly and they do not expect a tip for it. The food is absolutely first-class (especially lamb, beef and seafood), but there is still something…

Previously I had done a short stopover in Auckland at the northern island, but this time we flew in to earthquake-torn Christchurch on the southern island. Before entering, we were subject to a 1-hour long interrogation at the airport and the experience nagged us during the whole stay in the country. Obviously, the New Zealand fauna needs to be protected from foreign seeds, so our bags were searched for consumable products and our shoes (but just one of the shoe pairs!) were analyzed. All this despite prompt declarations before entering. Why cannot all that protection be done technically? We still do not understand why were considered so suspicious that a gruesome interrogation would be needed as well. How does a question if we have relatives and “lady friends” in our home countries improve New Zealand’s security? Why are we suspicious if we want to stay in New Zealand for “only” 4 days? If we choose to travel light with only one cabin backpack each, why is that more suspicious than people travelling with several luggage cases? If our modest customer-service professions raise suspicion and needs for explanations, I can only imagine how much questions the unspecified profession “housewife” would raise for incoming visitors. Rather than asking all those trick questions why we WANT to enter New Zealand, maybe New Zealand should start to ask why the country WOULD like us to visit them in the future.

New Zealand scenery is beautiful but there are similar fjords in Norway (which is much closer for European tourists than far-away NZ) and there are similar mountain views in Switzerland. Extraordinary lamb and seafood dishes can be enjoyed also in European countries such as Iceland. Vineyards can be explored in several European countries. Weather is quite similar to Scandinavia’s but during the opposite time of the year. Nevertheless, you cannot really go to NZ without warm clothes and coats, which is a big drawback to those who like to travel light for example to Asia or Australia.

We took the expensive Kiwi TransAlpine train line from Christchurch through beautiful mountain scenery but the less expensive Swiss network is much better for alpine travel. According to local shuttle drivers, the train is frequently delayed for different reasons (but not because of other train lines because it is the only one) and ours was 1 hour late. The Christchurch train station is situated surprisingly far away from the city centre, it was very hard to find and could not be reached by public bus. Like in the US, in practice you need to rent a car in order to explore New Zealand, but be prepared for the tricky lef-side driving!

food, New Zealand, travel, travel experiences