North Island vs South Island, New Zealand

Kia ora!

Well, I had to change my flight back to Australia.  I'm flying to Sydney on 26 May so that I can hook up with daughter Stephanie before flying together to Cairns.  It's just easier that way.  Besides, this gives me more time in NZ.

Auckland

My last two weeks in NZ on North Island were rushed.  I had kept hearing from locals and tourists that South Island is much nicer than North Island.  More to do, more to see.  So I spent 6 of my 8 weeks on South Island.  The biggest difference I noticed is that there are more roads.  That's because North Island is rounder.  Since I fly out of Auckland, near the top, I actually have to decide where I want to go; I can't just follow one road.

My fave North Island experience: Te Puia in Rotorua

The other major difference is that there are heaps more people and the towns are much larger.  NZ has 4 million people (and 40 million sheep).  Auckland metro area's population is over 1 million.  The whole of South Island is just under 1 million.  While traditional Maori arts, such as pounamu (greenstone or jade) and bone carving, are highlighted in a few towns on South Island, I noticed more Maori people and culture the further north I travelled.

I also noticed that the average age of tourists seemed to go up dramatically.  Most of the tourists I saw on South Island were young, 20s -30s.  Here, I'm seeing a lot of people in their 60s+.  Or maybe that's because I've been travelling and sight seeing and doing things like a young person.  Maybe my former busmates are more dispersed because there are more roads.  The hostels are not very full; I think there really are fewer young travellers on North Island.

My fave South Island adventure:
Walking on Franz Josef Glacier

Anyway, it has rained almost every day since I arrived back in Wellington.  I went back to Te Papa to take another look at their earthquake and volcano exhibits; it is a world class museum.  From Wellington, I went to Napier.  Much of Napier was destroyed in an earthquake in 19­31.  When it was rebuilt, many of the buildings were in the Art Deco style.  Napier also has a nice beach promenade.  It would've been nicer without rain.

The scenery between Napier and Taupo seemed unusual to me.  The terrain undulated unevenly with lots of small and medium hills and a mountain or two.  There was evidence of many slippages, old and new landslides. Apparently the area has 3 volcanoes and many thousands of years ago, thick layers of ash fell.  Easily eroded and with few nutrients, land use is mostly forestry and sheep grazing and more recently, dairy cow grazing.

I was the only passenger on the shuttle between Taupo and Rotorua and the driver, Harry, provided scenic commentary.  The Taupo area is renown for geothermic activity and there are 8 geothermal power plants in operation, the newest completed last year.  Activities such as white water rafting and ATV/quad bike riding take advantage of the dams.  Signs for hot water pools and parks appear regularly for a long stretch of road.  Clouds of steam dot the countryside, visible through the rain.

Favorite Place: Te Papa Museum in Wellington
And it's free!!

Dairy has become big business in NZ.  Fonterra has been buying up land and establishing large dairy farms with 2000 - 3000 head.  Most of the older farms have about 200 cows and sell their milk to be processed by Fonterra's regional plants, each of which produce different milk, butter, or cheese products primarily for export.

Next up, mudholes, geysers, and Maori culture in Rotorua.

Cheers!
Cyn