New Zealand - Highlights

I enjoyed New Zealand very much. It was nice to be in such a beautiful country full of greenery and stunning scenary, with clean hostels, and friendly people. My stay here wasn't without difficulties, though. I found everything here to be quite expensive and I often had to be very careful of my spending. Also, it had rained more than I liked, preventing me from partaking in some activities that I wanted to do. NZ's similarity to the US also made my travels less exciting and often had me looking forward to my travels in China and Japan.

I found myself very home sick for the first time since I left home while in New Zealand. There was a time when the weather kept me indoors for several days, and I lacked good company to enjoy the time with. It was also Thanksgiving back home to boot, and I had spent just about every Thanksgiving for the last few years at home with my brothers. Fortunately, things got better right away with my arrival in Wellington where I was welcomed by my friend, Mike, that I made while in Africa. I also met 2 other very special guys - Alan & Mikael - while in the South Island. Many people I met while in NZ came and went very fast, but I was fortunate to be able to spend about 2 weeks with them near the end. I enjoyed my time in NZ much more after meeting them.

The highlights of New Zealand would be most of South Island - Glacier hike, Milford Sound, and Mt. Cook. Some of the best sceneries in New Zealand are also on the longer "Great" (3-4 day) walks and I hope to come back and do some of those some day. Another highlight of New Zealand, ofcourse, is the whole Lord of the Rings experience. Just as many others have, I've become a fan of the trilogy. It was great to see some of the film locations, the stars in the movies, the LOTR themes in Wellington, and The Return of the King.