Many of the best things to see and do in New Zealand are free…beaches, national parks in particular. The best time to go is almost anytime…Spring Summer or Fall, and even Winter if you wand to ski. Spring Summer and Fall are from September to April…seasons are in reverse in the Southern Hemisphere country.

To figure New Zealand travel times, New Zealand is twelve hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.  The locals follow daylight savings time from October to March.

Visas aren’t required for citizens from 50 countries with with New Zealand has visa waiver agreements. To check on your country, visit the New Zealand immigration website.

Along with tourism, agriculture is important to New Zealanders, and Customs is very careful about introduced pests and diseases that could put the farms and orchards at risk. Any fruit, meat, plant or animals must be declared upon entry to New Zealand, and the fines are stiff if you don’t.

For a quick summary of New Zealand Travel Times, here’s a handy list:

• twelve hour flight from Los Angeles, California
• three hour flight from Sydney, Australia
• more than twenty hours from Europe!

As you can see, folks flying from Europe have some of the longest New Zealand travel times in the world.

Drive to Northland

If you rent a car, then you can take a road trip to Northland on the Twin Coast Discovery Highway. This road loops around the Northland region so you can explore any way you like. There’s the east coast section and the west coast section, so you could do one section going up and one section going down. Time it right and catch the sunrise on the east coast, then the sunset on the west on the return trip a few days later.

The islands have no native land mammals…those you will find were brought by early Maoris and Europeans.  Northland’s forests contain massive Kauri trees, kiwis (the bird), and giant wetas, which are crickets that can’t fly.

Other climates of New Zealand include the Shrublands which are shorter forests that may once have been logged and are now making a comeback, coastal areas with rocky terrain and sandy beaches AND 11,300 miles of coastline, and mountain regions, ranging from 2,900 feet  in the South Island to 4,270+ feet above sea level on the North Island.  Topographic New Zealand maps are very bumpy!

The mountain regions experience severe weather in all directions, from frigid conditions to dry heat and high winds.  It’s here that visitors will find Keas, or mountain parrots, who possess intelligence and playfulness, and therefore make for excellent bird-watching.

Cook Strait cuts a 12 mile gap between the two main islands, with the country’s capital, Wellington, situated on the tip of the New Zealand map. The biggest city is Auckland, which is also on the North Island. Auckland is home to the world’s largest concentration of Polynesian culture. The North Island also has a central plateau region that sees much volcanic and thermal activity.  Traveling from one end of the New Zealand map to to the other will take you from beaches to ocean-view bluffs and everywhere in between!

Eating out in Christchurch New Zealand

If you’re looking for a meal, expect British fare. Curator’s House Restaurant serves lamb and seafood, and it’s all delicious. The building is ever so British too: Tudor style mansion on the river. Set amidst the Christchurch Botanic Gardens on 7 Rolleston Ave, this Christchurch New Zealand favorite is a must for a great meal. Go to Annies Wine Bar & Restaurant, a bit more casual than Curator’s House. This building also looks imported from England, completely made of stone. The wine list is superb, of course. It’s located at 1 Worcester Blvd and open for lunch and dinner.

Wine Tasting in Christchurch New Zealand

If it’s wine you’re interested in, go to Pegasus Bay Winery. It’s about one hour north of Christchurch New Zealand. They have gardens with fruit trees and herbs for the entrees served at the restaurant. The vineyards are more reminiscent of Southern France than England. This winery produces organic wine and the restaurant operates on organic principles.

Near the town of Akaroa just south of Christchurch, you’ll find French Farm Winery & Restaurant. This is more Italian style eating and they have a fabulous outdoor pizzeria in summer. Remember, warmer months in New Zealand are October through March! Thin crust pizza with local wine. Oh my goodness how wonderful!

The Southern Alps run down almost the entire spine of the South Island, providing the island with spectacular variety of hiking, with over 200 named peaks topping 7,000 feet.  The island seems to have dual personality, with dry, non-forested land on one side of the mountain range, and lush, rainy, forested lake area on the west side.  Parts of the island are coursing with water, in the form lakes, riers, inlets, bays and fiords.