So long, Middle-earth

Lake Taupo

Sometimes I wonder what New Zealand was like for tourists before Peter Jackson started filming The Lord of the Rings. What would one do in Auckland or Rotorua besides visit Hobbiton? Where would one go in Taupo or Turangi besides Mount Doom? What would one explore in Wellington besides the studios or the filming locations? Even the museum of natural history in Wellington hosts stuff related to the movies. New Zealanders certainly know how to exploit the movie industry for tourist attractions.

I leave New Zealand with bittersweet feelings. Yes, I loved the natural beauty of the country. It's even more breathtaking than I imagined. The people are friendly and outgoing. It was easy to get around. The beer is good.

So what bothered me? It was frustrating to not have unlimited access to the internet as I was accustomed to in Asia. Hostels in New Zealand typically don't provide free WiFi to their guests. I soon learned that if a hostel description says "free internet" this means that they allow you to use their desktop computers for a half hour. If I wanted WiFi, I had to pay for it, but even then I had to be constantly mindful of the time when it expires, and of which provider I was using because there are so many. On the other hand, they expect tourists to make bookings online, many information brochures only list the web address for details so it's a constant chore and a hassle to find ways to get online.

This last post from New Zealand comes from a McDonald's in Auckland. Thank you McDonald's for the free WiFi!

I was surprised that some of the hostels where I stayed in New Zealand were so dirty. After putting up with dirty Asia for months, I was looking forward to enjoying cleaner accomodation. But I was disappointed a few times. Almost all of the hostels where I stayed advertised cleaning staff jobs and I found out that there is a shortage of unskilled labor in New Zealand. So the uncleanliness might have been related to a lack of cleaning staff. But still, does that mean that the owners of the hostels are not responsible for getting them cleaned one way or another?

I have the impression that despite the nice and friendly attitude of all the locals that I met, there is a fair amount of crime in the country. All parking areas displayed signs warning tourists not to leave valuables in their cars because of possible break-ins. Many parkings in remote places charged a small fee which covered the expense of an on-site guard. Isn't it sad that you can't leave your car while exploring the natural beauty of the country without worrying that something might happen to it? I also heard from other travelers that one girl's backpack was stolen when she left it on a hiking trail while she went to the toilet. Who steals backpacks on hiking trails? And in the hostels, kitchens always displayed signs that security cameras are in place to monitor those who steal other people's food. Who steals food in hostels? This last one is probably not a reflection on New Zealand but rather a reflection on the demographic that stays in hostels in New Zealand. I was lucky that no one found my salad ingredients that I kept in refrigerators in hostels worth stealing.

My time in New Zealand is over. I only scratched the surface of the Northern Island. I haven't set foot on the Southern Island. Somehow I didn't get around to seeing any animals, such as the kiwi bird or the tuatara reptile. There are still so many national parks to visit and explore so that overall I would definitely consider coming back again in the future.