New Zealand by Exotik

What Exotik can offer

Plucked straight from a film set or a coffee-table book of picture-perfect scenery, New Zealand is jaw-droopingly gorgeous. “Wow!” will escape from your lips at least once a day. Filling in the gaps are the sublime forests, mountains, lakes, beaches and fiords that have made NZ one of the best hiking (locals call it ‘tramping’) destinations on the planet. The popularity of New Zealand with international visitors is growing year by year. It is a land of contrasts, from pristine wilderness areas to modern and sophisticated cities there is something for everyone. New Zealand also enjoys an international reputation for being safe and friendly. NZ’s cool-climate wineries have been collecting wine-award trophies for decades now, but the country’s booming craft-beer scene also deserves your serious scrutiny. And with coffee culture firmly entrenched, you can usually slake your craving for a decent double-shot.

Cities

Auckland

National parks ring the city and penetrate right into its heart. Large chunks of the harbor are still edged with bush, while parks cut their way through the skyscrapers and suburbs. There’s always a new restaurant to try, undercover bar to hunt down, hip band to check out, sports team to shout at, show to see or crazy party to attend. The city’s pretensions to glamour are well balanced by a casualness that means a cool T-shirt and a tidy pair of jeans will get you in most places. But if you want to dress up and show off, there’s plenty of opportunity for that among the sparkling lights of the harbor. Book a window seat for your flight to Sydney: day or night, this city sure is good-looking. Scratch the surface and it only gets better.

Rotorua

Designed by visionary American architect Walter Burley Griffin, who was assisted by his wife Marion Mahony Griffin, Canberra features expansive open spaces, aesthetics influenced by the 19th-century Arts and Crafts Movement and a seemless alignment of built and natural elements. Though it seems big on architectural symbolism and low on spontaneity, there is a fair bit going on behind the slightly sterile exterior. The cultural institutions have lively visitor and social programmes, there’s a limited but often excellent choice of restaurants and cafes and there’s also a lively bar scene that is fuelled by the city’s university students

Wellington

A small city with a big reputation, Wellington is most famous for being NZ’s capital. It is infamous for its weather, particularly the gale-force winds wont to barrel through, wrecking umbrellas and obliterating hairdos. It also lies on a major fault line. And negotiating the inner-city one-way system is like the Krypton Factor on acid. But don’t be deterred. ‘Welly’ is a wonderful city, voted ‘the coolest little capital in the world’ in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel (2011). For a starter it’s lovely to look at, draped around bushy hillsides encircling a magnificent harbor. There are super lookouts on hilltops, golden sand on the prom, and spectacular craggy shores along the south coast. Downtown, the city is compact and vibrant, buoyed by a surprising number of museums, theatres, galleries and boutiques. A cocktail- and caffeine-fuelled hospitality scene fizzes and pops among the throng.

Queenstown

No-one’s ever visited Queenstown and said, ‘I’m bored’. Looking like a small town, but displaying the energy of a small city, Queenstown offers a mountain of outdoor activities. Maximize bragging rights with your souvenir T-shirt in the town’s atmospheric restaurants, laid-back cafes and bustling bars. Be sure to also find a lakeside bench at sunrise or dusk and immerse yourself in one of NZ’s most beautiful views. The town’s restaurants and bars are regularly packed with a mainly young crowd that really knows how to enjoy themselves on holiday

Dunedin

The first sight of Milford Sound is stunning. Sheer rocky cliffs rise out of still, dark waters, and forests clinging to the slopes sometimes relinquish their hold, causing a ‘tree avalanche’ into the waters. The spectacular, photogenic 1692m-high Meter Peak rises dead ahead. A cruise on Milford Sound is Fjord land’s most accessible experience, complete with seals and dolphins. Milford Sound receives about half a million visitors each year

Christchurch

Welcome to a vibrant city in transition, coping resiliently and creatively with the aftermath of NZ’s second-biggest natural disaster (especially as tremors can still be felt regularly). Traditionally the most English of NZ cities, Christchurch is now adding a modern and innovative layer to its damaged heritage heart. Punts still glide gently down the Avon River, and the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park are still among NZ’s finest public spaces, but an energetic entrepreneurial edge is also evident, harnessing the opportunities emerging from the city’s recent seismic heartache

Language

English

Electricity

The electrical current is 230-240 volts, AC 50Hz, you will need an adaptor.

Communication

International access code: 00 International dialing code: 64 Concerning national calls made in New Zealand, it is not necessary to dial the 64 country code.If you are calling from Canada, please dial 011, then 64 and finally the local phone number in New Zealand

Useful links