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[[Image:Elsa amylin kiwi experience.jpg{{infobox Country|thumb|400pxcountry = of New Zealand|map= <map lat="-41.045886836287" lng="174.13183593748" zoom="5" view="0" float="right" />|Elsa Official Language = English and Te Reo (Maori language) |capital = [[amylin]] hitching the Kiwi experienceWellington]]'''|pop = 4,403,000|currency = New ZealandDollar|hitch = <rating country='nz'' is a reasonably okay country for hitchhiking. There are a lot of friendly people and some bastards. By hitching you´ll be involved a lot in the local life. You´ll have invitations to parties, homes./>|BW = NZ}}

Border crossing[[File: Might not be that pleasant if you represent any other race than whiteElsa amylin kiwi experience. If you don't believe it, just look at those who are searched at jpg|thumb|400px|right|Elsa and [[User:Amylin|Amylin]] hitching the airport.Kiwi experience]]

'''New Zealand''' is an extremely easy country for hitchhiking. There are a lot of friendly people, and hitching is legal and comparatively safe. By hitching you'll be involved a lot in local life. You'll receive invitations to parties and homes. Cars drive on the left side, so be careful if you're not experienced with that.

There are only highways At least in high and shoulder season, hitchhiking is very popular among backpackers travelling around New Zealand, especially in the big cities, [[Auckland]], [[Christchurch]] South Island. Leave early before hostel checkout times (usually 10am) and [[Wellington]], which makes it easy to hitchhike when it's not raining. People working at gas stations seem to be pretty friendly so this is your best bet when ityou's rainingll have better chances of avoiding competition with other hitchhikers.

==South Island==On There are only motorways around the South Island you will often be picked up by travelersbig cities, [[Auckland]], [[Christchurch]], [[Wellington]] and [[Dunedin]], especially along the West Coast. There isn't a lot of trafficrest are highways, and most tourists actually won't pick you up. Some people seem to enjoy stopping for hitchhikers and then actually speeding away when you're walking to their car. Throw a towel at them secondary/tertiary roads or somethingdirt roads.

If you are hitching between Greymouth == In General ==Another awesome place to travel, [[WWOOF]] and Wanaka you might have hitch. Not as many long distance rides as in the fortune Australian [[Outback]], because towns are quite close to score a ride with one of each other, but on the DHL drivers aka the local posties. They are a couple of awesome guys who meet up in Fox Glacier other hand not as "dangerous" to swap packages (and hitch hikers too if you are lucky!)hitchhike.

==Maps= North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui ===*[httpA bit smaller than the South Island, although much more populated://www.newzealand.com/travel/destinations/new-zealand-map/interactive_map_home.cfm/ newzealand3.com]*[http://smaps5 million out of New Zealand's 4.co5 million inhabitants.nz/ smapsThis island is a bit less touristy, but cities are bigger.coHitching is easy.nz] - searchable database and fast loading maps

==When?= South Island or Te Waipounamu ===Summers start in January The South Island is bigger but being a maritime climate less populated, only 1 million, and is the weather can most touristy so you will often be changeablepicked up by travelers, especially along the West Coast where there isn't a lot of local traffic. The weather in March Hitching is a little more settledextremely easy.

Hitchhiking is seriously worse during Christmas===From one island to the other===The 3-4 hour ferry costs around NZ$50 - Interislander and Bluebridge have almost identical pricing. Cars Since car bookings also incur a fee per person about the same as per foot passenger, cars won't be able to take you on, and grouping together wouldn't help either. You may get lucky and find a special discount on their Facebook page (or subscribe to their newsletters for a promo code), and there's always the usual 10% BBH/YHA/Student/... Planes are packed more expensive with goods booking fees and kidsluggage. But some very cheap prices come up on grabaseat for as little as $30 from Auckland to Christchurch! You literally can't hitch there for that.

[[Hitchhiking a boat]] would not be a simple task, the passage is not an easy one.  == Maps ==* [http://www.topomap.co.nz/] Topomaps for hiking etc with all tracks, contour lines etc - an online version of official and free LINZ maps* [http://www.doc.govt.nz/maps] DOC maps with markup for tracks, huts and activities* [http://www.newzealand.com/travel/destinations/new-zealand-map/interactive_map_home.cfm/ newzealand.com commercial tourism info] == People == New Zealanders refer to themselves as "Kiwis", like the fruit or the flightless bird. The indigenous people of New Zealand are the Māori, who make up 17% of the national population. They have their own unique culture and customs, totally different to the Pākeha (white) population. One of these that may concern a hitchhiker is the "Hongi", the traditional greeting. Many Māori, especially the elders prefer this to shaking hands. Basically, it is pressing the nose and forehead together with the other party. Don't be afraid or confused, it is acceptable for people who are not Māori to perform this, in fact it is welcomed! Many Kiwi's like to say "Kia Ora" (Kee-Or-rah) instead of hello in English. It means hello but in Te Reo, the language of the Māori. Using this will endear you to the Kiwis. In general, avoid from discussing race relations, the Treaty of Waitangi, Covid-19 or politics with Kiwis as these are touchy subjects. You will meet more Māori in Northland and the East Cape, travel to these regions for an interesting cultural experience! == When? ==Summers start in October/November but being a maritime climate the weather can be changeable. The weather in January - March is a little more settled. Winter can be harsh and snowy, keep this in mind when planning your trip. The general snowy season is about early June until early October in the South Island/central North Island. Gloves, scarf and hat are definitely a good idea. == Other travelling info ==Look at the [http://nomadwiki.org/en/New_Zealand Nomadwiki article] for more, but free camping ("freedom camping") has recently become a huge issue and can expose you to a NZ$200 fine. Enforcement officers are very active in summer and it is best to find legitimate free camping spots provided by local councils or DoC. ==North Island==

==South Island==

[[wikitravelwikivoyage:New Zealand]]-->[[trash:New Zealand]][[nomad:New Zealand]]{{hitchbase_country|141}}

 [[Category:New Zealand| ]]