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If someone hitchhiked it, please add details! Plane will be Planes are more expensive unless you're going further with booking fees and plan luggage. But some very cheap prices come up on taking a busgrabaseat for as little as $30 from Auckland to Christchurch! You literally can't hitch there for that.
* [[New Plymouth]]
[[nomad:New Zealand]]
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|country = of New Zealand
|map= <map lat="-41.045886836287" lng="174.13183593748" zoom="5" view="0" float="right" />
|language Official Language = English and Te Reo (Maorilanguage)
|capital = [[Wellington]]
|pop = 4,403,000
[[File:Elsa amylin kiwi experience.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Elsa and [[User:Amylin|Amylin]] hitching the Kiwi experience]]
'''New Zealand''' is a reasonably okay 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 the local life. You'll have receive invitations to parties, and homes. Cars drive on the left side, so be careful if you're not experienced with that.
At least in high and shoulder season, hitchhiking is very popular among backpackers travelling around New Zealand, especially in the South Island. Leave early before hostel checkout times (usually 10pm10am) and you 'll have better chances to avoid of avoiding competition situations among with other hitchhikers.
There are only motorways around the big cities, [[Auckland]], [[Christchurch]], [[Wellington]] and [[Dunedin]], the rest are highways, secondary/tertiary roads or dirt roads.
== In General ==
Another awesome place to travel, [[WWOOF]] and hitch. Not as many long distance rides as in the Australian [[Outback]], because towns are quite close from to each other, but on the other hand not as "dangerous" to hitchhike ;). Because towns are pretty small seen the amount of people in New Zealand some roads are really not busy. You might wait a nice little while.
=== North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui ===
A bit smaller than the South Island, although much more populated: 3,.5 million out of New Zealand's 4,.5 million inhabitants. This island is a bit less touristictouristy, but cities are bigger.Hitching is easy.
=== South Island or Te Waipounamu ===
The South Island is bigger but less populated, only 1 million, and is the most touristic touristy so you will often be picked up by travelers, especially along the West Coast, where there isn't a lot of local traffic. *'''West Coast:''' West Coast Hitching is basically one unpopulated and a favored travelers way because of the nature and glaciers. If you are hitching between Greymouth and Wanaka you might have the fortune to score a ride with one of the DHL drivers aka the local posties. They are a couple of awesome guys who meet up in Fox Glacier to swap packages (and hitchhikers too if you are lucky!)extremely easy.*'''East Coast:''' More inhabitants and thus a bit more local traffic, not like the West Coast which is mainly used by tourist cars.
===From one island to the other===
The 3-4 hour ferry costs around NZ$50 - Interislander and Bluebridge have almost identical pricing. 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/...
[[Hitchhiking a boat]] would not be a simple task, the passage is not an easy one.
== 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 traveltrip. The general snow 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 infos 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.
* [[Auckland]], biggest city
* [[Hamilton (New Zealand)]]
* [[Rotorua]]
* [[New Plymouth]]
* [[Palmerston North]]
* [[Taupo]]
* [[Tauranga]]
* [[Wellington]], the capital city
* [[Whangarei]]
== South Island ==
* [[Richmond]]
* [[Aoraki/Mt Cook]]
*[[Punakaiki]]
== Personal experience ==
== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
{{nomadwiki}}
{{IsIn|Oceania}}
[[de:Neuseeland]]
[[es:Nueva Zelanda]]
