New Zealand
New Zealand 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.
Border crossing: Might not be that pleasant if you represent any other race than white. If you don't believe, look at whom are searched at the airport.
Cars drive on the left side, so be careful if you're not experienced with that.
There are only highways around the big cities, Auckland, Christchurch 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 it's raining.
South Island
On the South Island you will often be picked up by travelers, especially along the West Coast. There isn't a lot of traffic, 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 or something.
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 hitch hikers too if you are lucky!).
Maps
- newzealand.com
- smaps.co.nz - searchable database and fast loading maps
When?
Summers start in January but being a maritime climate the weather can be changeable. The weather in March is a little more settled.
Hitchhiking is seriously worse during Christmas. Cars are packed with goods and kids.
North Island
- Auckland, biggest city
- Hamilton (New Zealand)
- New Plymouth
- Wellington, the capital city
