* Podcast edited for clarity.
Lea Lane 00:04
Hi, I'm Lea Lane, an award-winning travel writer and author of Places I Remember: Tales, Truths, Delights from 100 Countries. On this podcast we share conversations with travelers about fascinating destinations and memorable experiences around the world. I've never met a traveler who didn't love New Zealand. It's in the southwestern Pacific to the east of Australia. About a 16 hour flight from the West Coast of the United States. New Zealand consists of a north and a south island, and more than 700 smaller islands. The original inhabitants were Maoris and their culture remains an important element. Our guest is Mark Everard, who's joining us from Auckland, New Zealand. He's managing director of the Adrenalin Group, a bespoke New Zealand Pacific destination management company. About a dozen years ago, Mark was my guide in New Zealand and I spent several memorable weeks with him researching all around the country for an upscale magazine. Welcome, Mark. It's wonderful to speak with you again,
Mark Everard 01:07
Lea, thank you so much for having me on your show. So nice to be here.
Lea Lane 01:12
Well, New Zealand is one of my favorite countries. As a New Zealander, can you tell us what you think makes it special?
Mark Everard 01:19
I think that we're very lucky. In New Zealand, we are at the edge of the world. And we only have a very small population, we're very young country. And I think we have too big islands are not playing in terms of the world, that boat for our population. And they say as you travel through New Zealand, the scenery changes every 20 minutes. So they say that you have all the different types of scenery in New Zealand, what you have in the rest of the world, a lot of that on a smaller scale. Of course, that is the other nice thing about New Zealand is that there's nothing that can hurt you. So you can really play in nature. It's not a country where you just have to look at the nature but you can actually get out there and experience it. So it means for those people traveling here, there's just a huge amount of variety.
Lea Lane 02:04
There's snakes? I forgot. No snakes. I remember you told me that, I'm glad to hear that still true. I also have to say the people a.re wonderful. I know there's a law, that it's a crime to harm an animal, any country that can have a law like that tells you a lot about the people and it's one of the best parts of New Zealand. I know you don't want to say that. But I'm telling others that that's one of the best parts. And also tell us about the Maori culture.
Mark Everard 02:33
As an indigenous people, the Maori, probably some of the most empowered indigenous people in the world. When the British settled here, the Maoris were very good sort of fighters and in communication. And were well organized. So the British did have a treaty in 1840, with the Maori people called the Treaty of Waitangi. So under this treaty, the Maori people have a lot of rights. And a lot of the injustices that have been done against them have been able to be put right in a court of law. So you know, there is a lot of respect in New Zealand for the Maori culture, and they add a tremendous amount to our country.
Lea Lane 03:13
Every member when you took me up to Cape Ranga, where the Maori spirits, I said to leap off on their final journey across the rough waters. And then you also took me to a beautiful forest is it's pronounced Waipoa forest is dry, and I stood face to face with Tanima Huzzah, the world's largest kaouri tree, approximately 2000 years old and still growing. I remember, it was called The Lord of the forest. And it felt like that was early evening. I think when we went, you had to take off our shoes and walk into the forest. There were just a half a dozen of us. And it was like a cathedral in nature. It was one of the most beautiful experiences I ever had. A young man was chanting to the trees. I really felt the power of his culture. I thank you for that one. So very wonderful to see.
Mark Everard 04:01
Yeah. I always like to think you know, these a few lessons always that stay with me from from the moldy people. And they said they always look backwards before they look forwards. They always look look to the past. And then they look to the future amazing artists. They sort of talk everything through to get to a decision where a community agrees before they move forward. So yeah, a lot of lessons for New Zealanders.
Lea Lane 04:26
There's a place called Gisborne. I didn't go to Gisborne, I didn't go there. But I hear it's the first place in the world that you can see the sunrise. So I imagine on New Year's Day it must be very popular. But it also has many Maori carvings and cultures. Is that true?
Mark Everard 04:45
That's true. Yeah, there's lots of tribes and sub tribes right the way through New Zealand mainly in the North Island because it's a little bit warmer than what it was in the South Island but yes sorts of cat habits.
Lea Lane 04:57
Let me ask you about some suggestions of where to stay in New Zealand. Linda, I was writing for an upscale magazine. So I got to stay at a fabulous string events as we traveled through the two islands. But what about budget travel and camping and such? What are the options there?
Mark Everard 05:11
Yeah, absolutely. There's fantastic campgrounds right the way through New Zealand. So a third of New Zealand is National Park. And we have a Department of Conservation, and they're responsible for a lot of the campgrounds throughout the country. And there's also some more commercial campgrounds but there are other very, very high, high standard. And then we have a really good camping network. You can come to New Zealand, you can hire a camper van, and you can self guide your way through staying at these campgrounds. And also there’s freedom camping, which is a lot of fun.
Lea Lane 05:38
What is freedom camping?
Mark Everard 05:41
It means you can just pack up on the side of the road and be self sufficient.
Lea Lane 05:45
That's nice. What about rental houses? Are they Airbnb?
Mark Everard 05:50
And we have some lovely websites called Booker Batch or New Zealand Holiday Homes that you can go and find homes or or holiday homes that New Zealanders care, and you can book them yourself.
Lea Lane 06:01
What's the best time of year to visit would you say?
Mark Everard 06:03
Well, the summer months tend to be from November through to April. But New Zealand is also a fantastic place to visit during the winter months. And the reason being it's just less people visit visiting. So you have just more personal spaces you travel but the compromise is a little bit colder.
Lea Lane 06:20
Yeah, I should say the seasons are opposite of those that are above the countries above the equator. I was there in November and I remember the twins spring lambs are so cute. There were purple lupins everywhere. It was really spring in November. That was kind of fun. Anyway, let's take a quick tour around New Zealand focusing on what you think we shouldn't miss. Let's start with the North Island. It's known for national parks, the Maori culture, cosmopolitan cities, the Lord of the Rings, and it's home to about three quarters of New Zealand's population. The scenery is less dramatic than the South Island but it's still stunning. There are volcanic cone shaped mountains and golden beaches and springs and hills and forests and gorgeous. And there are two wonderful major cities on the North Island. Let's start with Auckland, the country's largest city where most travelers from around the world will arrive and a last apart and it's your hometown. So tell us about it.
Mark Everard 07:12
Mark. Yeah, Auckland scored the city of sales, and it's home to almost 1.5 million people. So a third of our population live here in Auckland. It's made up of 26 suburbs, all with your own sort of personality and flavor and says 102 beaches, 48 volt volcanic cones. And it really is it's a wonderful place to live. And then you can choose at any particular time as a New Zealander anyway to get away for the weekend. And you leave it through to the population behind and the rest of the country kind of becomes an amazing playground.
Lea Lane 07:43
Yeah, everybody loves to play in New Zealand. I know you can bungee jump from a skyscrapers that's still true.
Mark Everard 07:49
And now it's the habit bridge and will well be the North Shore in the inner city side. Yeah.
Lea Lane 07:57
Is that even higher?
Mark Everard 07:58
Probably is actually yeah, yeah. Do you do it? Well, I've done it. I've done it. It's a lot of fun.
Lea Lane 08:06
Okay, that wasn't there when I was there. I enjoyed sailing. I went that far. I went on a boat in the beautiful bay there, Bay of Islands. And I know that nearby Auckland of vineyards and their beaches, as you mentioned, you could go on wine tours and all kinds of wonderful things. Tell me about Wellington, another city in the North Island. It's a capital city of New Zealand.
Mark Everard 08:29
Yeah, it’s a lot more cosmopolitan, then Falklands can come into the city and even walk around the whole city with the big decisions get made. It's a very arty city as well. It's got fantastic markets, theaters, restaurants, cafes.
Lea Lane 08:45
Yeah, during the coffee. They were very big on coffee, reminded me of Seattle with the emphasis on baristas. Is that still true?
Mark Everard 08:51
Absolutely. The coffee and just the whole scene. The Whole Foods thing down there is amazing.
Lea Lane 08:59
As far as food, tell me about what would be some traditional New Zealand pleasures in the in the cuisine department.
Mark Everard 09:07
We're very lucky in New Zealand. We’re like one big, big farm. And we export a lot of what we produce for instance, we export 95% of the dairy that we produce. We start with the seafood, we've got beautiful fish, probably the most famous specially here here is the red snapper. And then we have the lobsters that oysters, mussels, scallops, we have a delicacy called whitebait which is a tiny little fish that you have an egg better so super lucky in terms of the seafood and then we also have very good pro proteins that beef that lamb venison, we found venison here and it's a beautiful meat and in obviously there is a lot of fruit and vegetables is super, super fresh.
Lea Lane 09:52
And the wine that goes with it is super delicious. You've got vineyards all about both islands and I know that you're Known for a year we'll get when we get to the South Island the seven year block but very good wine as well. And a beer scene I hear more and more.
Mark Everard 10:07
At any one time there's a million New Zealanders it's only ever been 7 million New Zealanders so at any one time there's a million New Zealanders traveling overseas and they tend to pick up and learn a lot when they're traveling and then they bring it back to New Zealand and we're very entrepreneurial here. So we are taking these a lot of creativity and bowtique food offerings.
Lea Lane 10:27
What are some of your favorite things to see and do on the North Island
Mark Everard 10:30
I love the beaches like on the West Coast is beautiful black black, same beaches and in native bush and then on the East Coast is a lot of what seemed beaches. So for me personally, I really love to walk along the beaches or go surfing or windsurfing or snorkeling. And it's it's really the beaches that I love. I also love mountain biking and hiking. And there's just fantastic regional parks and areas for all of those sort of outdoor sports in lakes. It's beautiful lakes as well.
Lea Lane 11:00
Just about everything very lucky. Very lucky. Tell me about Hobbiton everybody who likes the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies wants to know about that. So tell us a little what that is.
Mark Everard 11:11
Yeah, it's like a little mini Disney game but of Hobbiton you walk in there and they have pristine movie set in. It's just a fantastic place to be especially if you're a fan of the movies.
Lea Lane 11:26
Right now I'm a fan of Rotorua because it has wonderful geothermal springs. Tell me a little about that.
Mark Everard 11:33
Yeah, it's an area that is also a blast. It is beautiful forests. The Redwood Forest is a must see when you're down there. And then it has all the geothermal activity with the tectonic plates being quite close to the Earth's surface. And then it has a huge amount of multi culture as well. Just one of those places. There's just so much on offer.
Lea Lane 11:55
I remember Huka Falls I know there are many waterfalls, but that one was a really big one and very impressive.
Mark Everard 12:01
And we had like food like telco which is the size of Singapore in it only has one river that flows out of it, which is the Waikato River. So it comes out of this big lake and then cascades down on the hook unfold. So it's a great site just because of the sheer volume of water flowing through it.
Lea Lane 12:18
Tell me about the limestone caves and the special thing that you can find in there that I didn't get to see for some reason, but I have to come back to New Zealand to see it.
Mark Everard 12:26
Still in quite some tights and blow winds and they glowworms right glowworm sees Yeah, yeah, actually you could find those in quite a few places throughout New Zealand. The Waitomo caves is really have a large size with mini glowworms but there's also you can see glow rooms in other places.
Lea Lane 12:43
What do they look like? They look like stars?
Mark Everard 12:46
Yeah, like stars. If you look up at the ceiling, it's like these little stars looking back at you.
Lea Lane 12:51
I heard you can take a black water rafting trip to the subterranean waterways that that sounded very interesting to me.
Mark Everard 12:58
Sail to get to your tubes that you go like water rafting through. Yeah, it's a great family experience.
Lea Lane 13:06
I remember we we frisbee kind of down sand dunes to a river that had some quicksand in it. Where was that?
Mark Everard 13:13
Oh, that was right up at the top of the North Island with a spiritual pathway was but they have some big engines up there and you can get on a little toboggans and slide down the hose.
Lea Lane 13:24
That was fun. Is there really quicksand in the river? It scared me.
Mark Everard 13:30
Some sort of quicksand but nothing to worry about, not sort of quicksand. But yeah, just a little bit boggy.Yeah.
Lea Lane 13:39
Okay. Well, it sounds like there's lots to do on the North Island. And we have a lot to do in the South Island as well. So let's go there. You can get to the South Island by helicopter plane or boat, I gather. Is there any other way to get there?
Mark Everard 13:53
Yeah, from Wellington, you can catch the theory over if you were driving. Otherwise, we have a really good airline network throughout the country so you can fly and for those that are a little bit more adventurous. take a chopper.
Lea Lane 14:05
I think I took a chopper. Yeah, it was beautiful. Yeah, it was gorgeous. Well, the South Island is without exaggerating one of the most beautiful areas on Earth. There's wildlife wineries, glacial valleys, beaches, fjords, and you can take a spectacular road trip all the way down the long mountainous Island. And there are two small cities tell us about Christchurch.
Mark Everard 14:27
Christchurch is the one that went through the earthquake a number of years ago now so it's on the rebuild. So I think a really exciting place to visit because because it's been rebuilt. It's going to be a very, very modern city. So I think just lots and lots of exciting things happening in Christchurch.
Lea Lane 14:45
I heard it has a lot of street art and a thriving foodie scene. So it sounds like a very up and coming place, a happening place.
Mark Everard 14:53
That said, it was more English than then England. So it's it's beautiful gardens and rivers flowing through it. So Yeah, I think now it's gonna be bad combined with a very modern city.
Lea Lane 15:03
Yeah, it's a beautiful little city. And then there's Queenstown, which is set on the water like a jewel among the aptly named remarkable mountains. That's the real name. It's mainly a base for hikers and and the fjords, but is there something else we should know about Queenstown? Oh, absolutely.
Mark Everard 15:19
So really Queenstown is the jewel. It's truly our international destination. And you can do every sort of adventure activity there from chip boating to parachuting to be your hiking your mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, you name it, you can you can do it down there, fantastic fishing. So it's really the place where people come to New Zealand, they spend a little bit longer than anywhere else, just because there's so much to do.
Lea Lane 15:45
How long do you think a person should leave if they want to see both islands? I know many people feel they're only going to be able to go one time. So what would be the perfect sweet spot if you if you've, you know, had the time to do it. But your estimate.
Mark Everard 15:59
I think people mainly coming from from the US from my experience, they sort of had 1010 days and 10 days, you know, you can see a lot, but I think 14 would be better if you can take a few more days, and you're coming a long way. So I think 14 would be ideal,
Lea Lane 16:15
I would say it's a minimum, I would say could take more is even better. But yeah, 14 would be the minimum. Tell me about the fjords of the South Island, the gorgeous fjords
Mark Everard 16:27
From Queenstown and you know some of the neighboring towns you can access the fjords, and it's World Heritage national park here and they're just big mountains completely pristine. And then you have the fjords that come in from the ocean so you can take a boat trip into the fjords. Often these dolphins and the RC whales absolutely breathtaking scenery.
Lea Lane 16:51
Well, I went the time I went it was raining and I heard that it rains quite a bit. That's why it's so beautiful. And a group ahead of me that I remember they were Germans and they were so angry that it was raining that they canceled their trip. But what happened when I was on this trip was it was an overnight cruise on Milford Sound. And I remember it was especially beautiful because the rain costs hundreds and hundreds of waterfalls all around. It was so special. In fact, I got wet in my cabin because they took us close to the waterfall. It was a lot of fun. I didn't mind it one bit. We sell fairy penguins, these tiny little penguins. It was magical. And I felt so sorry for those people. You know who canceled because sometimes rain is good.
Mark Everard 17:34
I agree. I've been in there on beautiful sunny days I've been in the winter, it's snowing, I've been in the weather, it's raining with the waterfalls. And every time it's different than every time it offers something magical.
Lea Lane 17:45
Well, Milford Sound is the most famous How about Doubtful Sound?
Mark Everard 17:50
You can do an overnight on Doubtful Sound as well, and Doubtful Sound is even more slower paced and relaxed.
Lea Lane 17:57
So both, recommend both.
Mark Everard 18:00
You only need to do, I think you only need to do one. If you've got a little bit more time, I would recommend you do doubtful sound. If you've got a little bit less time, then I think no.
Lea Lane 18:11
It's really the beauty spot of the country that area? Well, the name of the podcast is places I remember. So Mark, how about a special travel memory about your beautiful country?
Mark Everard 18:23
Well, it's a guide for me, my memories are mainly or people and, and just you know if I close my eyes and think about it would for me what would come up as when I meet people when I when they arrive and when I meet them when they leave that would be just seeing a husband and wife, you know, in a beautiful place that reach over and hold each other's hands. So for me, I just think New Zealand has so much intrinsic goodness that you don't, it's hard to talk about. But when you when you come here, you get to experience it. And I think it's the same with the people. So my memory is all just really, you know, energetically around the people.
Lea Lane 19:05
And I think what you're talking about is especially important today, when so much is going on in the world. It's just one of those places you can go to and feel better when you leave. Thank you so much Mark Everhart, an outstanding spokesperson for your country. I would love to return to New Zealand. I hope my listeners get to go and I hope it isn't another dozen years before I see you again. Thank you.
Mark Everard 19:27
Thank you so much Lee and I absolutely loved the time that we spent together here in New Zealand. I hope you're going to come back as well and I would love to play my part anywhere I can for you.
Lea Lane 19:39
that's a very enticing offer. I hope I can do it. Thank you much. If you have questions or comments about the podcast or any of our episodes, please contact me at places I remember Leo Lane calm. And if you follow the podcast and write a review, take a screenshot and send it to me one of my links you'll find it in the show notes or on my website. You can win a signed copy of my later his travel book places I remember and I'll read your review and mention you on the podcast
Lea Lane 20:10
Thanks for sharing travel memories with us. My book, Places I Remember, is available on Amazon and in bookstores, in print, on Kindle, and I read the audio version. Please subscribe to this podcast and consider giving us a review. Until next time, join us wherever in the world we're going.