TRAVELLING TIPS

Holidays should be taken seriously: some people even make a living out of them!
You have just made two great decisions: Once Upon a Trip is your provider, New Zealand is your destination. Now the success of your trip depends on you too.

• We suggest you to start your trip in Auckland, the further you go south, the wilder landscapes become.
• Remember to drive on the left hand side of the road.
• An international Driving License is mandatory for visitors holding any driving license that is not written in English. 
• Now this is a useful hint, apart from the outskirts of big cities, there are no highways in New Zealand since all major roads are actually called “SH” for State Highways.

You would have fallen for that one! In other words, 80 kilometres per hour will be your expected average speed. On top of that, you will stop often to admire the beautiful scenery, since this is what brought you here after all. Your dream holiday will become a nightmare if you plan on long daily trips. No worries with us, we have made it all reasonable, and you even spend a couple of nights or more in most destinations. We have come across so many accommodation managers who told us how tired their guests looked and felt at the end of their trip in Auckland or Christchurch. We insist on this: don’t leave New Zealand feeling exhausted or let down.

• New Zealand is pretty but admittedly on the far side. Although you call the shots, we strongly recommend that you spend two nights in the city where you land, especially if you are coming from Europe. Going on an adventure right after a 24 hour flight and a 10 to 12 hour time difference? You cannot be serious...
• In the same vein, we also suggest an airport shuttle transfer to your accommodation, which we will book on your behalf: this means no car rental agreement for you to read, and no accommodation to look for in an unknown city as soon as you get out of the plane.

The official “100% Pure New Zealand” campaign makes you think volcanoes, glaciers, geothermal activity, endemic species and vineyards to complete this nature oriented picture.

• Not to be outdone, Kiwi cities are as beautiful as they are enjoyable: you’ll love their green areas and lines of trees along the streets, as well as their typical yet interesting architecture. Their reasonable size allows you to visit their central districts within half a day for most of them. Try not to overlook Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch... And let yourself wander in Napier, New Plymouth, Dunedin and Invercargill too: they are definitely worth it.