Why New Zealand
The country is the size of Italy for five million people, a third of them in a single city. The rest is empty, and it is that emptiness people come for: glaciers, active volcanoes, fjords and primary forest in a geological pocket handkerchief.
The two islands are not alike. The North is volcanic, mild, Maori, with hot springs and beaches; the South is alpine, cold, indented, with the Southern Alps running its whole length. Doing both takes three weeks at minimum.
Getting around
A car or a van is the norm: intercity public transport exists but imposes its own rhythm, and half the places worth the trip are served by nothing at all.
The country is equipped for travel in a converted vehicle — free sites, dump stations, listing apps — provided you have a certified self-contained vehicle, without which overnight parking is ticketed. The roads are narrow, winding, and the journey times given by mapping apps are systematically underestimated.
Money
Everything is paid by card, including in equipped mountain huts. A surcharge of one to three per cent is frequent on foreign card payments, and it is announced.
Tipping does not exist. On the other hand, food is expensive for a producing country: the supermarkets are a duopoly, and prices reflect it. The food budget surprises Europeans.
Before you go
Biosecurity is the strictest in the world. Hiking boots, tents, camping equipment and any food must be declared on arrival: boots are inspected and cleaned on the spot. Fines for non-declaration are immediate and heavy.
The sun burns faster than elsewhere: the summer UV index is among the strongest on the planet, and an hour without protection is enough. New Zealanders wear hats and long sleeves.
The weather changes within an hour in the South, in any season. The major walks — the Great Walks — are booked months in advance and their huts show full as soon as registration opens.