Just 10 days and we are Kiwi

Niki Willems and her partner in crime will be trading in a life in Belgium for a life-changing experience in New Zealand this week, and swimming with sharks in Auckland is just one of the things they are looking forward to.

Kia Ora!!

The left side of our closet is completely reserved for New Zealand stuff. Sunday next week is D-Day! And we can feel our nerves tickling. I just hope that we will make it and that our plane won't crash or something.

First stop is Auckland, then up to the North and travel through the Northern Island, cross Cook Strait and a visit to the Southern Island.

In Belgium, some declared us nuts, but we think it's going to be a life-changing experience. We thought a lot about it, and both of us think that it is now or never. We are in our early twenties and the Kiwi way of life appeals to us on several levels. We really need this experience to decide what we expect and want of life.

A lot of nature and adventure is exactly what New Zealand promises. I've already decided to go bungee jumping. It seems that Taupo is a good spot to take the leap into the deep. My partner in crime is in love with the shores and beaches that we've discovered online during our many researches. And we are really looking forward to a real, live rugby match because we have never seen a game before.

Apparently it is also possible to go swimming with sharks in Auckland!! So that's also on our to do list. Climbing a volcano is something I'm really looking forward to. I can only hope that my physical condition is up to it.

We are kind of impressed with the way Kiwi's (yes, we think it's awsome that people in New Zealand are proud of their cute little national animal) are dealing with some problems like environmental issues. So we were over the moon with joy about some projects concerning Kiwi's in their natural habitat. We are planning to visit some of the centres that try to do some good for those little cuties.

We think that our biggest problem will be traffic. We drive on the right and give way to right in Belgium. In New Zealand, it's the left side we have to worry about and we don't really understand the “give way to right rule”. We are hoping that a friendly Kiwi will explain it to us!

But most of our trip is about tramping. We bought a book with a lot of helpfull tips, but we think that we will just have to figure out the most of it ourselves. There are some tramps that we have planned, like the Cape Reinga tramp and exploring Rangitoto Island. We really are ready to go and time is going too slow. Our families are ready, our backpack is standing by and the New Zealand sunrise is waiting.

- Got some packing or travel tips for New Zealand working holiday makers? Let us know in the comments!

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