Visiting Neighboring Australia

Sydney Harbour

One of the great things about New Zealand is its remoteness from the rest of the western world. Unlike the UK, Switzerland or the Netherlands, which are all inside Europe, and thus, so easy to travel to and fro, New Zealand is so far away from everyone else. Corollary, while postgrad students based in London or Amsterdam get to travel to the rest of Europe during their breaks, thereby missing out on what the UK has to offer, postgrads based in New Zealand are "forced" to explore the island nation. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Because of its isolation, I got to discover everything Aotearoa had to offer, from its wineries to its lakes to its volcanoes to its ski resorts. And I got to do everything there was to do like bungy jump, skydive, and kayak. I loved every single minute I was travelling there.

However, this is not to say that you can't travel outside New Zealand during your stay. Not so far away is neighboring Australia, which is just a reasonable 3 1/2 hour plane ride away. So in the event you get bored with tiny and remote New Zealand, you can plan a short vacation to the land of kangaroos, koalas, and Hugh Jackman.

The first thing you have to do, of course, is to apply for an Australia visa. You can do so at the Australian Visa Application Centre (AVAC) in Auckland. The process starts by choosing the kind of visa. There's the Visitor Visa (Subclass 600), which can be for 3 to 12 months validity, but expensive, and there's the Transit Visa (Subclass 771), which is for 3 days, in transit to another country and FREE.

If you plan to return to New Zealand, then you must apply for the Visitor Visa (Subclass). I availed of the Transit Visa (Subclass 771) as I planned to visit the Philippines right after, so it was perfect for me.

The Application Form can be obtained from border.gov.au. The supporting documents you need to prepare are as follows:

• Completed Form 876
• Valid Philippine passport
• Signed passport photo
• Your travel itinerary (your flight schedules)
• Your onward plane ticket

Although the Australian government won't charge you for the visa, the processing center will. AVAC will charge you NZ$37 for the service fee for the Transit Visa (Subclass 771). After submitting your documents and paying the fee, AVAC will email you your visa approval within a few days (the website says at least 10 working days, but I got mine in just 6 days).

The processing center in Auckland is located at TT Services New Zealand, Level 1, West Plaza Building, 3 Albert Street, near Downtown Mall. It is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Paddleboarding in the Central Coast, NSW

I visited my brother in Sydney, New South Wales. I found the city to be a cross between Auckland and Manila. It had the cleanliness and beautiful landscape of the former and the business of the latter. It's a bigger and richer version of Auckland for sure. I visited the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Went paddle boarding in the Central Coast and checked out some beaches. There were other areas to explore and activities to do, but there's only so much you can pack within 3 days. From my experience I suggest a proper visit in Sydney to be at least 7 days. Of course, you can extend your stay and travel to Melbourne and Canberra.

So, there, if you get bored in New Zealand, and/or you have family in Australia, you can easily jump on Air New Zealand or Jet Star and visit the Land Down Under. Other travel options near New Zealand are the islands of Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, all in the South Pacific.

Happy travels! 

Around New Zealand in 600 Days

I spent a total of 21 months or roughly 600 days in Aotearoa (from February 2013 to November 2014). Within that almost two year period, I visited and explored so many places which the island nation had to offer, and I posted my trips and activities on this blog. Here is a comprehensive summary (with links) of my adventures. (I'll do it geographically, from north to south of both the north and south islands of New Zealand.)

Let's start with the northern tip of the north island. I drove all the way up to picturesque Cape Reinga. My friends and I were blessed with good weather that time as we were able to take beautiful pictures of the Cape Reinga lighthouse. We also passed by Te Paki Sand Dunes and did some sandboarding.

Still up north, I got a chance to stay at the Bay of Islands. Our group got to tour the Treaty of Waitangi grounds and watch a Maori Haka performance.

In North Auckland, I got to kayak on the Puhoi River, and all the way out to the Hauraki Gulf. Afterwards,  went picnicking at Wenderholm Regional Park.

MTB biking in Auckland

I tried out mountain biking at Woodhill Mountain Bike Park deep in the Woodhill Forest northwest of Auckland. The cool crisp weather was great for MTB biking.

Skydiving in Auckland

Also in northwest Auckland, I went to Parakai Airfield and went skydiving over Helensville. I conquered my fear of heights as the guys of Skydive Auckland pushed me out of an airplane 13,500 feet above ground.

I watched a rugby game between New Zealand's All Blacks and England's national team. After the match, I still didn't understand the game, but it didn't matter because the All Blacks won 20-15.

I hiked up the mountain top of Rangitoto Island northeast of Auckland with my fellow postgrads. It was a lovely trek up Auckland Region's most active volcano island.

East of Auckland, I rode a ferry and went wine tasting in Waiheke Island. New Zealand is home to many vineyards and wineries, and is well known for its white wines.

I biked up Mount Victoria in Devonport, just across Auckland CBD. In my opinion, this hill has the best view of the city.

Moving south, I visited the home of Bilbo Baggins at Hobbiton in Matamata, near Rotorua. Enjoyed taking photos on the actual set of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit series. 

I traveled to the center of the north island, at Tongariro National Park, and went skiing on the white slopes of Mount Ruapehu. It was my first and probably the last time to ski as I did not find going down a hill with no brakes fun.

I returned to Tongariro National Park and hiked the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Got to enjoy viewing the beautiful emerald lakes and its surrounding volcanic formations.

And then I rode a plane to the southern tip of the north island and toured the capital city of Wellington. Visited the Beehive and the NZ parliament. Also explored the the plant and wildlife preserve of Zealandia. 

I flew to the middle of the south island and visited the universities in Christchurch. Went on a road trip with my fellow scholars and passed by the rock formations of Castle Hill, where they shot the battle scenes of Chronicles of Narnia. 

Traveled south to Lake Tekapo. Enjoyed the view of the lake with the snow capped Southern Alps in the background. New Zealand is home to many beautiful and picturesque lakes. Also visited Mount Cook National Park, and saw some more snow capped mountains. Another lake worth stopping by on the way is Lake Pukaki. 

Further south, I visited the adventure capital of New Zealand, Queenstown. There, I bungy jumped off Kawarau Bridge, the site of the first commercial bungy jump. What an adrenaline rush! I did this after I skyjumped, so I was not that scared.

Southwest, I visited the majestic Milford Sound. Rode a ferry and traversed the fjord to view the high cliffs and waterfalls, as well as watch the seals play.

The southernmost place I visited was the old Scottish settlement of Dunedin. I got to tour the local Cadbury chocolate factory.

And that about covers it! Traveled around New Zealand in 600 days, all while completing my masters degree. I had so much fun in Aotearoa!