I have said good bye to Australia and the comforts of the
homes of the friends and family I stayed with there. The reality of backpacking in New Zealand is
very different to travelling in South East Asia. For one thing there are many more
groups of Gap Year kids who are here to work and party and less solo travellers.
Secondly New Zealand is predictably and significantly more expensive than Asia,
this means that I have had to book my beds and busses a few weeks in, I no
longer have the freedom to make it up as I go along as I did in Asia, and I no longer
have the luxury of being able to move on immediately if I don’t like a town or
a hostel. I am now as far away from home
as I am going to be and nearing the end of my trip, so despite the fact that I
am desperately missing Asia I know I have to make the most of my month in New
Zealand and not dwell on the things I cannot change.