Backpacking New Zealand

The Big Day Out 2007 is to be held on 19th January 2007 at Aucklands Mount Smart Stadium. Tickets go on sale October 19th. Theres also 5 dates in Austrailia after the Auckland gig, so no need to miss anything if you are over there right now.
Acts listed so far include:

Tool
Muse
The Killers
Jet
Minuit
Shapeshifter
Violent Femmes
Peaches
My Chemical Romance
Spank Rock
Eskimo Joe
Evermore
Scribe
The Veils
The Tutts
The Mint Chicks
Opensouls

Visit the official website for the full run down.

My mate, Matthew Fergusson just flew out of Heathrow - hes doing exactly the sam thing as me, just 4 weeks earlier. He’s got a site here - www.matthewfergusson.me.uk which should be all wordpressed up soon and serve as his travel blog.

Matt decided to jack his job in and just go - then he told me his plans and I thought it was such a good idea that I ought to do it as well. We should be meeting up in Auckland for a few beers in about 4 weeks or so , 12000 miles away from where I am typing now.

Somehow seeing his flight go has brought it home to me that I go pretty soon, Nervous but exited!

Well, I fly out to NZ in exactly 4 weeks. I am getting slightly more prepared than I was, I now have my Rucksack (Karrimor Global 70-90l, review to follow), and my flight info.

I am flying out with on the BUNAC group flight package - along with 27 other travellers. We Fly November 2nd, and hit Hong Kong on Novemeber 3rd at about 7am. Then its 2 nights in Hong Kong, with various tours and a meal orgainised. Finally, 17 of us (the others are of to OZ) are on an evening flight over to Auckland, leaving me in New Zealand on Novemeber 6th, probably with much jet lag.

I still need to pack, but some clotes and some other bits and bobs and sort out my travel Insurance - I have decided on World Nomads now. Oh and get a hotel booked at Heathrow - attempting to travel from here (Liverpoolish) to London is frought with oppotunities to be 6 hours late, so I am going down the day before.

Some of the Ski venues in New Zealand will be open to the end of October - such as Whakapapa and Turoa in the North Island are open until October 29th.

I get there just a little too late, so I will be waiting till the 2007 season, but if you are out there right now, why not head off for a couple of days in the snow before summer hits and its beach time?

Check out snow.co.nz for the full story.

I fly out to New Zealand on November 2nd - will be spending 2 nights in Hong Kong with a group of 27 other travellers - all going out on the BUNAC program. After that, 17 of us are off to Auckland, and the other 10 are Oz bound.

This site should see some more content adding to the guide as my departure gets closer, and guides to the various locations and activites will come as  I make my way around both Islands.

Just created a lens on Squidoo - Backpacking in New Zealand. Drop me a line in the Comments if you have other links to suggest - please bear in mind this is a work in progress (just like this site)

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