Land of the Backpacker

My Mom recently asked me if I'd take some pictures of the some of the usual, everyday things I encounter in New Zealand, so she could see what daily life for me is like here in New Zealand. So, here is my response to that!
Travelling in New Zealand is easier and more accessible than anywhere I have ever travelled. A large part of the country's economy comes from tourism, and everyone seems quite happy and comfortable inviting in guests from all over the world. Everywhere you go - really everywhere - someone has set up a hostel or little museum or tourist info center or some business set up just for tourists. Sometimes it seems that is all that makes up a town.
The best thing about travelling here in my mind is the "backpackers'"- youth hostels that range from big city buildings to little houses with a couple of bedrooms turned into dorm rooms, full of bunk beds. Sometimes they are run by travellers themselves, working for a few months in exchange for some food and accomodation. The best backpackers', though, are run by the owners themselves. The owners are usually real characters, often world-travellers themselves, with a real love of travel stories and adventure.
The kitchens and living rooms of these hostels are the hang-out spot for all the guests, and if you sit there for a while, you'll soon find yourself exchanging stories of favorite places you've seen in NZ, or making plans to go to dinner or on an adventure the next day. I have met many people this way, and it has really made it very easy to be here on my own.
The group that loosely organizes these businesses is called Budget Backpacker Hostels (or BBH) and they put out a guide every year that includes a few details of what the hostels are like, and a rating score given by an annual vote by hostel guests. Becoming a member of this organization, gives travellers $3 NZ off each night's stay, and a $20 phone card. I have paid for the card many times over already. It is a super deal.
Getting around is also really easy- the buses are pretty cheap, and they go pretty much anywhere you want to go, and they are much nicer than the Greyhound! Although, not quite as nice as Concord Trailways- no bad movies....
One funny thing that keeps happening as I travel around New Zealand, is that I run into people again after talking to them weeks earlier in a different backpackers'! It is a small country, and I think that travellers often have similar routes. That too makes me feel very much at home here- it's just like Maine!
The most amazing thing to me about traveling in New Zealand is how incredibly accessible it is to get out and walk for 4 or 5 days. The Department of Conservation is a big, influential organization here in New Zealand. It is a big part of the culture to get out into the "bush" for at least a few days every year, and DOC makes it all happen. DOC manages thousands of walking and hiking paths all over the country. The trails (or tracks as the Kiwis call them) range from short walks through city parks to 10 or more day remote mountain hikes. From what I can tell, all of the long tracks have huts, spaced at four to eight hour intervals along the trail. And they are so nice!! There really is no American equivalent. Some of the huts are really basic- just a shelter with some bunks. But most of the huts are equipped with clean, comfortable mattresses, gas stoves, wood/coal stoves for heating, big dining tables, and amazing views over the surroundings. Many of the huts even have sponges and dish soap for washing your dishes. And, of course, because they are popular with travellers from New Zealand and abroad, they are also great places to sit around and share travel stories- especially because you often see the same hikers over several nights as you all move down the track. I'll include a picture of the great group of Australians I met on my recent hike on the Heaphy Track. In the photo, they are on the lawn in front of the hut.
Well, I am sure that I will be sharing many more stories about life in NZ with everyone when I get back to the States, so I will end here. Tomorrow I do a guided hike up a glacier! Yay!