I’d been getting ever more confident. Dispensing with guide books. Besides, never quite got around to reading them on the road. New Zealand. Seventeenth country. Probably. If you counted Hong Kong as a de facto independent state rather than just part of mainland China. Made sure I could get into NZ. Checked the visa and immigration requirements. Six months on entry. Outbound plane ticket. Evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself. But nothing more.
Overly relaxed? I knew of North and South Island. Heard about the Hobbits. But otherwise little idea about the place. However, I’d long since decided the easiest thing would be to chat to friends I was staying with for a few days. Seek their advice. And I’d already learnt of New Zealand’s very helpful network of iSITE visitor information centres. Besides, seemed rather fun to be starting with a genuinely blank canvas.
