Hey guys! It's week 16 and this marks the fourth month I've been in New Zealand! My time here has almost come to an end. It's the start of study week and I am currently in the Coromandel Peninsula traveling a little while I still can. It's getting so much warmer outside which is nice for the last couple weeks here, so me and my friends decided it's the perfect time to travel the north island!
Okay - packing essentials. I feel like it is so important to know what to pack before going to New Zealand for a long time so you're fully prepared and don't have to spend as much money while you're here. Before I got here, I found packing to be a big struggle. I think I repacked about 10 times to make sure what I was bringing was useful and also not overweight. It was hard narrowing down my clothing and shoe options, and I feel like I could have done things a lot differently. So here are my biggest packing tips for going abroad to New Zealand!
1. Warm Clothing
When I was packing, I didn't think I needed heavy sweaters or jackets because I was under the impression the weather never really got that cold. I was wrong! I found myself borrowing my friends jackets and going out to buy warmer sweaters and pants for the first couple months during the winter. I brought a lot of short sleeve shirts and thin pants, when in reality all I wore in the beginning was the same sweatshirt and sweatpants. I recommend bringing a hat, gloves, scarf, and some thicker clothing that you can easily layer just in case. So just pack with this in mind - it gets cold. And it rains, a lot.
2. Rain Gear
I've talked about this in a previous post, but the weather is so unpredictable. It rains at least once a day, so a rain jacket, water proof shoes, and an umbrella is necessary. I wore my rain jacket probably every day so far just in case I was walking back from class and it decided to downpour, which it usually did!
3. Basics
Make sure that the clothing you bring can be paired with a lot of different things. I only brought basic colored items that can be switched around so I could have multiple different outfit combinations so I wasn't always wearing the same thing. I stuck to mostly white, black, and grey items of clothing and it made it so much easier for me when packing!
4. Hiking Shoes
If you're someone who is interested in hiking the beautiful trails of New Zealand, I'd say definitely make some room when packing for some hiking shoes/boots. I didn't pack any because I thought they took up too much space, but I ended up buying them when I got there anyway. So if you want to save the money and that's something you want to do, they're essential to pack.
5. Power Plug Adaptor
New Zealand's power plugs are type 1 and 230 volts. The US is type A and type B and 120 volts, so an adaptor is needed. I ended up buying three of these adaptors from Amazon for about $10, so it was super cheap and definitely needed for the outlets when you get there!
6. Power Bank
Since I've been here I've traveled quite a bit. A power bank is so useful for flights and adventures you're going on where you want to take pictures with you're phone so you don't need an outlets nearby to charge it.
7. Medication
I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but if you are on a medication, make sure you bring enough for the entire duration of the trip. In New Zealand, some medications are illegal to ship there, so just make sure you check before going! Also the brands of over the counter medications are a little different here, so if you want to bring a specific brand of medication, make sure you pack some because it might not be available to purchase when you're there.
8. Reusable Water Bottle
It's more environmentally friendly and less expensive if you travel with your own reusable water bottle. When hiking especially this comes in handy if you have a large water bottle on hand. In College Hall, there is a filtered water button by the sink in all the common rooms, so having you're own water bottle is made easy there to refill at all times! I'm someone who drinks a lot of water throughout my day, so I purchased a 40 oz water bottle before coming to NZ and I've been using it every day since I got here. This was also really helpful when on the flights so I didn't have to keep buying water bottles.
9. Necessary Documents
Always before going abroad make sure you are packing all of your required documents. For me, this was my passport, New Zealand visa, acceptance letter into Waikato, copy of passport, drivers license, letter from my doctors about traveling with medication, and proof of funding. I always have a copy of my passport on me at all times as well.
Here are a couple photos of my time here in the Coromandel so far!
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