When the Cheshire emerges...

New Zealand is a cold country. Obviously in the South Island with the Alpine Belt and all, but pretty much all around it's got a cooler climate than Australia. Being Feb/March on my visit though, I went with the presumption it would be at its warmest.

Boy, did I get the shock of my life...

Australia had a pretty shite summer, so I was hopeful that NZ might be a bit better. Turns out they'd had a pretty average time too, even for them. While Auckland and the Bay of Islands had T-shirt weather (just), for the rest of the trip I was severely underprepared. Devastated.

These are some of the tops I took with me, real light cotton tops (excuse the average photo). My two 'jumpers' and my jeans were failsafes for most of the trip. I regretted not bringing a scarf from home often. But it was SUMMER, I wasn't going to have a scarf on! Oh, but I was. The morning in Wellington before purchasing said scarf would have been the most worthy to use it of all.



Saturday March 3. A weather bomb hit the capital, with winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour lashing out across the whole region, damaging homes and such as well as cancelling all flights and ferries. Funny story, I was being driven along part of the coastline, and on attempt to get outside for a photo of the sea I almost caused the passenger car door to be swung clean off, and then couldn't stand still enough to take a straight shot as you can see. I've experienced nothing like it. The worst 'summer' weather I could possibly imagine.

But for all that, the Kiwis have a very carefree approach.

Wellington is known as the Windy City. Told by plenty a local that an umbrella wasn't even worth taking out with you, I still stuck with it. I got approval from just one person, which made me realise pretty quickly that they were probably right.

Down in the south I found they had a similar attitude.

Arrowtown

Queenstown

It did get better. But I still think it's so abnormal being so close to us yet with a totally whacked-out plan from Mother Nature. My first day in Melbourne (three after flying back into Australia) was 31 degrees. Now that's what I'm talking about. I missed half of Australia's decent summer time battling 14 degree temperatures and weather bombs. But I wouldn't change a thing.

Moral of the story: bring warmish clothes but ditch the umbrellas, even if it's pouring. It's summer after all, why ruin it by acting differently? :D

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Still more to come in the New Zealand makes you... series so keep a lookout!