My Summer Holiday – Part 11 (Summary)

Boy! I never knew that going for a vacation could be so stressful! Instead of feeling relaxed and relieved, I came back feeling more exhausted than before.

It felt like running a marathon non-stop. In a span of 6 days of my South Island trip, our drivers have whisked me around to the following places:-

1. Lake Wakatipu
2. Kingston
3. Lumsden
4. Te Anau
5. Fiordland National Park
6. Milford Sound
7. Arthur’s Point
8. Queenstown – Deer Park
9. Arrowtown
10. Kawaru Bungy Jumping
11. Kawarau Gorge
12. Cromwell
13. Clyde
14. Roxburgh
15. Lawrence
16. Milton
17. Dunedin
18. Otago Peninsula
19. Shag point
20. Moeraki
21. Oamaru
22. Lake Waitaki
23. Lake Aviemore
24. Otemata
25. Omarama
26. Twizel
27. Lake Pukaki
28. Pukaki-Tekapo Canal
29. Lake Tekapo
30. Geraldine
31. Ashburton
32. Christchurch

No wonder I am so tired. It is such a waste that we had to drive past many places and only stopped briefly at a few locations because of time constraint. When you travel with a group there are a couple of things you have no control. You do not have a say on matters like where to stay, where and what to eat, when to leave etc. That’s the price you have to pay when you go on a budget tour.

A couple of things I learnt from this trip.

1. Never travel with the following:-
• People you despise (be it relatives or total strangers) – These obnoxious personalities will give you more stress and worst still drive you insane
• Women – They go ga-ga whenever they see souvenir/jewellery/health care shops (even though they all look the same) and will disrupt your travel plans because they spent so much time shopping
• Children – Cute as they seem, they are a pest when it comes to traveling. Either they throw tantrums (crying, yelling, screaming and kicking) all day round or they will blabber non-stop in a high-pitched tone. Oh, be prepare to make emergency stops because they love to poo and pee when you least expected
  
2. Always check the weather forecast – Or else you can’t see the beautiful scenery and your traveling delayed due to bad weather
3. Call to check the accommodation before you book – Make sure they are clean and come with complete amenities. Cheap accommodation comes with a price, either they look like a cheap brothel, or you have to rent for everything
4. If you are lost, ASK for directions ASAP – Don’t be egoistic, stop by and ask the locals. The sooner you ask, the more time and petrol you save
5. Stick to your travel plans – Changing it last minute will messes your trip and travel arrangements. Of course, it cost more too
6. Read about the tourist spots in the travel brochure first hand – Certain attractions required you to pay entrance fee. The sooner you find the better; or else you have to turn back empty handed.
7. Focus one attraction at one time – Rushing all over the place will get you to nowhere. Besides that, you can’t absorb all the things you see if you face with time constraint
8. Ask for locals about the dining spots – Otherwise you will drive around like fools trying to find something to eat
9. Travel light – You only go away for a few days, not moving your house! Apart from taking sufficient under wears, limit your garment to a few items.

On the brighter note, this hasty trip gives me a good reason to go back to South Island. The scenery in South Island is so stunning that it makes North Island look pretty boring. Once you seen it once, you just want to go back and experience its magic. I would definitely go back for more…