I recently travelled by car to New Plymouth, in part to spend some time with a family member but also in part to see and enjoy some of what New Zealand has to offer by road. I very much enjoyed the trip.
In my recent blog about my trip to Melbourne, Australia, I commented on ‘bad news’ about New Zealand, news media reports that New Zealanders are moving in droves to Australia and my feeling that this an unfair analysis. My trip to New Plymouth confirmed this feeling.
New Zealand really has a lot to offer anyone, whether a migrant or not. The trip by road is something I personally had not done for a long time and it was meaningful to refresh memories of a time when I had done this before.
1. A visit to New Plymouth
For those unfamiliar with New Zealand’s geography, New Plymouth is on western side of New Zealand, on the coast. It has a population of approximately 90,000 people (depending on the boundaries applied), which is not large by international standards. Nevertheless, it has all the services that one might need.
New Plymouth can be reached by plane from Auckland Domestic Airport, which takes about 45 minutes. By car, it is about 5 -6 hours. The road trip is well worthwhile and features some of New Zealand’s most iconic tourist destinations.
South of Auckland, the road splits to road splits to Tauranga and Rotorua (east) and further south to Hamilton. From there, a trip to the Central North Island is possible where iconic volcanic landscapes are located in the Tongariro National Park. I have personally completed the Tongariro Crossing which is a tramping trip (1-day) through the Tongariro National Park, but it does require a certain level of fitness and preparation.
My trip this time was to New Plymouth along State Highway 3 down the western coastline. There are iconic destinations along the way, including the Waitomo Glowworm caves (located near the town of Otorohanga) and Te Kuiti, a small town known for its statue of a sheep shearer (farming related) and also of Colin Meads (a New Zealand rugby player). Despite both being small towns even by New Zealand standards, both Otorohonga and Te Kuiti were busy at the time of my visit .
It is important to remember that driving in New Zealand does require a certain level of care, as many roads are narrow and winding.
On the way back to Auckland, I travelled via the ‘Forgotten World Highway’ through to Taumaranui (near Tongariro National Park) then back up to Te Kuiti, which is also a well worthwhile route .
2. New Plymouth as a destination
My perception of New Plymouth is that it is a very nice place. There is a lot to see and do there and in the surrouding area, more than the time I had available for. New Plymouth and the surrounding area does have considerable level of wealth generated through farming and oil and gas reserves. It has all services one might need, including an airport for travel to Auckland or Wellington if required.
Highlights for me included the coastal walkway (the above image shows), see also here, which really is stunning. A visit to Partitutu Rock near New Plymouth’s port is also well worthwhile. For those who might be interested in a potential property purchase (for example see Simon’s recent blog, here), there are options in New Plymouth . My feeling coming away from the trip is that New Plymouth was really underrated as a destination (not helped by the reports I refer to above and in my blog about Melbourne) and that regardless of your financial circumstances (for example ability to apply for an Active Investor Visa or not), the place really does have a lot to offer. The cost of accommodation, eating, was not excessive and I thought the staff where I stayed were really trying hard (indeed successfully) and deserved some more clientele. New Plymouth is located close to Mount Taranaki/Egmont which I did not have time to visit this trip but I could see from a distance (maybe something for a future visit).
It seems clear why New Zealand is an attractive destination for many. Different people in different circumstances may choose New Zealand for various reasons. The decision to choose New Zealand may depend on your life stage (understandably popular for example, for those wanting a quieter pace of life, perhaps looking to retire or having other lifestyle reasons). A trip to Sydney or Melbourne remains a possibility to experience some of the ‘glitz and glam’ of luxury shopping if you like that sort of thing.
If you are looking for a Visa through investment, New Zealand might be seen as competing against some other destinations which are better known-about or feature more prominently on the world agenda. However there are plenty of people who can and will choose New Zealand, assisted for example by changes to the Active Investor Residence Visa which you can read about here. My overall feeling, especially after my trip to New Plymouth, is that New Zealand deserves a bit more ‘positive news’ and high repute as a destination.