New Zealand is a great country!

[JPA Cate]

Oh, barny,

Ya can't have all that bright green without rain. But, have to admit we didn't understand, the first time we got to Auckland. Put on our Levis, went shoppinig, came home to the boat, removed drippiing Levis, and hung them up to dry (heh, heh!) below decks. Not dry the next morning. So, put on fresh Levis. Repeat day 1, but now there's 4 pairs of Levis trying to dry on the boat. Day 3. Yes, slow learners. But now, at the end of this day, no more dry Levis. We went out in our wet weather gear, and found a laundromat with dryers, and got back in business. This was November, leading up to American Thanksgiving, which is after Canadian by almost one month.

We'd have been well served to have planned all along to wear our foulies.

Ann

[giant]

Originally Posted by AiniA

If I were half my current age I would move to NZ. It is the most civilized country we have visited out of 40+ countries. it is surprisingly different from Oz. In Australia, people seem to be working very hard to get by. In NZ people seemed able to get by with less work. They dud their job and then headed off to sail, play sports, etc. Auckland does seem different from the rest of the country though. I could imagine it being lifted and moved to Oz, say somewhere between Sydney and Brisbane. It would fit in perfectly. It is a beautiful city though.

Sums it up well pretty well... Except that the Aucklander would strongly disagree with you.

It does have a rough edge in some country areas.

Would retire there myself.

[Sea Dreaming]

What struck me is that it was the police who followed the clues to track you down!

I've returned lost money to folk, taking the time to follow any clue (once it was 300 cash and only a deposit receipt with the money), so I I cam well believe in the kindness of strangers. But my mom worked for the police department and standard procedure for found items was to just hold them until claimed. No one ever took the time to find the owner!

Good for the Kiwi police and good for you too!

[tuffr2]

Here is my philosophy on returning wallets, purses and the such. Fyi - I found a purse in a Costco Shopping cart. I took it home, looked for identification, found it, got on the computer and found phone number and called. A very very happy person came and picked it up.

Now, if I find a brown paper bag with 1.5 million dollars in it, I am probably not going to look for the owner.

[dana-tenacity]

Please stop telling me NZ is a great cruising destination - where will I go when I want to take off?

[seandepagnier]

If you seriously think NZ isn't corrupt, consider that they can take your boat away and stick it on the hard at their whim just because it "doesn't look safe"

Next they hand you an official document with all the printed text crossed out with new rules that they made up on the spot just for you.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1276727

Finally they explain that you have only "two weeks to rectify any repairs". When I asked what was actually wrong, they said it was "yet to be determined"

In the end after they spent a week debating whether or not a kayak was a liferaft they realized the best option was to just let me go. I went sailing in bad weather and sustained damage, but at least I escaped, so they aren't that bad.


In indonesia, the coast guard wanted to see my boat, but unfortunately for them they didn't even have their own boat, and my kayak can only carry one. For a 50 cent bottle of rum they are happy. I think this is a better corruption.

[Boatguy30]

Having lived both in rental flats and onboard my own boat in NZ.

Has the same issues as other countries. Seems to have a will to confront more problems and appreciate government can be helpful. That's nice when it works out.

As a cheap cruiser, you sort of end up living in the lower classes which can be a shock to your sensibilities.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by dana-tenacity

Please stop telling me NZ is a great cruising destination - where will I go when I want to take off?

Dana,

Start with Tonga or New Caledonia, depending on your preferences. More services in NC for fixing broken boat bits. Both offer whales, too. Speaking a little French will help, but it isn't required.

If you're from Cook Sts., Chile is a possibility,on the westerly travelator, the whole world awaits....

Ann

[El Pinguino]

Live in Unzud? Storms, gales, drought, bushfires... and that is all 'just now'... and lets not talk about the earthquakes and volcanoes....



Better off by far in Chile... or maybe not.... they have all of the above plus a pretty good line in tsunamis...

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

If you seriously think NZ isn't corrupt, consider that they can take your boat away and stick it on the hard at their whim just because it "doesn't look safe"

Next they hand you an official document with all the printed text crossed out with new rules that they made up on the spot just for you.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1276727

Finally they explain that you have only "two weeks to rectify any repairs". When I asked what was actually wrong, they said it was "yet to be determined"

In the end after they spent a week debating whether or not a kayak was a liferaft they realized the best option was to just let me go. I went sailing in bad weather and sustained damage, but at least I escaped, so they aren't that bad.


In indonesia, the coast guard wanted to see my boat, but unfortunately for them they didn't even have their own boat, and my kayak can only carry one. For a 50 cent bottle of rum they are happy. I think this is a better corruption.

BA, there is no doubt that you had an unpleasant experience in NZ. But, because so very many of us have had a very different, pleasant and well received time there, one gets the feeling there is more to the story than you present. And even as presented, I see no sign on corruption. Overbearing interpretation of well established rules, perhaps, but not corruption as it is usually defined.
And having a look at your photographed document, well, I do not see "all the printed text crossed out" nor any new rules made up on the spot. They lay out a plan for satisfying their requirements, possibly not a easily achieved plan, but what do you expect from an immi officer? IIRC there was an issue of overstaying your visa. If that was so, well, they and other immi services tend to get grumpy about that! But my memory may be wrong... but there's got to be some additional factors that drove them to these measures.

Anyhow,IMO, your experience there should not keep other yotties from voyaging to and enjoying NZ...

Jim

[El Pinguino]

I heard just last night that the Unzud government is spending $250 million (NZ) putting an emergency plan in place for when they get an 8.0+ shake somewhere along the Alpine Fault.....

I also see that some believe the mass whale stranding in Golden Bay last week is a sign that a big earthquake is imminent.....

[Alan Mighty]

For collectors of experience, visiting either or both of New Caledonia and New Zealand give you the experience of marking up your score of the number of continents you've visited.

Both New Caledonia and New Zealand are continental islands, above-water parts of the largely sunken continent/continental plate of Zealandia.


See: Meet Zealandia, the underwater continent that New Zealand sits on