Hey folks... gonna be bumming around North island for a couple of weeks.... advice?

Hey folks....
My name's Megan. I'm a final year Student Midwife from Scotland. Next month (march) we get to do an elective placement- where we work anywhere in the world basically, so I'm coming to North Shore Hospital in Auckland....
So my friend and I have booked a sneaky extra week or 2 (11th-25thish of April) to do a bit of travelling around...
I wondered if anyone had any tips? However general or vague, none of us have ever been to NZ before, so any info would be great.
One specific question.... what's the rules on wild camping? Supposing I took my wee tent, and we set up by the side of the road/in the hills every now and then, would that bother anyone?
We have the Scottish outdoor access code here, which means we can do what we want in wild land in this country, as long as we cause no damage.
Does New Zealand have anything similar?
Alternatively, does anyone know any good (and cheap, we're students!) places to stay/would anyone be willing to lend a sofa to a couple of Scottish lasses for a night or 2?
Thanks muchly everyone
Megs :sunny:

 

Hi Megs, thought I'd better respond since I'm frae Scotland and lived in NZ for 8 years.

A week is not a lot unless you are willing to fork out for flights. NZ is the same size as the UK but without motorways except bits around the cities, so road tranport is pretty slow.

For me the south Island is the most beautiful but the biggest one with the least people (800,000) and the biggest distances; lots of very beautiful (Lord of the Rings) scenery but some of it very remote.

In the North Island Auckland is a huge sprawl of low-level suburbs; Wellington is a lovely city; Rotorua is something unique - and a must-see even if commercial - you can maybe get out south of the town to Paraffin Creek in the bush and experience a hot river!

Northland is beautiful (Bay of Islands - East and the Kauri forest - West and if you want, 90 mile beach at the top). The East cape is very non-commercial, Maori and beautiful (NE corner of the N.Island); Coromandel was the hippy paradise but is Auckland's playground now; Gisborne and Napier are nice but far off the beaten track.

And of course Taranaki where I lived for 8 years - well a bit off the track also, not many tourists and only one mountain.

Overall it depends on your interests; wild camping is mostly OK, but there is not much common land, most is farmland or moor. But be careful - nice peaceful NZ has a high level of violence and often recently against tourists. Same with hitch-hiking - some girls have not suvived it. One from Orkney not so long ago. And another from Germany who was murdered in Taranaki. Take care - most people are lovely but...........more violent the the UK I'd say.

Feel welcome to pm me if I can help more,

Simon :sunny: