- Sky, plane, new year
- Preparation for the holiday
- How New Zealand is celebrated
- Aboriginal traditions
Like everywhere else on the planet, New Zealand's Christmas week has long been their favorite time of the year. First, long vacations allow you to meet family and friends and celebrate the New Year at the same time. In New Zealand, it is not as popular as Christmas, but no one will ignore another reason to have fun. Secondly, the holidays loved by the whole world fall in New Zealand in the summer season, and therefore most of the inhabitants of the islands take a vacation for this time. In short, when planning a tour for New Year's holidays in New Zealand, keep in mind that tickets will be expensive, hotels will be overcrowded, and there will be more people on the streets and in national parks than usual.
Sky, plane, new year
To ensure that airfare does not absorb the entire budget planned for travel to New Zealand, plan your trip well in advance. Early booking will help to avoid the traditional markups that carriers and intermediaries use when selling tickets to earn money for a New Year's sandwich with caviar.
If you start monitoring the cost of flights from Moscow to Auckland 8-9 months before the New Year, the picture will look like this:
- The cheapest flights from the capital of Russia to the capital of New Zealand will be delivered by Chinese airlines. China Southern Airlines, whose aircraft take to the skies from Sheremetyevo, charges from $ 1,100 for its services. There are two changes on the route - in Guangzhou and Wuhan. In total, excluding connections, the flight takes from 21 to 23 hours.
- Native Aeroflot also flies to New Zealand, and you can go on New Year's holidays to the ends of the world on board. Ticket prices start at $ 1250, and the aircraft makes a transfer at Incheon Airport, located in South Korea. You will have to spend about 20 hours in the sky.
All other carriers offer either too inconvenient long connections or expensive tickets.
If you can plan your trip to New Zealand well in advance, you can save a lot of money on early ticket purchases. Subscribe to the email newsletter on the websites of the airlines you are interested in. So you can receive all the latest news about discounts, promotions and special offers on ticket prices.
Useful links for independent air travelers:
- www.airchina.com. Chinese Airlines website that has an English language page.
- www.aeroflot.ru. On the Aeroflot website, you can not only book tickets, but also become a member of the Aeroflot-Bonus program, which allows you to accumulate flight miles and spend them on tickets and paying for hotels around the world.
It is best to book well in advance for hotels and guest houses in New Zealand during the Christmas and New Year holidays. The locals who went on vacation and on vacation do not sit at home and prefer to travel.
If you are planning to visit restaurants, museums, national parks and attractions, check their opening hours for the holiday time. It so happens that some establishments shorten their opening hours, or even close for a few days.
For the same reason, check the websites of car rental companies at least one month before your expected arrival. The most convenient way to get to know New Zealand is by car, and rental offices may not have free wheels during the "high" tourist season.
Preparation for the holiday
New Year's week preparations begin in the country long before Christmas Eve. Already at the beginning of November, the first decorations appear in cafes and shops, and salespeople, waiters and service personnel put on Santa's hats and the costumes of his assistants. Fairs are starting to sell toys for Christmas trees and delicious things that traditionally appear on the tables of New Zealanders these days - chocolate from Switzerland, Danish butter cookies in cans, German marzipan figurines. The squares of towns and villages are decorated with decorated Christmas trees, in the role of which are local pine trees, reminiscent of the Siberian cedar with fluffy needles.
In early December, parties and celebrations of Christmas and New Year begin to thunder in all clubs of interest. Al fresco barbecues are hosted by dog clubs and retirement, horseback riding and golfing communities. Schools host their own events for parents and children, and in churches activists compete not only in singing hymns, but also in baking pies.
How New Zealand is celebrated
The main festive events in the country are timed to coincide with Christmas, after which most New Zealanders go on vacation. The most heat-loving ones fly to the beaches of Fiji and Australia, the rest go to national parks, where campsites are equipped for those who like to spend their holidays in nature.
In Auckland, the main festive events are centered around the SkyCity Casino, which hosts New Year's fireworks. Usually it is broadcast by many media, because New Zealanders are among the first on the planet to celebrate the New Year, and the Oakland fireworks are thundering before Sydney, Tokyo and Seoul.
Of all the cultural, entertainment and public events timed to coincide with the Christmas holidays, tourists are usually interested in a variety of festivals. It will be interesting for you to take part in wine and music festivals:
- The most inexpensive and popular is the Rhythm-n-Vines festival. Mainly young people from 21 to 30 years old take part in the celebration of rhythm and wine.
- BW Camping Festival is hosted by car enthusiasts who prefer mobile homes and camping in national parks.
- Beach festivals on the North Island invariably end with fireworks and nightly dancing in the sand.
Aboriginal traditions
The indigenous people of New Zealand have their own view of the timetable for the change of years. For them, the new year comes at the moment when the Pleiades star cluster appears in the constellation Taurus. This usually happens in late May or early June, and therefore the Maori does not have a constant New Year's date.
In the language of the indigenous people of New Zealand, this group of stars is called Matariki, which means "small". This is also the name of the New Year celebrations.
According to tradition, Maori fly hundreds of kites on Matariki days and the celebration of the New Year turns into a colorful festival. Fairs across the country these days sell traditional Maori souvenirs, jewelry, clothing and sweets.
All prices in the material are approximate and are indicated for April 2017. Follow the up-to-date information on the official websites of carriers and service providers.
