 Hey, welcome back to the channel. Today we're going to talk about winter in New Zealand. I just realized I've never really done a video on this and what the heck is winter like and what is there to do in New Zealand in the winter? We're going to cover it all today. Here we go. Are you moving or traveling to New Zealand? Well, I have a resource for you that is going to be so helpful. I know that journey. I have done it first hand. I've even done it twice. I understand what you're going through. It's so exciting but so daunting at the same time. You have so many questions and have no idea exactly what to do about different situations, especially if you've never even been to this country. And so this resource is something that I have created. It's called the New Zealand training hub. And what it includes is video training on how to set up life here, understanding the culture, understanding how things work here. And so it gives you like that headstart. So if you're a planner or someone that like kind of there's enough new things that it would be nice to just understand how to do things in a new country. So if you are that person, this training hub is for you. Not only does it do all of those videos, but it has a community built in. So when you join the training hub, you get access to the community of people on the same journey as you. These people could be like your best friends and they probably will because all of us have made a friend when we first moved here that we're kind of going through the same thing. And that's who we learned everything from. But they also didn't have someone like me helping them out with some video training. And in addition to that, you will have access to me every month. I'll do a live Q&A just to answer any questions that might not get answered in the training hub. You can also request additional trainings. There's really no reason to not check this out. So why does it make sense for an American to be talking about what life is like in New Zealand? Well, let me tell you why, because a New Zealander knows no different. And so it needs to be someone who has come into the culture and saying, Oh, this is different. Now, I don't know everything. I only know my own experience, but I am a really good resource to say, Hey, this is how they do this here. This is probably not how they do this in your country, or maybe it's different. And so you really need that outside person that knows the differences. So if you're moving or traveling to New Zealand, this training hub is for you. Check it out. All right, jumping right in. What are you going to do in the winter in New Zealand? Well, let's talk about the temperature first. So the temperature will range drastically depending on where you are in the North Island or the South Island. But on average, it's going to be like, I would say nine to 16 degrees Celsius as an average, it'll be colder in the South of the South Island, which is only like 51 to 63 degrees for people that live in Fahrenheit world. And so it's really not that cold. So what that means is it doesn't really keep you from doing a whole lot. I mean, you can still do most things. And what's really nice about the winters in New Zealand, I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again, is that randomly in the middle of winter, there'll be a beautiful sunny day. And you can like be outside all day. And it's nice and warm multiple times during winter, you'll get one of these days. And it just makes winter so bearable compared to places where it's just dark and cold for what feels like an eternity. And there's no sun so much better. You have a couple of those days, it makes winter so much more bearable. Number one, number one thing to do in New Zealand in the winter has got to be skiing or snowboarding. And you could do that in both the North and the South Island. And is it cheap? No. Is it great? Yes. Is it scary at some places? Yes. So just be aware, these are some real mountains. And yeah, if you are not like, you know, if you're a beginner skier, you know, there's options for you for sure. But man, yeah, I'm I'm from the Midwest. And so that's probably why it looks like really big because I'm used to probably just skiing on hills. And then when you get to like the mountains and it's like, like forever, so beautiful, so beautiful to ski or snowboard whatever you like in New Zealand is stunning. I highly recommend it. I did it, took my whole family did a whole week vacation. And yep, probably not again, because it's quite expensive for that many people. But it's also not my favorite thing to do. But a lot of people love it. Certain ones of my kids are now quite addicted to skiing or snowboarding. And so it's good. It's good for everybody to have experience, to get some lessons on, to just know how to do it, right? So skiing snowboarding, if you're an avid fan, you're going to love New Zealand. The second thing I recommend that you can do is just head north. It's warmer in the north. So what we did actually one year is we got a camper van and we did a camper van trip north. Number one, it's a lot cheaper during that time of the year. Number two, there's not a lot of people doing it. So you just have access to so many things. And this was before COVID, when there was a lots of travelers and visitors to New Zealand, and it was really great to travel around. And so would I like to do the Far North Island in the summer? Yes, because I've only done it in the winter. But it was very nice. And we got to see everything. And so it's kind of like great to do and see everything. And then you kind of pick out to where you'd want to go back in the summer. But yeah, so second recommendation, just head north if you want some warmer weather. Number three, you can still go tramping in the winter here in New Zealand, especially if you're on the North Island. And the reason why I said tramping is backpacking, if you're not familiar, because they have these huts. And so you just like an they're not all rented out in the winter. And so you can at least hike and tramp when you have like a place that you can go to that you're not just having to set up like tent and freeze and like camping in the winter is very cold. But like with the huts, it makes it real reasonable and a really nice activity that you can do, you know, in the wintertime, especially like in different parts of the country, you're going to have different seasons, it's going to look different and it's going to be great. So tramping, another thing you can do in the winter. Number four, Matariki is the Maori New Year that is now a national holiday here in New Zealand. And it's like at the end of June, I believe it's June 24. And it's a national so everybody's going to get off work. And it's going to be a big celebration. I unfortunately will be in the state. So I'm going to miss it because I know there's some great stuff going on. But this is going to be every year. So that's a festival that you can kind of plan to do something around. There's also Christmas in July. So Christmas in July is where certain small towns will kind of decorate the town with lights and it's cooler and you have hot cocoa and you have carriages that go around. And it's very cool. There's a town close to me that does, I think it's gray town. And I think Davenkirk is known for it here in New Zealand. So you can check that out. But there may be just a town. There's towns and communities and neighborhoods that will do Christmas in July because you can actually put out all your lights and you know, because it's so dark, so early. And you know, they kind of celebrate that wintery kind of feeling Christmas in July, which I love it. I haven't really wanted to go to these festivals and I haven't made it and then COVID hit and then now definitely is all canceled. And so yeah. And now I'm going to be in the States. So this is probably why I miss it every year. But yeah, so Christmas in July, that's fun too. Number five, if you are feeling really cold, you can head down to some of the hot springs area. So if you go to Hamner Springs in the South Island, it's really nice. I've been there. It's just a lot of hot pools that you can soak and relax and maybe you'll have some snow cat mountains. So that would be nice. Or you can go to Rua de Rua is another hot spring area in the North Island and do some spas and that sort of thing would be kind of fun in the winter. It's fun to, you know, be in the spas and hot tubs in the winter time. Number six, winter is also a good time for wineries. When is it not a good time for wineries? Yeah, go sit by a cozy fire at a winery and have some wine and cheese. Fantastic winter activity. You can even get some e-bikes and go e-biking and go to the different wineries and it would be fun. There's so many places you could do that all around New Zealand. So yeah, that's a fun weekend. Just plan a weekend at a winery. And number seven, last but not least, you could go whale watching. So Kaikoura is kind of a whale dolphin area and that's when the whales come in in the winter. So there's different trips around New Zealand that you can take. It might be your chance to go whale watching and then just probably pay attention. If you're interested in the New Zealand wildlife, you know, winter might be a time where certain animals are more out and more available for you to see. And so maybe pay attention to that if that's of interest to you. But yeah, whale watching, you could do that in the winter. Well, I hope you enjoyed the video today. Comment below all the activities you like to do in the winter in New Zealand and help everybody out. And if you have not, check out my training hub at KiwiAmericans.com. Check that out if you're moving or traveling to New Zealand, because you're going to want to see that I'm going to help all of you guys out with everything that you need on there. Or if you want to try my American recipe book or book an appointment with me, you can do that as well. If you like this content and this channel, subscribe below and I'll see you guys next week.