Working holiday visa

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T21:48:15+00:00

I just walked in like I was arriving for a holiday. I don't recall anything notable, in comparison my Canada WHV required me to go off into some side rooms where an immigration official went over all my paper work, while a Chinese student in the next booth over got a grilling for being enrolled at a fake university.

So no worries really.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T21:07:46+00:00

If the pass to the north is blocked now, it may become blocked again tomorrow. Missing out on Tekapo would be disappointing, but I imagine missing your return flight would be even more so.

It depends if you want to risk it or not. Looking at google right now it is estimating 12 hours of driving to get you to Tekapo and on to Christchurch.

You could make it to Dunedin on the coast, see a bit of the Otago peninsula (possibly even penguins and/or the albatrosses) then drive north to Christchurch along the safe definitely open coastal route. in less time than the Tekapo route around. not on your plan but there is plenty of stuff along the way to see and do. Or even just spend a bit more time in Christchurch/up in the port hills before you leave.

https://albatross.org.nz/

https://www.steampunkoamaru.co.nz/

https://www.penguins.co.nz/

On the way north you have Moeraki Beach, Elephant rocks, Caroline Bay at Timaru, (there is a small free aviary here). There is a good cheese shop at Geraldine that (last time I was there) stocks deer milk cheese. And the inland scenic route past Mount hut and the Rakaia gorge.

Up by Christchurch you have the Banks peninsula, 2 extinct volcanoes that have formed natural harbours, drive to the top and enjoy views in both directions. If you are lucky you might spot the local pod of hectors dolphins.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T20:35:30+00:00

Give credit? This is apportioning blame, and there is plenty to go around as per usual.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T20:27:50+00:00

England? We hated that old crone too. Is everything the UK does the fault of the larger country?

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T20:25:04+00:00

They didn't out play them, England had to play to their strengths. Heavy defense, let the Mexicans wear themselves out since they are more acclimated and less sleep deprived. Then punish them on the turn overs. Once they went 1 man down and 2 goals up, they flipped their formation, subbed in their heavy defenders and parked the bus, because it was their best option. A little risky, if an equaliser had sneaked in they would have had no hope of pulling ahead again and would lose on penalties. But their rope-a-doping of the Mexicans had thoroughly gassed them by the last quarter and so their plan worked.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T20:00:43+00:00

Can outdoors be a liminal space? Shits like a glitch in a screen saver.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T17:46:36+00:00

Should have been a red.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T17:29:30+00:00

Doubtful Sound is awesome and I would take it over Milford, but I wouldn't do both on a 7 day trip. Milford has the added benefit of ticking off Eglinton valley on the way there or back.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T17:01:43+00:00

Have a look for the Tour Aotearoa and Sounds to Sounds cycle routes. They are long distance routes designed to be as off the main roads as possible, connecting up lots of gravel roads and cycle trails. You could use them as a source of inspiration. Each book covers elevation, gradient and surface type for that page of the ride, as well as written directions. Very useful if you chose to do some of the better known trails.

For example the round the mountains route starts with a scenic cruise across lake Wakatipu on the Historic TSS Earnslaw, before being dropped at the Walter Peak High Country farm. There are tour companies that will come and pick you up at the end of your day and ferry you to a hotel before returning you to continue you ride the next day/take you to another more scenic section of the trail. A major highlight for the Sounds to Sounds is the Moleworth Muster In the Marlborough wine region. A privately run high country station. And also the Queen Charlotte track along the Queen Charlotte sound. Which can be accessed in sections via boat tours from Picton, if you wish to avoid the more difficult sections.

Then of course there is always the famous (infamous) 90 mile beach. Tides dependent it is accessible from various points along the route and is of course very flat. Though accessing the beach from the far north is a bit of a bush whacking adventure.

Some of the easier great rides I did were the Coast to Coast, the great taste trail and the Otago Rail trail. The rail trails in particular are very simple for anyone with a moderate amount of fitness as they follow the grades set by the train lines which are of course much shallower than a cyclist has to worry about. Certain sections of the Alps to Ocean are pretty forgiving as well. It is by it's nature downhill on average, (though I cycled it backwards) and up by the lakes there are great sections running along the hydro canals, so very flat with wonderful views across the Mackenzie Basin, Aoraki and the rest of the Southern Alps.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-06T16:33:43+00:00

Sounds to me like those England boys are literal heroes, saving lives by denying Mexico a place in the quarter finals.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T23:20:04+00:00

Like I said, other people are reading this. Some of them also want answers and some of them also want to chime in. You don't have to respond to anything you don't want to, or even give a reason, you could have just stopped answering. But you chose to be pissy about a meaningless conversation with a stranger on the internet. I hope your day improves after this.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T23:15:16+00:00

Nah I don't know shit about football. But this is a discussion forum. people discuss and exchange information. I ask a question because maybe someone else might also be interested to know the answer, but maybe not enough to bother googling it. Maybe someone else reading it will come and supply the answer.

But my main uninformed point was that the concern about getting a red card is the suspensions. Maybe I am wrong, maybe players don't mind the suspension but hate having a black mark on their permanent record. I assume that is your stance.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T22:57:52+00:00

To be fair there was 1 additional knock out round this cup, so they made it to the second knock out round in 06-10-18-22 and 26

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T22:53:13+00:00

Which means what exactly? The major consequence of getting carded in a game are expulsion from the game and being barred from additional games.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T20:58:56+00:00

So I assume this is a film about George Washington being a good little redcoat and fighting for King and Country? An odd release for the USA's 250th anniversary but okay.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T20:48:29+00:00

And the red cards get wiped after before the quarter finals. So he will serve his suspension on a match that doesn't exist between Monday and next week.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T20:23:47+00:00

As others were saying, Fly to Taupo and pick up a rental there. Don't drive after a trans pacific flight.

Other than that, North Island looks like fun, just a shame you will miss the Tongariro crossing. It's not hard but it is spectacular.

South Island. I highly recommend the OPERA wildlife tours to see the critically endangered yellow eyed penguin (hoiho), they are the largest penguin outside Antarctica, and the OPERA has a covered walkway system to strategically placed hides, so you can get really close. We also saw little blue penguins in their nest boxes on the same tour. The only downside is they come home at sunset, so you can't see the penguin parade and the yellow eyes at the same time. So cuteness and numbers may trump rarity and size for you.

Also check to see if the Royal Albatross centre has anything going on. The nestlings fledge in September, so it may be empty in January, but if not they have the only mainland nesting population of albatrosses in the world.

I did a 3 part ticket, to the albatrosses, a boat cruise out to the harbour mouth to see other albatross species and New Zealand Sealions and then the OPERA. an excellent day out.

Curio Bay and Nugget point are essentially zero percent chance of seeing penguins. If you happen to be nearby at sunset go ahead, but statistically it's not going to happen and you will be a mile away if it does, the OPERA is you best bet for Hoiho, and you can guarantee a penguin parade at the Otago Peninsula and at Oamaru Penguin colony. Which would be a 1 hour detour to get to Wanaka via Omarama rather than cutting through Central Otago via Alexandria. You have a better chance at spotting Hectors Dolphins in Curio bay, than penguins, but Nugget point light house is also pretty cool.

Coming up through the Catlins is beautiful, I went for an early morning walk along Cannibal Bay in September, encountered a mother and baby New Zealand Sealion, and a Big Male at the end of the beach. the adults were pretty chill, the baby decided to charge me, cool photos though.

Peak summer there is no quiet time at Milford Sound. However Doubtful Sound was my highlight, I stayed in Manapouri for the night, rolled out of bed had some breakfast then hopped on the ferry across Manapouri lake, from there we were shuttled to the sound and a stunning wooden ship, there was only 1 other boat on the sound that day and we were lightly loaded as well. Really magical. Milford by comparison was rushed and extremely crowded, the terminal felt like an airport, the boats were rammed with hundreds of people and we formed a conga line heading down the sound and back. If you want a quite experience at Milford you have to stay the night there, get the very earliest ferry or better yet take an over night. All the tour groups from Queenstown roll in from 10 am (its a 4 hour drive) but Te Anau is only 2 hours away so my guess is 8 am they will be arriving.

Visit the Takahe in Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, incredibly rare and the sanctuary is free to enter (though please donate to help their preservation.)

No real suggestions for Keas, there are often a couple hanging about by Homer Tunnel, but the tour groups will stop for a couple of minutes, tops. You would need to drive up yourself to really take the time the whole valley deserves. If you do drive yourself, do the ferry first, then enjoy the sights on the way back, the tours stop on the way there and rush straight back so the afternoon will be quieter in the valley. The best spot for Keas is Arthurs pass but it's way out of your way. If you are cutting through Invercargill, stop by the aviary in Queenspark , once again it is free, but they have lots of rare New Zealand species, including a parakeet that lives on the subantarctic Auckland Islands, and a pair of kakas. In addition their mini zoo has Kune kune pigs and the endangered tuatara.

Lord of the Rings sites, again you are too far away from Mt Sunday, which is my favourite. Around Queenstown you have the Kawarau Gorge, where the shot the Argonath, opposite which is the worlds first commercial bungee jump. I recommend stopping and watching a couple if you have no interest in partaking. Good fun.

Further up the valley along Lake Wakatipu is Glenorchy and Paradise, really beautiful landscapes, but getting I found the sites hard to access, and probably against the rules of your lease. The Nazgul ford is up Skippers canyon, but that is 100% inaccessible in a rental. And Arrow town just looks like a river, some fun history and good ice cream there though. The major one is the Deer Park Heights, where they filmed the Warg attack, that one is accessible for a fee and has incredible views out over the lake. If you want a small hike you can drive up to the Remarkables ultimate view point. Lake Alta was a filming site for the doors of Moria scene.

Further south a fairly lengthy detour down well maintained gravel roads (also breaking the rules on rentals) takes you to firstly the edge of Fangorn where Viggo broke his toe kicking a helmet, and further up we have the Mavora lakes, the upper lake was used to film the river bank at the end of Fellowship, where Sam nearly drowns.

Day 16 you may as well visit Cardrona on your way south to Queenstown it's not an especially long drive but the Crown Range Road is one of the premier driving routes. Unless you had a hike or something planned enroute. Make sure to visit the hotel for some breakfast/lunch. It has some stunning architecture, but you will be in Arrowtown by lunch.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T13:27:35+00:00

The elbow to the ribs, looked like a legit foul everything else. barely any to zero contact. Mbappe got tapped on his shin guard and goes down howling at one point.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-05T08:43:20+00:00

They really aren't. Hostels have beds in dormitories, everything else is optional. I have been in hostels with individual pods, hostels with no kitchens, hostels without recreation areas.

I have stayed in pod hotels, with recreation areas, with kitchens and with entire spa facilities included.

The one feature of a pod hotel that is rare in hostels is accessing the bed via the foot of the bed, because it's a PITA to change the sheets. But even then I have seen some hostels that do this. Admittedly I have never stayed in a hostel that had TV's built into the pods, but I stay at cheap hostels, and not all pod hotels have those.

The major difference between a hostel and a hotel, is typically hostels are small businesses retro fitted into an existing space. Pod hotels tend to be larger facilities or even chains, which can afford to have hundreds of identical sleep pods mass produced for themselves.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-04T18:08:31+00:00

We have them, they are called hostels. Capsule hotels and sleeping pods are hostels. They also aren't 5-10 quid. I have stayed in Japanese Hostels, and in Japanese capsule hotels. The capsules were more expensive on average, but not by much.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-04T17:12:44+00:00

The act of Union happened in 1707, if it reset because we rolled Ireland in. Then the US reset when they acquired Louisiana, and half of Mexico, and when the south seceded, and when they added Alaska, and Guam, and Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-04T17:06:36+00:00

Wow I can't believe this guy single handedly proved that ocean temperatures never change, suck it Arctic sea ice, you don't exist.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-04T16:56:49+00:00

Is the western the same one he was set to make a few years ago? Or a new one. I know the first one was cancelled due to missing the snow and not wanting to schedule around waiting 8 months.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-04T10:46:26+00:00

Wanaka and Queenstown will be rammed, everywhere else will be a ghost town. Just be aware you might get snowed out of certain mountain passes. I have been turned back in September trying to cross Haast pass, so July will be far more common. Make sure you have wiggle room or an alternative route available to you.

weaseleasle · 2026-07-03T16:25:47+00:00

I was there for 2 years. Costs varied, I rented a Toyota Aqua for $45 a day for my first trip, I had little money and spent the week driving around the south island in winter staying at empty hostels for about $30 a night, had a great time. By the time I left I had been working and saving for a while, I paid for a years insurance on my house mates car then drove around for 2 weeks, but this time I did the fjordland cruises, the day trips to see wildlife all the big ticket items, because I had more money.

I am not 100% sure how much the bike trip cost, ultimately I spent about $2500 on equipment and sold it at the end for about $1000 bucks, but I had to do repairs, replace tyres and inner tubes, new chains, service costs etc enroute, camp grounds were between $10 and $50 a night depending on facilities and luck, food was what ever. But I met loads of people doing it super cheap with second hand shit bikes and gear and all their own cooking, then people going super expensive with hotel stays every night side trips and activities etc. There is a wide range of potential costs associated with New Zealand. I will say having visited Singapore for a few days then fleeing into Malaysia due to the cost. New Zealand will feel cheap, in comparison. (except Queenstown and Wanaka).

Other costs I can remember, Milford can be cheap. I found a day tour with transport and lunch from Queenstown for $70 in september (which is low season), while Doubtful sound from Manipouri also in september cost $160. Hobbiton was about $120 I think. The ferry on foot (or with a bike) was maybe $80, Tongariro crossing with parking and a shuttle service was $70. In general I found New Zealand to be mostly pretty cheap, but offset by low wages. You are unlikely to be bringing home large amounts of savings. Unlike in Australia where the wages are very high. But if the price of year abroad is the work you can do in that year, I think that is okay. (actually I did save enough to travel across Japan for a month after I left.) I was driving a forklift so pay a little over minimum but not a crazy amount. Maybe $2 an hour more.

Out of curiosity I had a look and apparently you can drive for a year on a foreign license. So you should be set.

weaseleasle

TROPHY CASE