Billy & Akaisha
Kaderli

A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

While traveling, we'd heard many good stories about New Zealand, so while in Sydney, Australia, we booked a 36 day tour of New Zealand on "the Magic Bus." The Magic is one of a few bus services that cater to backpackers. The advantage of this is that you are able to get off the bus along their predetermined route, and get back on again days or weeks later, making it ideal for the independent traveler. We added 20 days to their "Magic Adventure" 16 day trip, allowing us to spend multiple nights in recommended places.

Transportation booked, we decided to use the YHA Hostel system for our accommodation. By purchasing a YHA card for $35 NZ, it allowed us discounts in hostels plus on numerous activities around the islands.

The Magic experience was very organized and they always made sure you have a room for

BILLY AND AKAISHA TRAVELING ON THE MAGIC BUS

VIEW FROM HOSTEL...AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND

breakfast/pee break, more driving, nature walks, bungee jumping, lunch, a short drive, more activities, then arriving to our hostel around 4-5 in the afternoon.

Usually, we stayed over a couple of nights. By telling the driver our plans, they would let the next driver know to be expecting us. It is an easy "common sense system" that works well.

Our hostel experiences were varied, as you could imagine, the same as if you stayed in 20 different hotels in a short period. Also, we mixed up staying in "double" rooms (just the two of us) with staying in 4-6-8 bed dorm rooms with complete strangers. We did this to experience the other travelers' stories and backgrounds, and met some very interesting people. Not everyone is on The Magic Bus.

Before arriving in our evening location, the driver would drive around the town pointing out places of interest, museums, info centers, and of course, grocery stores. Since each hostel came equipped with huge kitchens, usually 6 different cooking areas, some with walk-in refrigerators, purchasing food was essential.

Our favorite New Zealand dinner included various cuts of lamb, an abundance of delicious cheeses and fruit yogurt for dessert. The Kiwi wines complimented our dinner.

With everyone else cooking - Japanese, Korean, German, Dutch, English - there were many people making their own dinners, all with unique flavors and aromas. It was like a symphony of movement, with many countries represented.

Ample opportunities for sharing opinions were presented, and we found ourselves in several animated conversations. These communal living situations were the perfect laboratory in which viewpoints around the world were offered and challenged. Everyone had an opinion, depending of course, on life experience, age, background and country.

TYPICAL HOSTEL KITCHEN

VIEW FROM MAGIC BUS

The sheer volume of travelers and the organization it took to get them in and out of rooms with a minimum of snafus was also impressive. Bookings for rooms, transport and physical activities were in a constant flow from place to place, with names, dates, locations, times, and means of payment all being accounted en route, by the driver passing around a clip board.

If you are a first time traveler to New Zealand or want to experience both islands in a fairly easy and efficient manner, The Magic Bus and the hostel system is the way to go.

For more information, check out these websites. For the Magic Bus: www.magicbus.co.nz For the YHA Hostel System: www.stayyha.com