Nervous Adventurer

When is a good time to go?

Well, the good news is that you have a full year to activate your visa once it gets issued; this means you don’t need to leave right away.

We decided to NZ in February, simply because we’d all quit our jobs already and we wanted to go after Chinese New Year. My travel buddies left in the middle of February and I joined them one week later. We booked our flight with Qantas (SIN-BNE-AKL), and we booked our return flight exactly 6 months later. And we told ourselves that if we wanted to, we could just change our flight dates if we wanted to go back to Singapore earlier. We did eventually do that with a fee of AUD100.

Basically our travel dates were more or less determined by circumstance of joblessness. However, if you have the flexibility, you have the option to decide when you want to go based on the season. Most people on working holidays like going in the summer (approx Oct-Mar) because the agricultural/farming jobs are more plentiful. Also, it’s easier to pack for the summer.

If you’re planning to be in NZ for the full 6 months, you’ll have the good fortune of experiencing at least 2 distinct seasons. (that was a very big deal for me, coming from a warm, tropical country and all that…)

Summer at Kuaotunu Beach, Feb 2014   #hotdogsorlegs

We basically experienced the full brunt of winter while we were there (complete with snow and frostbite and chilblains). It certainly was difficult to find jobs and WWOOFing positions. Thankfully, we managed to get there in time for a few weeks of kiwifruit picking season (generally late March to early June), and in time for the olive picking season (May-June).

Autumn in Arrowtown, May 2014

If you’re going to NZ specifically to work in the agricultural sector, then I suggest you go during the warmer months (Oct-Mar). If, like us, you want to experience the moderately warm to cold temperatures, and have the chance to admire the pretty winter landscape, then some time from Feb-Aug would be good. Of course, these are just suggestions!

Do take note, however, that many WWOOFing hosts don’t take in WWOOFers in the winter as they’re either on holiday or simply because there isn’t much that can be done in the winter.

Winter (en route to Milford Sound from Te Anau), July 2014

Furthermore, if you ever decide to sleep in your car (as many backpackers do), it’ll do you well to do that in the warmer months. You don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to a flurry of snow. (Yep, that happened to us. More on that later.)

T

If you’re anything like me, you’d have applied for the visa BEFORE actually making any concrete plans about leaving. That isn’t a bad idea actually, because you want to make sure that you are actually eligible for the scheme before you go all out and start planning everything.

When I got my visa approved, I was working full time at a teaching job. I was (and still am) in a long-term, committed relationship. My family and friends were all in Singapore. Basically, I had a lovely life set up. And that’s why I received a barrage of questions when I announced my plans to go to NZ.

“You have a well-paying job, why do you wanna mess with that?”

“Why New Zealand? It’s so boring!” (This statement was almost always made by people who’ve never set foot into the country. Armchair critics, away with them! Pffft.)

“You’re going to have a 6 month gap in your resume when you come back home.”

“You’re not going to last more than a month in NZ.” (This was repeated various times by several different people)

“Aren’t you going to burn a big hole in your savings?”

“Oh please, your wages from work will probably just be enough to pay for food.”

I could go on, but we have more important things to discuss.

I’m hoping that you won’t face too much resistance when you inform your loved ones of your travel plans. But honestly, you probably will to some extent, especially if you come from a culture where travel is seen either as really dangerous, or as an incredible luxury.

I guess what I’m saying is that this choice is ultimately a very personal decision. I’m sure there are people who simply don’t do things because they’re advised by their families not to. I’m one such person. I do generally have an obedient nature, and if my parents had disagreed (with good reason) with my decision, I probably would have just given up on the idea of going to NZ altogether. But there are people out there—wonderful, strong people—who really fight for what they want. If your naysayers are simply dragging you down and killing your buzz, you should stand your ground!

Like I said, it is a very personal decision. Every family has different dynamics, and you’ll know best what you should do!

🙂

T