The first thing you need to know about hitchhiking -- especially if you are a woman and planning to do so alone -- is that, when you tell friends, family, and perfect strangers about your plans, you will be met with looks of worry, concern, and a slew of reasons why your plans are stupid.
Don't let these protests deter you.
This being said, there are ways to be a smart(er) and safe(r) hitchhiker.
The piece of advice I was given over and over again was simple: don't be afraid to turn down a ride.
Seriously, trust your gut. If something doesn't feel right, don't get in the car.
Okay, mommy moment is over.
There are lots of benefits to hitchhiking if the country you're in is generally recognized as a safe place to do so. It's a great way to meet locals and other travelers, see the country, and (perhaps best of all) it's generally free!
There are no rules to hitchhiking when it comes to getting picked up. There are no fail-safe methods.
However, there are ways to maximize your success. First of all: pick a good time and spot. (Generally, the earlier in the day the better.)
Above: Charlie and I attempting to hitchhike out of the extremely isolated Mt. Cook Village late in the day, after a long hike. We thought we'd be walking the 54km back to the main highway, but were luckily picked up by a German couple who must've taken pity on us.
Hopefully, your road will be a little less deserted than the one in the picture above. If so, you might be able/want to plant yourself in a spot that will allow cars to pull over to pick you up. Other times, The Classic Method (walking with your thumb out) is the way to go. Again: no rules. Feel it out.
Ask yourself if the road allows enough room for you to walk and for a potential ride to pull over safely. If no, pick a spot in front of a decent pull-off where speeding cars have room to stop.
(Also, keep in mind that if you decide to walk that it might help to walk backwards -- people like seeing your face when they're making the split-second decision to give you a ride or not.)
I had a lot of amazing experiences during my three weeks hitchhiking the South Island. One of my favorites was miraculously landing a ride all the way from Nelson to Queenstown with a fellow travel blogger.
Nelson and Queenstown, as you can see, are not close. Making it in one ride is nothing short of amazing.
I had a choice here, and so will you if you try your thumb at hitchhiking: destination sign or no destination sign?
In this case, I was going so far I felt a sign might have hurt my chances of getting picked up. I had the guys drop me on the south side of Nelson, where the highway started and I started walking. (That's another thing! Make sure you're standing/walking on the correct side of the road -- you're not getting anywhere if you're going the wrong way!) I was picked up so fast that taking the time to write a sign might have meant missing the perfect ride.
Meet Martin, the blogger and web designer transplant from the UK, who turned into my travel buddy for a solid 24 hours:
After camping with the guys for a few days, Martin joked that he "couldn't even tell if I was a girl or a boy hitchhiker" when he picked me up. Lucky he believes in karma and wanted to put out some good vibes on the road; he had just purchased his car that day and had promised himself he'd pick up the first hitcher he saw. Lucky it was me.
We chatted and got each other's stories as we drove before hitting Highway 6, which follows the west coast south.
Here are our first glimpses of New Zealand's aptly named "Wild West" Coast:
This wasn't Martin's first time in New Zealand, but this was his first day back in over a year. He'd seen a lot of the sights before, but it had been a long time.
It was my first time seeing the west coast, so he indulged me and stopped at a few lookout points and attractions, including the famous Punakaiki Rocks.
Stopping at the Pancake Rocks meant sacrificing the free soup offered at the hostel he knew of in Franz Josef, where we would be staying that night before continuing on to Queenstown, but it was definitely worth it.
We got there pretty late and missed the free soup by over an hour, but we knew we still picked the right place when we saw this sign:
Where can you stay in Franz Josef that offers not only free soup and breakfast, but free popcorn and unlimited wifi as well? At the Chateau Franz, that's where.
The Chateau Franz is one of four Sir Cedric's locations throughout Franz Josef and Queenstown, and definitely one of the best for value and vibes.
We even picked up another travel mate as we left the hostel. Meet our friend, who I regrettably can't share the name of because he didn't know how to spell it in English. (He told us, however, that it sounds like the word "Would" only without the "D" at the end.)
Remember how I mentioned that Martin is also a travel blogger? Here's a video review of the hostel we recorded as we left Franz Josef:
Be sure to check out the other videos on his channel!
As we drove, we all swapped hitchhiking and travel advice. One of the things that stuck with me the most was less about safety than it was about smarts:
As soon as you put the bag in the car, get in. As fast as you can. You really don't want to see your pack zooming away in a car you're not sitting in.
One way to help ensure that both you and your bag get in is to leave a door open while loading up the car. The driver probably won't be zooming anywhere with a door hanging open.
I was pretty lucky and, with my pack as small as it was, could usually fit it by my feet or on my lap.
More likely than not, you probably won't have to be too worried about this but it's always good to have in the back of your mind. As we drove on, swapping travel stories and advice, New Zealand continued to reveal its breathtaking sights to us, including the ones below.
The road also had some funny surprised up its sleeves:
With one more stop until Queenstown, we posed for a few pictures before completing the drive.
I can't really end this post without sharing one of the most common views you'll get in New Zealand:
The back of a camper van.
More hitchhiking stories to come! Next post: Martin drops me off to continue hitchhiking to Te Anau, where I meet up with friends for a four day backpacking trip.
Your turn. Any funny, scary, or wild hitchhiking stories to share? Post a comment and let me know!
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