As I approach my newfound home of Methven, New Zealand, via the two-lane backroads that wind their way throughout the country, my eyes glaze over. Thousands of sheep and cows stare equally as blankly as I pass by, seemingly unaware of the grandiosity surrounding them. The snow-capped Southern Alps majestically hover in the background and endless farmland blankets the foreground. The scenery is worthy of an Ansel Adams photo. A strange calm comes over me.
This is why I’m here.
Home to just 1,800 people, Methven is the gateway to Mount Hutt—one of New Zealand’s premier ski fields. The population balloons by a few hundred during the ski season, bringing tourists and workers from all around the world. A stop into one of the handfuls of pubs in the town offers innumerable opportunities to mingle with people from five continents. In the midst of conversation, I suddenly zone out.
The Realization
For a second, I feel just like those sheep and cows out in the field. Perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to my surroundings. But a moment of gratitude enters my mind. People live their entire lives and never get to visit this beautiful country or converse with others from around the world.
And in that split second, I’m glad I made the decision to get about as far off the beaten path as possible. It seems natural. It seems right.
But like any grandiose dream, it’s not a certain reality. It’s just one part of the equation. Working at a bar or the ski field is one thing, but when you’re a digital nomad, you’re in a literal other world. While many nomads flock to foreign cities and low-cost destinations, I did a 180. If you’re a current or aspiring digital nomad, the allure of New Zealand is unmistakable. But before you book your 20-hour flight to the Other Land Down Under, learn what it’s like to be a digital nomad in rural New Zealand.
Wi-Fi Woes
A quintessential part of any digital nomad’s needs is fast Wi-Fi. Uploading, downloading, web design, research, and even word processing is far less tiresome with a lightning-speed internet connection. So I did my research. According to the Speedtest Global Index, New Zealand has the world’s 23rd fastest internet connection, slotted between Japan and Malta with an average download speed of 93.46 Mbps (megabytes per second).
“Not too shabby,” I thought.
I had just left Vietnam after a 9-month visit, and I’d been happy with the internet there. Although the Southeast Asian nation only ranked 61st on the global rankings, I found it more than adequate.
Armed with this knowledge and satisfied with the overall internet speed ranking, I settled on New Zealand as my next temporary home. What I didn’t think about was that half the population calls Auckland, Christchurch, or Wellington home, skewing the average speed of Wi-Fi connections in the country.
Oops.
Although the internet speeds at businesses in rural New Zealand are passable, the residential equivalent is less than ideal. A download speed of 10 Mbps and an upload speed of about 1 Mbps is commonplace. In many instances, streaming a video requires you to load the page, press pause, and read a book or do laundry for 30 minutes to an hour.
Suddenly, my mind conjures up my childhood internet connection circa 2002. I fleetingly remember CDs and life without cable or internet. Radio was still awesome. But I digress.
Uploading images often results in a timeout error that causes veins beneath my forehead to suddenly become conspicuous. To compound matters—although I’m not sure who’s to blame—internet outages and periods of excruciatingly slow speeds happen far too often and without warning.
I’ll say it here. If you’re a web designer, videographer, or someone else who needs to upload large files, rural New Zealand isn’t for you.
You’ll spend more time banging your head against the wall than getting work done. Fortunately, that doesn’t rule out urban and suburban areas, which are often within only a few hours of the country’s mountains, beaches, glaciers, or other unreal backdrops. There are alternatives. But you won’t get that pure New Zealand feel that’s only present in its small, isolated communities.
The ones that have remained relatively unchanged for a century. The ones that present you with a simplicity that the world needs.
Overcoming the Wi-Fi Situation
Being the resourceful person I am (or think I am), I thought about ways to circumnavigate the issue. Pocket Wi-Fi works, but dropping US$8 to US$10 a day seemed fiscally irresponsible. Oddly enough, the thought of $8 or $10 doesn’t detract from the fact that I’ll gladly spend $4 on a great coffee. But at least that’s New Zealand Dollars.
Fortunately, I discovered another method to get better Wi-Fi on the cheap—a local sim card.
Around the country, New Zealand has four large telecommunications companies that offer monthly and prepaid phone plans. I made the mistake of going with the provider that allowed hot-spotting to my computer and 25 GB of data after looking at their coverage map.
Unfortunately, this map was a bit optimistic on their part. I had zero coverage in Methven—no internet, no phone, no texting—nothing. I may as well have seen what it was like to set a NZ$100 note on fire.
Watch out for 2 Degrees unless you’re a North Island resident.
Time for Plan B.
After asking the locals and traveling to the closest “big town” of Ashburton (population: 34,000), I finally found a prepaid sim that worked. For NZ$49 a month (US$32), I got a whopping 4 GB of data per month—the largest plan that would allow me to hot spot or tether.
“The situation isn’t improving,” I thought as I plopped down my credit card. “I guess this is better than nothing.”
Using this sim card as a backup plan, I strategically laid out my work schedule. Wi-Fi was at its best overnight, so I used every opportunity I could to work between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. I didn’t always work the graveyard shift, as the internet was reliable enough for word processing, but I often did.
On the positive side, many things in New Zealand open far later than in the States. Plus, many of my deadlines were in the early morning hours due to the 17-hour time difference. Once I found the optimal times to use the internet, I fared much better. Just make sure to always set a personal deadline a day or two before the actual deadline.
An Idyllic Setting
After solving the internet issues, I could finally split with anxiety, frustration, and despair. That’s when New Zealand becomes a truly magical place. It’s the product of “Lord of the Rings” movies. Yet even for the amount that flocks there for a glimpse of the movie scenery, Aoetearoa (the Land of the Long White Cloud) transcends mere visiting.
It’s a lifestyle. It’s a sense of being.
Perhaps I’m exaggerating. But maybe not.
I grew up in suburban Illinois, just about 30 minutes outside of The Gateway City—St. Louis, Missouri.
From the end of my driveway, I could see the Arch. When the sun set on the Arch, it hung like a huge orange fireball behind the skyline. Where I lived, this was the most breathtaking setting, albeit one that was 50% or maybe 33% man-made. Smog is a surprisingly amazing and colorful touch to sunsets around the world.
That’s not to say that Southern Illinois and Missouri don’t have their fair share of natural beauty. But nothing compares to New Zealand. Pictures just don’t do it justice. It’s one place that I can say unequivocally needs to be experienced to be appreciated.
As a digital nomad, this idyllic setting sets your mind ablaze. While I personally get a source of inspiration from the lights, sounds, and pace of cities, the New Zealand wilderness offers solace and a source of creativity that’s palpable. If you’ve ever needed a break from life or time to contemplate and recharge, rural New Zealand is the place. A one-hour drive takes you to the literal middle of nowhere—a place where you won’t see another soul the entire day.
You’ll have to decide on your own if that type of isolation is detrimental or helpful to your psyche and work life. But for me, it was a blissful place that provided the change of pace I needed after a year in Southeast Asia.
The Food
Perhaps I differ from other digital nomads, but food and drink are at the pinnacle of the nomad experience. That’s no knock on American food, which is still among the best in the world. Call me biased if you will.
I’ll preface New Zealand cuisine by saying that it pulls from a number of global influences depending on where you are. Yet at its heart, it’s still heavily influenced by the U.K. Even in my small town, you can find Indian and Thai food, but the Motherland definitely makes its mark on the pub food and breakfast options in this Commonwealth nation.
Still, New Zealand has a few culinary classics that you won’t find anywhere else.
Let’s talk pies.
No, not the apple or cherry variety. A true New Zealand pie is a savory, handheld concoction that’s the perfect meal inside one crispy, flaky package. Packed with steak, cheese, chicken, salmon, or veggies, these piquant pastries may cause a sudden spike in cholesterol. But they’re certainly worth it. Driving through the towns that dot New Zealand’s South Island, you can find a local pie shop run by sweet, old ladies that know how to make a mean pie. It’s easy to get hooked, so discretion and discipline are essential. Without some forethought or an exercise routine, mild obesity may follow.
While the New Zealand pie is the quintessential culinary delight, the island also has a number of other rural staples that are worth a try. Sausage on bread (that’s no typo), a Marmite (similar to Vegemite) and chip sandwich, and canned spaghetti on toast are all local favorites. To indulge your sweet tooth, grab yourself some white bread, butter, and 100s and 1000s (otherwise known as sprinkles in the U.S.) to make Fairy Bread. If none of those sound appetizing, just stick to the pies.
Ain’t no one around to judge. In fact, ain’t no one around to say, “ain’t.”
The Pubs
Even if you’re not a drinker, stopping into a rural Kiwi pub is an experience unlike any other. The friendly nature of New Zealanders mixed with a pint of their famed lagers (Speight’s if you’re on the South Island, Steinlager if you’re on the North Island, and craft beer if you’re a self-proclaimed beer snob) creates the perfect recipe for banter and interesting conversation. Order a burger or some bangers and mash, and you may find yourself at the pub for quite some time. I know I did.
Rural New Zealand is hardly a digital nomad proving ground. But what it lacks in internet speed, it makes up for with charm, delightful locals, and unique flora and fauna that many people don’t get to see in a lifetime.
Everyone in town is always excited to hear how an American (and his delightfully equal fiancée…I might have been forced to say that) ended up in their small town.
After 9 months, I still get asked, “Why Methven?”
I don’t have a straight answer. But I know that I’ll never have another experience like it.
Have you worked remotely in New Zealand or another location abroad? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to tell us what you think. We’d love to hear from you!
iStock image: Joppi
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