What to pack?

You've packed these - but what else do you need?

Living in a long skinny country in the middle of the South Pacific means our New Zealand weather changes frequently – four seasons in one day sometimes. So, my local tip is to bring layers of clothes and a warm hat – especially here in Christchurch where we have something we call “the beasterly easterly” which when the wind races over the sea from South America and onto our plains. My woollen beanie lives in my bag for 9-months every year.

Another must-have in my bag is a little shopping bag so I don’t have to use plastic bags for my purchases. We love people who reduce, reuse, and recycle. But what else should we have in our backpack, wheelie-suitcase, or carry-on bag?

It seems the longer people travel, or the more they have travelled, the smaller their bag: friends tell me I take less for year-long travels than they take for a long weekend.

Air NZ lands at Christchurch International Airport

Just remember it’s your back that will carry your bag through kilometres (or miles) of airport corridors, down city streets, up steps, or over cobblestones, so make yours as light as you can. We all have must-haves but keep them light and basic too.

My ‘must haves’ are anti-itch cream, mosquito repellent, camera, and a money card. Add a couple of net bags for my laundry and underwear; half a cake of hard soap for small laundry items, a couple of spare zip-lock bags. Of course as a writer, I also need a pen and journal, a tiny notebook for notes on the run, a thick book to read, my net-book and MP3 player. I then add toiletries and a few (very few) colour coordinated clothes and one pair of shoes. That’s it!

Sometimes you will need swimwear, mossie-net, hiking boots, binoculars or other destination, or season-dependant things!

I then lay out my gear and anything I have added ‘for just in case’ is jettisoned.

Finally, and most importantly, pack the lightest, most valuable items – lots of curiosity and an open and inquiring mind.

Driving at night? Watch for out for kiwi in bush areas