You have no choice anyway but to unplug. Internet access is not that easy to come by. In the hotel I was staying at, they charge you not just by the hour but by bandwidth which, for a simpleton like me, made it too complicated to use.

So on the first day, I went to a “cool” café – every café in Auckland is cool, by the way, just like in Melbourne – and thought I’d plug in. But hey, no worries, mate, it wasn’t working so she’ll be right.

And she was.

For about a week, I went on the road to as far north as one can go in New Zealand, flitted about the Bay of Islands, saw two oceans collide at Cape Reinga, watched a man sing to the nation’s oldest tree, Tane Mahuta, all of 2,000 years old and saw the stars more clearly than I’ve seen in a whole year.  

I tell you, it makes the heart sing and reminds you of why people travel.

Yet as I was flitting about, I couldn’t help but think what a difference open and easy access to the Internet could make for a destination like New Zealand.

The joy of travelling in this country is to hit the road, seek out little nooks and crannies and search for the hidden gems – all the small businesses that make up the backbone of its tourism industry.  

That’s the magic of the Kiwi travel experience – finding that jewel of a place to spend the night or a great place to eat – especially for intrepid travellers who may not wish to do too much research and planning before a trip but who’d rather go with the flow of the road.

Even in the city of Auckland, you see fewer Starbucks than anywhere else because there is a connection between local cafes and their customers that global brands cannot dislodge.

Shopping is also much more fun because of the independent stores, so when you go into a shopping centre, it’s not the same old brands you see everywhere from Singapore to Bangkok to Shanghai.

There is a creativity, diversity and pride of locality in New Zealand that makes it wonderful for intrepid travellers looking for a different kind of experience.

In other words, it’s easier to plug into “the local scene” here than in most places where tourists often find themselves just skimming the surface of a place.

I am told that when they travel, most locals don’t make reservations beforehand – they just drive and then show up at motels or B&Bs for the night. They know how things work but for visitors from abroad, this may be one uncertainty too far.

So imagine if you’re on the road in more remote areas (and most places are remote here), you could just log in and search for places without having to pay expensive roaming charges on your smartphone, read a review or two and show up at the place of choice.

Yes, you can, along the way, pop into little shops where they charge you $3 for 15 minute access but unless you know what you are looking for, 15 minutes ain’t a lot of time.

On the first night, we stayed at a very charming place in Russell – the Arcadia Lodge – run by David & Brad. Everyone’s on first names in these places.

An old house whose original structure is made of whalebone, it’s got a handful of suites. Billed as a boutique B&B, it’s great if you want to spoil yourself for a night or so. Wi-fi is included in the rate but you’ve got to access it in the main living area.

See, these little businesses understand the importance of the Internet – they wouldn’t be able to function without it.

The next day, we headed up to Mangonui, looking for Mangonui Motel run by an old expat hotelier friend from Malaysia. I now believe that Rich and Intan Myer run the motel with the best views in the world. Breathtakingly awesome doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Rich tells me that while he gets enquiries and some bookings through his website, most of his business comes from his road signs from travellers driving by and I must say Rich does a good job with that – it was impossible not to find him.

There’s a review on TripAdvisor that agrees with me about the views – it says, “A great base to view Northland from. On top of a hill with awesome million dollar views.”

It also says, “Handy to township, cafes, restaurants and the famous Mangonui Fish and Chip shop.”

Have to say, the fish was pretty good – straight out of the sea onto your plate which is a piece of paper. The English definitely left their influences on this place. I don’t think I want to have fish and chip again for the rest of the year.

On the next day, just as we were running low on petrol and options, we rolled up at Omapere-Hokianga and guess what, found a Copthorne hotel there.

Have to say, it’s not like any Copthorne I know – historic hotel, amazing location, spread out on Hokianga Harbour, just over 30 rooms. It remains a family-owned hotel, run under the Copthorne franchise, so you feel the pride among the staff. Best service I encountered on this trip.

Once again, one of New Zealand’s many well-kept secrets which could be easier found if only – but then, maybe, some things should remain secrets only to be discovered on the road by intrepid travellers.

Featured image credit (Lake Waktipu across from Queenstown, NZ): Ockra/iStock