“Are you sure that’s where you want to go? Again?” Friends have been asking me, a bewildererd expression on their faces. ” There are so many more places and countrys to see!”
I know they are right and I want to see all those other places. But New Zealand for me is not just a country. It’s not middle earth or skydivers paradise. For me New Zealand is the place where I spent one of my happiest and most defining years. It’s the place where the 20 year old me stumbled upon the greatness of life and travel – and really good coffee! 🙂
Ten years have past since then. Five years ago I came back to see if it was all just in my head, to see if my own personal paradise still existed. And it did! It was all still there waiting for me. The clear blue sky, the endless hills of Hawke’s Bay, the unpredictable Pacific Ocean and above all: the people!
Ten years ago I read the words “home is not always a door at the end of a sidewalk” pinned to a hostel wall. By now I’ve had several “homes” and New Zealand will always be one of them.
This time my partner will accompany me. We’ll hire a campervan, drink Flat White and lots of wine, see glaciers and volcanos, try crayfish, visit the Hastings farmers market, go surfing (him) and horseback riding (me) and wish we’d never have to go back to everyday life.
All those other places just have to wait.