NEW ZEALAND THE UNSPOILED CORNER

Hubby and I discussed visiting New Zealand many times, but each time the question of "Where shall we go next, NZ would be in the back burner..... next time, perhaps". Why would one wish to visit a place so far away and with such similarity to Australia? I asked friends who have been there and their response would be: "Hmm...... nice place - like Australia"; "It's ok .... lots of sheep." ; "Oh, quiet place, very cold down south." That's not very inspiring is it? Then a major earthquake jolted Christchurch - and the comments " Most of the historic landmark had been destroyed.......nothing much left of the city" Meanwhile, there were other places to explore.

While to hubby, NZ is literally quite an unknown country, "I don't even know Dunedin is in the north or south island.", but to me, having studied the geography of NZ in school, I know that Rotorua has hot springs and geysers, Wellington is the capital of NZ and NZ is mainly an agricultural country. And the Maoris are considered the 'orang asli' and they performed the haka dance. I even had a NZ penpal years ago and she sent me a poi poi that the Maoris used in their haka dance.

One fine day, my sister said: "Let's visit NZ. My friends say the scenery is very nice." So we (mainly hubby) searched websites related to NZ, and the more he read about NZ, the more he liked it. Excitement was building up and so began our exploration of these far flung islands.

My first impression of NZ when our plane touched down at Auckland airport was: "Wow! so green!" and I spied a spec of blue in the horizon. And that impression of NZ stayed with me throughout our trip - emerald green mountains and crystal clear lakes, azure blue seas and clear blue skies.

Did you say very nice? It's an understatement. NZ is amazing!! Spectacular landscapes! Breathtaking views!! Fantastic seafood! Adrenaline pumping activities!

It is as if God had created NZ and tucked it in a corner and kept it for posterity. And thanks to New Zealanders who have been good custodians of that beautiful unspoiled plot of land.

One has to be THERE to fully experience the beauty and wonder of this country.