New Zealand - North and South Island
In 2018, I took an incredibly long flight to New Zealand to begin my trip on the North Island where I stayed at a small wine farm about an hour north of Aukland. A couple years prior, I had met Dakota whom I had befriended through the Couchsurfing community. A Kentucky native, Dakota moved to New Zealand on a whim and was living in a shared house with a handful of other kiwis plus three WWOOFers from Seattle that were passing through the country. During my time at the farm, I became acquainted with the other members of the house and found comfort in the liveliness of shared dinners, the company of the people and animals, and the gentle sway of the Nikau palms in the warm air. After a few days at the house, we headed to the airport to continue our travels to the South Island, arriving first in Queenstown and eventually finding our way to Fiordland National Park.
At Fiordland National Park, we took a quiet ride through Milford Sound on a ferry Wes Anderson himself could not resist. Home to a handful of animals — seals, penguins, and dolphins — I was fortunate enough to observe some in their natural habitat.
Hikers refill their water bottles from a mountain stream.
New Zealand is achingly beautiful, often at the most unexpected times. About an hour outside of Wanaka, we took a detour towards a pasture of cows and sheep, which led to a waterfall conveniently tucked away, allowing us to enjoy the landscape to ourselves.
After a few days spent in the South Island (yes, I did visit Hobbiton), we flew back to the North Island to relax a little before ending the trip at Orakei Korako and Kuirau Park where we were able to see some geothermal activity. At Orakei Korako, an array of colors could be found in the mud, the color indicating the type of microbe and the constant shifts in color a result of their surrounding environment. I found Kuirau Park fascinating, as it was located quite literally next to a neighborhood. On the way there I remember thinking I must have gotten the address wrong because the map led us to a very ordinary looking park. To my surprise, some of the closest houses to the park had small mud pools in their backyard, steam fenced in like the neighbor’s dog.
Though I spent a couple weeks in New Zealand, I barely scratched the surface of a country of natural wonders, of Māori folklore, and of endless impressive landscapes. I will return.
