New Zealand

I could visit every other place on Earth, but Aotearoa, New Zealand is where I will always feel a sense of belonging. Hardly a day passes where I don’t think of its snow-capped Southern Alps, golden tussock-clad hills, lush forests, or calm lakes.

I miss the song of tūī and korimako, and the way a West Coast forest smells after a rainstorm. I want nothing more than to spend all my days high up in the mountains, in a little orange backcountry hut, idly watching clouds drift by, or in a weather-beaten bach by the coast, listening to the waves and watching the birds.

There’s a slower, more intentional rhythm to life in Aotearoa and having experienced it, it’s hard not to strive for it.