South Otago
We’ve been three people on the road.
Three travel companions thrown together by confluence of circumstance and a simple saying yes to a promising journey, we spent ten days driving around the South Island of New Zealand. This little slice of a lifetime was an awesome nature eye feast. We witnessed and experienced first-hand the captivating beauty of the land of the long white cloud.
Heaps of activity kept us interested, agreeable and excited to keep moving on. By default, every day brought something new—somewhere else to be, something different to do. Among the three of us, the decisions of what to have for food and accommodation led us to the most intriguing places—from a cozy country-esque house in the middle of nowhere in Te Anau to a Harry Potter-inspired bishop’s residence called Hogwartz in Dunedin. We shared dinners, sightseeing, wine, driving—then we went our separate ways, as intended, keeping in memory our individual experiences.
I took hundreds of pictures of the most majestic scenery on earth. I played with every feature on the camera—shutter speed, ISO, aperture, manual mode…you name it. It’s like this: if I don’t learn photography capturing New Zealand’s landscape, I won’t learn photography. So I’m working on it. It’s worth every shot. This place is beautiful even when it’s raining.
And through the lens of New Zealand landscape, I learned more about myself. Traveling does that to you—changes you, teaches you, shifts your priorities, makes you re-think what’s important and what you plan to do next.
I’ve learned how to cook in the midst of the communal kitchen at a typical backpacker’s accommodation, and how sharing a room with strangers is so completely ok here. I’ve learned how little clothing you need when you only pass by new people for a night–you won’t see them again, so who cares if you look the same tomorrow? I’ve learned many stories of people from many countries who travel here-long term for similar reasons–on a working holiday for a backpacker lifestyle experience. Somehow, somewhere, a mass of people decide to say “screw it, home, if not now, then when?” and move to a foreign country in search of money, adventure and opportunities. When we meet and talk, it’s like an unspoken mischievous travel bond. It’s sweet as. It rocks.
I’m not done. This is just the beginning. So it’s onwards and upwards—for me, driving solo up the North Island from Wellington to Auckland. Then To Sydney. Then home–to new adventures. This is a perfect catalyst. I’m on the move.
Cheers to New Zealand. My favorite country so far.
Road to Queenstown heading south
