Below are some reflections on our 9-month adventure in Australia and New Zealand. Here’s my original post on our trip and another update from Australia. For more on New Zealand, here are some highlights from our 2023 scouting trip.
This adventure was an attempt to live up to one of Tolkien’s lines in The Hobbit: “The world is not in your books and maps, it is out there.”
When we arrived in New Zealand last November, we took the 30-minute drive into the country to our friend’s home where we would be living for the next 6 months. It was like arriving at the Shire, a feeling that’s hard to describe. But visually, the entire countryside all looked the same. Taking the final turn that led to our friend’s driveway, I thought, “How will I ever remember where to turn?” It all looked so similar – rolling hills and green pastures galore. On my last drive to their house last week, I thought, “How could I ever forget?!” I feel like this is the joy of deep travel – coming to know a foreign place and people in all its fullness.
Trip Background
This trip was a result of my experiences in England, France, and Belize when I got to spend extended time in one place. These experiences, along with my grad studies in Canada focusing on cross-cultural studies, shaped me to realize how cool the rest of the world is when experienced in a deeper way.
We settled on New Zealand because it seemed like an incredible place to experience unique things while being in an English-speaking country with a culture that would be easier to navigate compared to places with different languages and customs. It was a good soft landing spot for a longer trip abroad.
The Gift of New Zealand
I’m happy we took the risk. There’s a happiness about going back home, but there’s an equal amount of sadness that the adventure is ending! I love looking forward to things, so I’m sure I’ll have adventure withdrawals when we get back. Overall, I’m also eager to see friends and family, and see the US with fresh eyes after being in a country with more sheep than people.
The gift of New Zealand has been wonderful. The deeper travel outside our comfort zones has been challenging and rewarding. We certainly struggled having a 2 and 5-year-old who are a huge handful in and of themselves in our regular home in the US, but the experiences were well worth it.
Kiwi Thank You’s
Below is the family we stayed with for 6 months. It was a full-on experience with real Kiwis, including the kids who teamed up with our own. So many memories. From camping, hiking, or just frolicking around their lovely home in the country. Somehow I was the “baddy” getting captured and put in jail during much of the playtime.
In the form of Jimmy Fallon’s “Thank You Notes” segment, here are some serious and not-so-serious thank you’s to all things Kiwi.
Thank you, Kiwi people – Thank you for showing me another way to be human – for showing us how you live, what you value, how you work hard, how you enjoy your time, how you treat each other. All shown to us simply by what you do on a daily basis. You are a self-reliant, diligent, hard-working people who are all on the same team. I love the connection you share with each other, the joy you have in helping others, and the pride you have in your country. I’ll struggle to attain it, but your self-reliance, multitalentedness, and rugged individualism in the countryside is something I’m still in awe of. Our friends could collect their own rainwater, raise and “harvest” their own sheep, create homemade bread from scratch in 10 minutes, feed the chickens, tile a fireplace, and make artisan pottery like it was all an easy day’s work. I can’t do any of those things.
Thank you, Peter Jackson – So many Lord of the Rings-inspired moments were had on our visit. From multiple trips to Hobbiton to some epic hikes and drives around the film locations.
I got really sick in Wellington aka Welly-Wood. I didn’t make it to the visual effects studio that has worked on so many films, including Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Avatar. Thankfully a few cool pieces were in the airport. I was very proud of my daughter for staring down Smaug the dragon.
Thank you, cricket – Who knew cricket was actually exciting?! I became a huge cricket fan, at least the “T20” shorter version, which has a World Cup coming to the US this summer.
Thank you, normal life – So this is probably what people back home think happens all the time in New Zealand. This only happened once, but it did happen!
And, yes, the family we lived with had sheep! They did not name the sheep because they would eventually end up on a dinner plate.
Air drying your laundry is very normal in New Zealand. Just remember to grab your laundry if it starts raining.
Thank you, Kiwi parks and playgrounds – With the exception of our time in Australia, I’ve never seen a country with cleaner public parks and more fun spaces for kids. We found some of the coolest playgrounds in very beautiful settings. One of these included a miniature city where kids could use cars like bikes with actual traffic signs and pedestrian crosswalks.
Thank you, Kiwi fish – You showed me that the fly fishing legends are true. The fish are ginormous compared to anything I’ve seen that qualifies as “large” in Colorado, Montana, or Wyoming. And for the incredibly diverse locations to find these fish. So much fun.
I haven’t done much fishing in the ocean before coming to New Zealand, but ocean fishing didn’t disappoint either. Reeling in kingfish felt like bringing in a whale. I was pretty sore the next day after catching several kingfish. Other fish included snapper, which was super tasty as fish and chips.
Thank you, Kiwi police (not pictured here) – For the thrill of getting pulled over for going 4mph over the speed limit on a highway. The good news… the ticket was $18! My favorite speeding ticket of all time.
Thank you, Kiwi landscapes – I’ll never forget the lush green, the incredible mountain ranges, and the endless sheep dotting the hills. Plus, the crazy streams with crystal clear water.
Famous landmark time. The famous church at Lake Tekapo.
In the Coromandel area of the North Island.
An arched cove made famous by The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie.
South Island: an enormous glacier that spills into a lake that is so big your mind can’t figure out the scale. The famous Mount Cook is in the distance.
Thank you, Kiwi accents and special phrases – For my kids and I to continue to use back at home. My 2-year-old already has her Kiwi accent down. Saying “Nooohhhhhh” instead of “No.” And, “Parrdon ME!” after a toot. My son is full on with his accent and phrases. A few favorites being, “Oy!” (Instead of “Hey!”), “You cheeeeeeky monkey!”, “Good on ya mate!”, and “Where are my jandles?” (Kiwi for “flip flops”).
Thank you, Kiwi café culture – There may be more cafés than sheep in New Zealand. Everyone loves their coffee. Everyone drinks espresso drinks. And you’re likely to find a fancy espresso machine in the most rundown gas station in the middle of nowhere – where the cashier is better than a Starbucks barista back at home. And thanks for always asking for a topping, “Chocolate or Cinnamon?,” when I order a cappuccino as if I’m a kid in a candy store. And as a fan of oat milk, thanks for being able to froth it up so well.
Thank you, Kiwis (the birds) – For remaining a mystery and never showing yourself one single time in 6 months. The legend lives on.
(No photos of a Kiwi bird here as I never saw one!)
Thank you, unique Hamilton Gardens – The closest city to us was Hamilton, which is south of Auckland. One of their fun things to do is Hamilton Gardens. Instead of the typical sprawling botanical gardens, they took a time-and-place approach. They recreated gardens from different time periods and different locations around the world, including a really cool one from the 1600s in Italy and another from ancient Egypt. I don’t love botanical gardens, but as a travel lover and history buff, this was the coolest one I’ve ever been to.
No thank you, Kiwi time travel – I’ll admit, this was a love-hate relationship. I was never living the same day as friends, family, and colleagues back in the US. I’m excited for this mind-bending reality to end and for Friday to be Friday. I will definitely miss my desk at the New Zealand Travel Freely HQ!
Extra Highlights to share:
The grand experiment is over, but it feels like just the beginning. The risk-taking of our entire family, including my wife, my 2-year-old, and my 5-year-old, has paid off in more ways than we could have expected. And all thanks to what I would call “deep travel.”
For me, “deep travel” is the chance to be in the messy in-between places that bring such joy, confusion, and positive struggles. We are better for it when we can affirm and challenge each other’s cultures and ways. I’ve always felt more alive in the in-between places. So this trip has been a great joy.
Side note: It’s all true that kids adapt so much better. My son recently summed it up with a simple example, “Dada, they say ‘cahhhhhs’ but we say ‘carrrrrrs'” – and that was totally okay with him.
As we pull out of our friends’ driveway for the last time to head to the airport, it has been a road we have traveled over and over for the last 6 months. It has become a path of memories and moments from our days. The road to Sarah and Graham’s house. The road that goes down to the secret stream with some big fish. The road we pull out of to go on a hike or a day trip. Or the road we take to the grocery store for a few more eggs when the chickens haven’t laid enough for us. =).
I’m grateful that such a foreign place could become so familiar. I feel like this is the joy of deep travel.
While the trip itself has ended, I know the growth and memories will stay with us. And the transformative power of deep travel has only inspired me to seek out more opportunities to immerse ourselves in new cultures and ways of life. I encourage everyone to consider the value of deep travel, whether it’s a months-long stay or even just approaching a shorter trip with the mindset of truly engaging with the local culture. My hope is that we are all better people for this great experience. For now and into the future.
And I hope that when we turn into our own driveway in Colorado, we will experience the fullness of the great quote from T.S. Eliot:
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
