Kia ora world!

After 11 whole months at the end of the world here in New Zealand, and with just one week left before beginning my Pacific Islands journey, I’m in exactly the right state of mind to reflect on all I’ve experienced. This country and this working holiday have done so much for me, not just as a traveler, but as a person. I haven’t even left yet, but I’m already preparing myself for the things I know I’ll miss most. And after taking a moment to sit with it, I came up with five that really stand out.

5. Kiwi Lingo and That Accent

It might surprise some people, especially those who think New Zealand is basically the same as Australia, but New Zealand has its own accent, its own lingo, and its own whole feel. When I first arrived, I couldn’t really picture myself saying things like “yeah nah,” “sweet as,” or “chur.” I thought it sounded goofy as hell. But somewhere around the ninth month, it hit me that I had actually started sounding a little Kiwi myself — more like a New Yorker with a heavy twist of Kiwi slang, but still.

And for that Kiwi accint. Yes, I wrote accint because the Kiwi E sounds more like an I. Yis it does. I had fallen for that well before arriving. There is something smooth and easy on the ears about a Kiwi accent that always grabbed me. Even now, I can already picture myself being fully tuned in whenever I hear that accent somewhere abroad. It’ll always catch my attention.

4. The Peacefulness

Now, I say this with an asterisk because no whole country is perfect. New Zealand has its own problems like anywhere else — homelessness exists, gangs exist, crime happens. But compared with a lot of the world, and especially compared with the constant division and noise I’m used to back home in the U.S., New Zealand carries a laid-back energy that feels very peaceful.

There’s this feeling here, at least from my experience, that life does not need to be so loud all the time. Maybe some of that comes from being out here at the edge of the world. Maybe some of it comes from the land itself. But after spending nearly a year here, especially living three months in Picton, traveling around the country, meeting people, and connecting with both the people and the land, I’ve come to feel that New Zealand carries a certain peace and harmony that I will absolutely take with me.

3. The Kindness of the People

Along with that peacefulness comes the people. In general, Kiwis are incredibly kind. Of course I met a few rude people too — that’s life anywhere — but overall the kindness here stood out in a major way. People are laid-back, approachable, and often more open than you expect.

I also met a lot of well-traveled Kiwis, and something I kept hearing was how much more people appreciated home after seeing the rest of the world. That made sense to me. Life here is simple in many ways. The air is clean, there is space, and the environment is cared for. That kind of setting shapes people. It gives them a different kind of ease, and I think that’s a big part of why I’ll miss the people here so much.

2. The Beauty

Speaking of the environment being cared for, it is no wonder Kiwis are so conscious about things like paper straws and cutting back on plastic. The nature here is just too powerful and too beautiful not to respect. If I had to sum up New Zealand in one word, it would probably be abstract. Why? Because it feels like a mashup of so many different kinds of beauty in one place that at times it almost doesn’t seem real. But it is. Very real.

I could go on and on with examples. Milford Sound. The bays of Northland and East Cape. Taupō and the Tongariro Crossing. The glacial lakes of Wakatipu, Wānaka, Hāwea, and Tekapo. Coromandel to the Catlins. Rotorua. Taranaki. Roy’s Peak. The west coast roads. The long straight stretches of Canterbury. Kaikōura to Hawke’s Bay. I really could keep going. New Zealand’s beauty is not one thing. It is the way so many different landscapes come together in one country and still somehow feel coherent.

Now it may be a suprise that the beauty is not number one…well number one goes to….

1. Māori Culture, Tradition, and Spirituality

Sorry, not sorry, but number one has to go to Māori culture, tradition, and spirituality. The southernmost corner of Polynesia is blessed with the beautiful Māori people, and I feel that one of the most important things any traveler can do in Aotearoa is allow themselves to connect with the culture and energy of the land. Māori have always had a strong and spiritual relationship with both the land and the sea, and after traveling around the country and seeing what I’ve seen, I can say without doubt that I felt that presence myself.

I’m truly in love with the craftsmanship Māori put into their carving, especially woodwork as seen all over the East Cape. From the façades of meeting houses to the bone hei matau I bought at the Auckland War Memorial Museum before leaving for the Pacific, the artistry and meaning run deep. The haka remains one of the most powerful things I have ever heard and felt. Māori music, design, tattooing, tiki imagery, and carving traditions all carry their own beauty and force.

What also matters is that Māori culture is still present here. It may not always be obvious in the same way it might be in a smaller island nation, but it is here. Many places still carry their Māori names. Tribes are still recognized. The language is still spoken. I even remember hearing young Māori speaking te reo next to me in the Māori court at the Auckland Museum. That matters. Culture is alive here, and for me that has been one of the most meaningful parts of my time in New Zealand.

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I love New Zealand, and the year I have spent here has made me appreciate so many things on entirely new levels. I’ve truly lived an incredible dream here — traveling the country on two wheels, seeing all the beauty it has to offer, connecting with friendly Kiwis along the way, and embracing the culture in a way that felt personal and spiritual.

New Zealand, I will miss you. But it’s not goodbye, because you are very much now a part of my life.