New Zealand's Stunning Landscapes | National Geographic
First thing you’re struck by is the landscape, like it’s absolutely stunning the entire way. The landscape changes so quickly from one amazing vista to the next. As a photographer, like you can’t really ask for anything else. There’s a lot of inspiring places on the planet, but what I find so special about here is the variety of landscapes, of things you can see.
We’ve seen the beach, we’ve been swimming with dolphins in the ocean, and then the next day we’re in a vineyard in rolling hills. We were able to have a bunch of different experiences in a very short period of time. My favorite experience in Kaikoura was swimming with the dolphins. There had to be like thirty dolphins and it was mesmerizing. I must have yelped a dozen times, cause every time they came up, it was like a squeal of delight. I’ve never been that close with wildlife. I was incredibly moved by the experience.
Really close to Nelson is this amazing national park called Abel Tasman. All of a sudden you’re overlooking this amazing body of water with this huge cliff. I don’t think that I’ve seen that kind of a magical beach in my life. Like, jaw dropping. The water literally had like eight different shades of colours. I got to meet one of the local guides, Lee-Anne, she was amazing. She wanted you to feel instantly what was so special for her in the landscape. There seems to be something with the people and the landscape, that work in sync and I think this is something that is so real and intense and beautiful.
New Zealanders are warm… They do go away leaving here as part of my family. Welcoming. We love sharing this place with people. Very open. Awesome. - Here we go team! - Wow! You feel a friendship and a feeling of family right from the get-go. Mauri Ora! [glasses clink] The welcoming spirit seems to really be the defining element of New Zealand culture. They love their surroundings, and they love to share it. They want to know where you’re from, they want to know how you’re enjoying the country.
Like, each person that I encountered in that marketplace, and like it was really genuine. And this spirit really went through all the people we met, all the regions. There seems to be the mix of pride and welcome that felt truly special as a traveler. People have gone out of their way to help me understand, and talk about their history, their culture.
So in Rotorua, I visited the national carving school, and James, he was like this little fountain of little stories, telling me and giving me a much better introduction to that world. I learnt about the craft, but much more importantly I learnt about the cultural meaning of the carvings. So there’s a world that we learned in coming here called manakitanga. To me, what that means is that it’s an honor to be honoring you. You’re always sharing the meals with somebody, we’re talking about culture, we’re talking about family, we’re talking about the things that are important. Those personal connections.
It wasn’t just a welcome, it made me feel a part of things here. I would definitely tell people to go to New Zealand. Come and try to experience the nature through the eyes and the hearts of the people. I think it’s really easy to go to places where culture is put on display as a sort of tourist attraction and this was so real. I was really touched by how authentic it was. New Zealand at some point affects you, in the most beautiful way. I want to come back very soon. I am in love with this place. I’m in love with this place.