New Zealand

Whenever people spoke to me about New Zealand they would rave about it. And I didn't really 'get' it. I'd heard it had pretty countryside and mountains and lots of sheep and imagined...a slightly sunnier Wales? But I was proved wrong, because... New Zealand is stunning! Stunning is an over-used adjective, so I usually avoid it, but it is merited here. On a whistle-stop trip to South Island, we flew into Christchurch, explored the fantastical boulders of Castle Hill in Kura Tawhiti, then flew on to Nelson, where we made an epic bike ride along the coast to Kaiteriteri. There we took a ferry into the gorgeous beaches of Abel Tasman National Park, which were near-deserted apart from the flocks of seabirds. There we rescured a small shark that had been beached by the outgoing tide.

 The trip wasn't long enough - when I left I was still marvelling at the clarity of the sunlight and the vibrancy of the colours. So, lesson learned, believe people when they rave about New Zealand! I'd love to go back.