Auckland
New Zealand felt like stepping straight into a dream, the kind you do not want to wake up from. It reminded me of the movie What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams, where heaven is painted in colors so vivid they spill and shift like living brushstrokes. Everything here glows with that same impossible beauty, so rich it almost feels unreal even after you return home and flip through your photos. It is a kingdom of magic, like Disney but somehow real, and no one needs to tell you to go because everyone who has ever been will already insist you must. If I ever left my own motherland, this would be the one place I would choose, heaven on earth waiting for me to come back and finish the story.
*** The flight varies from 1-3 Stops and 21-28 Hours, no matter what its gonna be a haul!
Rugby is king in New Zealand, and the All Blacks sit on the throne. They don’t just play the game — they define it — with championships, legendary players, and that spine-tingling pregame Haka that makes opponents look like they’ve already lost. Cricket holds its own on the world stage too, but when it comes to national pride and bragging rights, rugby is the sport that makes Kiwis’ hearts race.
New Zealand doesn’t mess around when it comes to food. Lamb is a national treasure (and yes, it tastes as good as you’ve heard), but even the everyday bites feel special. Gardens tucked behind restaurants or borrowed from neighbors keep everything fresh, clean, and un-sprayed. Even the snack aisle shines, Cheezels are basically gourmet in disguise, and a cold bottle of L&P is the Kiwi cure for thirst. If you time it right, Bluff oysters will ruin every other oyster you’ve ever had, and whitebait fritters, those little fish fried up with egg and slapped between slices of bread, sound questionable but taste like pure summer on a plate.
