But I think it is time to show you WHY I want to be in here and why YOU definitely should come and visit this gorgeous country.

First of all, quite obvious and hard to miss: MOUNTAINS! You can’t talk about New Zealand without mentioning the mountains. About 60% of the South Island is covered by mountain ranges with peaks over 1.500 metres high!! The most famous one is Mount Cook, with its 3.754 meter the highest in New Zealand. But on the North Island there are a lot of impressive ones as well, like Tongariro (famous of the Tongariro Crossing) and Mount Ruapehu. Anyways, I think you get the point: there are a lot of mountains to conquer over here!

A bit closer to the ground are the lakes. Also hard to miss. New Zealand has 3.820 lakes with a surface area larger than one hectare! So if you don’t like lakes, don’t bother coming to New Zealand (but hey, who doesn’t like lakes?).

If you have a soft spot for animals, like me, you definitely won’t regret visiting New Zealand! You probably wouldn’t think so, but New Zealand has penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, sea lions, kiwis, heaps of other big birds that don’t know how to fly, deer, llama’s and lots of sheep. I love visiting the cute little seals around Kaikoura. They’re cheeky and adorable. Before I knew it, I had taken 220 photos… They’re just so damn cute.

Are you already dreaming about New Zealand? Good! Don’t forget though, it is an expensive country. My eyes still pop out of my head now and then. I realise now how cheap Europe is.  When you decide to go on a Working Holiday Visa or just a holiday, you will spend quite some money. Flights are expensive and the daily life is that too. But what you get in return is SO worth the money!

Another thing that makes New Zealand an awesome place are the outdoor activities. So many options, like hiking, mountain biking, surfing, climbing, running, kayaking, and all of those in beautiful surroundings!

New Zealand is not close, it’s seriously the other side of the world. I can’t just jump on a plane for a couple of hours to visit my family and friends for the weekend, which is a bummer. Just being on the plane back and forth already takes an entire weekend. Those cosy evenings at the fire with my dad, those dinners with my mom, baking with my little brother, I have to put a hold on that. But all the beauty (and Skype) helps a lot to live so far away.

Every day again I realise how beautiful this country is. I wish there were more synonyms to describe it. Even just by looking out of the window, I’m stunned. We live on the hills in Christchurch, looking outside I see the city in front of me and the mountains covered with snow in the back. Add some rays of light with different layers of colours and you get a spectacle.

But the sunrise and sunset aren’t only awesome from the balcony, in the nature it’s that tiny bit better. Don’t you think so?

I hope at this point you’re as mesmerised by its beauty as me. I also hope you’ll start booking those plane tickets! My dear friends, family and readers, no more excuses, I’m giving you a preview how beautiful it is here and I promise you it is even better in real life!!

Would you like to visit New Zealand? Or have you already been here? What excites you the most about New Zealand?

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