Erinn Goes Abroad

I first fell in love with New Zealand 3 years ago….

…On a 10 day university-led trip to Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty. New Zealand had an effortless charm that reeled me in immediately. I was captivated. But what was better than the dense ferns on the hillside or the sea that stretched for leagues was the people. I stayed with a host family that welcomed me as one of their own within clock ticks of our meeting.

I was reminded of this when I visited them last weekend. We tramped up Mount Maunganui, lolled on the lawn to watch the Guy Fawke’s firework show and chatted endlessly. The weekend went as quickly as it came, and what is left of it is the reminder of what made me long to return here, a place that I shall always adore. 

I can only say my appreciation has shifted from that of a tourist to a resident and the distinction is important. Much like the difference between infatuation and love, I’ve endured both joy and sadness here. As a visitor, one entertains mostly fantasies and easily ignores the ugly realities that inhabit every place. By and by, I’m happy to know New Zealand in a multidimensional way, for its beauty and its wart, because that understanding is built upon truth and not presumptions.