My wife, Christa, and I just returned from two fabulous weeks in New Zealand. The trip revolved around golf, but we had plenty of opportunity to explore the country. New Zealand is composed of two major islands (North and South) with a population of 4.5 million, of which 3.5 million live in Auckland, so the rest have plenty of room to move around. In addition, there are 27.5 million sheep, down from 70 million 20 years ago, so lawn mowers are not big sellers on the islands. As we were there for such a short time, I didn’t have time to count the cows, but there are lots so milk and butter are never in short supply.
What a contrast to the frenetic density and smog of China, where we were two years before. Towering mountains, enchanting valleys, golden plains, clear blue skies and a very relaxed pace of life. If you are a golfer, New Zealand is a must with outstanding golf courses. We played both Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs which were developed by Julian Robertson of Tiger Management fame. Both courses are situated on cliffs with the ocean below, truly magnificent venues and ranked in the top 50 golf courses in the world.
The lasting impression of New Zealand is one of cleanliness, everything in its place, no need to rush and, if we were to return in 25 years, probably not much would have changed. Everyone I have spoken to on my return says the same thing. We would love to live there which was my first thought, but it is so far away (14 hours from Vancouver) and if you want to escape for a weekend, Singapore is 8 hours north.
Ever since the first Lord of the Rings movie was released in 2001, New Zealand has been known as the Home of Middle-Earth. New Zealand’s dramatic scenery plays the mystical world of MiddleEarth on the big screen in both The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit Trilogy. More than 150 locations throughout the country were used to film both movies. What I found fascinating was that both The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies and locations represent 15% of the tourist dollar.
So do yourself a favor and plan a trip to Middle-Earth.
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