Seems prices are generally more expensive than back home, however the US dollar is stronger right now so it is not as painful as it could be. Currently the exchange rate is US .72 = NZ 1.00. The inflation is not very consistent though; for example, ice cream and coffee (two things I definitely know about! Ha!) are about the same price or cheaper than in the States. We don’t smoke, but we noticed that one pack of cigarettes here cost the equivalent of US $22.00. Yes, you read that right! Gas is definitely more expensive.
This place is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise in every sense possible. It seems the entire country caters to outdoor adventures whether it is mountain biking, skiing, hiking, swimming, spelunking, abseiling, scuba diving, canyoning, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking (sea, lake and river), climbing, backpacking, snowboarding, fishing, tubing, motorcycling (is that a word?), sand dune boarding (seriously), skydiving, hang gliding, bird watching, horseback riding, hot springs in every other town, and I am sure there are so many more things I am missing. It is almost like every area competes to see who can come up with the most adventurous activity! I love the energy and priority here to explore the outdoors as much as possible. There are crystal clear blue lakes and seas everywhere, as well as seriously impressive waterfalls in nearly every town. You can go from a thick gorgeous forest to white sand beaches in less than an hour.
There is so much I love about this country. The air is fragrant like honeysuckles. The people are very friendly and welcoming. There are cafes and ice cream and gelato EVERYWHERE- it’s like the place was created just for ME! There are no, I repeat, NO Walmarts! There are beaches where when the tide is out, you can dig a hole in the sand and it will fill with fresh blazing hot spring geyser water you can soak in until the tide comes back in. Really everywhere you look here is breathtaking. The weather is mild. The country is filled with like-minded explorers. We go on an amazing hike or walk nearly every day. They have giant trout. Did I mention the waterfalls? Oh, and of course, Lord of the Rings was filmed here!
It sounds like enough that I would never want to leave, but so far nothing in New Zealand has impressed me enough yet (we haven’t been to the south island yet, which we keep hearing is mindblowing!) to convince me to want to move here permanently (though I would definitely come back again). One reason is the cost of living is pretty high, and so far everything I have seen here we also have in the USA just not as condensed. We have crystal clear lakes, cool mountain waters, white sand beaches with turquoise waters, great expanses of land, rolling hills, deserts, lush landscapes, mountains (snowcapped, rocky, or covered in trees), amazing food, every outdoor activity you can imagine and we drive on the RIGHT side of the road (praise the Lord!). Another reason is that it is a pretty long flight from home, approximately 20 hours! – and, of course, NC will always be our home.
The more I travel the more I think every place looks like another place I have been. Several times now in just the first week in NZ Dave and I have commented “this kind of looks/feels/smells like ______” – Greece, Kentucky, North Carolina, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Texas, California, etc. But even so, the more I travel, the more I want to travel and see the beauty of God’s great creation.