May 6, 2023 by Claire (The Captive Reader)
Before I went to New Zealand, I heard a lot about the South Island and visited it endlessly in the pages of Essie Summers’ novels. Some travel books seem to think it’s the only part of New Zealand worth visiting and friends from home warned me that much of it looks extraordinarily like British Columbia.
Well, I can attest that lots of it does look exactly like home, with the joyful novelty of never needing to look over your shoulder for bears or mountain lions (this never got old). But there is nothing wrong with that! I spent most of my time hiking and enjoying the well maintained tracks, while still enjoying the cities and towns over the five weeks I was there.