If any of my American friends who have never traveled abroad want a softer landing on foreign soil, I’d suggest starting with an English-speaking country, especially another former British colony.
A successful one, built on many of the same practical principles. A place where things are expected to work efficiently, without an excessive need to impress a monarch—or anyone else, for that matter. Especially when the islands’ nature has already done all the impressing.
In that sense, New Zealand reminds me of America, though with a deeper respect for tradition and British heritage.Anglican churches dot the landscape, portraits of the Queen still appear on currency, and magazine advertisements feature ladies in fascinators heading off to race days and garden parties.
It has a quiet and provincial feel to it, yet also deeply reassuring. It feels like a place that has somehow preserved many people’s idea of a well-functioning society. Whether that image is entirely true is another question, but few countries embody the dream of a gentler, more orderly world quite so convincingly. A place where you find many images of a perfect world as one could (or could not) imagine.
We spent two weeks on the South Island, but could spend many-many more….