There's a silly game that I play in my head sometimes. I imagine that I wake up one morning and discover that I have to up sticks and live somewhere else. But where? Where else could I live happily and well? The list is short, but interesting: Denmark? Portugal? Canada? Switzerland? Norway? Singapore? India? Vietnam? Always first, or at least near the top, lies New Zealand.
So… why? What is it about these remote islands in the South Pacific that makes them so attractive? They certainly are remote. The nearest landmass is Australia (known to Kiwis as 'the west island'), and that's about four hours by air from Auckland. It's not much further to Antarctica. The 45th parallel runs through Queenstown on the South Island. From there, you can travel east or west around the globe and the only bit of land you will come across is the very southern tip of South America.
New Zealand and Australia are not only separate, but Mother Nature is relentlessly working on moving them even further apart. Like two halves of a bread roll being pulled apart, the shearing of the tectonic plates makes New Zealand a fascinating area for seething and bubbling volcanic and seismic activity. Indeed, the whole place is the newest major landmass on the planet. Geographically the North and South Islands are very different. The North is a subtropical climate with more geothermal activity, whereas the South Island is cooler and has an alpine spine.
New Zealand was the first self-governing country in the world to give women the right to vote, the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to legalise same-sex marriage and has universal healthcare, free education and comprehensive social welfare programmes.
New Zealand has a population of just over five million people. Half of them live in the three largest cities: Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. That leaves 2.5 million people to cover a country slightly larger than the UK and about the same size as California. There are six times as many sheep and cows as people in New Zealand. If the animals ever get together and rise up, New Zealanders are in trouble.
Familiar… but different
So, returning to my theme, what is it about this extraordinary country that makes it head my list of desirable places to live?
I have to be careful how I phrase this… It feels a little like the Britain that I grew up with, but done better, with climate and scenery that take the breath away.
One minute, you're passing through apparently limitless pastureland, with grazing sheep and cattle, tractors, café billboards for bacon and egg breakfasts with pots of tea and cake - all on roads named after British Prime Ministers and generals.
Then suddenly there's a forest of palm trees and tropical plants, the song of the mischievous kea (alpine parrot) and a Māori marae (meeting house) - and then it is back to Hampshire-like scenes.
It's all familiar, until it isn't. If you want a rural, agricultural life, NZ will do that. But if you want to hike in the mountains, cycle in a rainforest, shop in a modern city or swim on a deserted beach, it will do that too.
The Māori are responsible for many of the differences. Their language and culture are gradually blending in with New Zealand life to a greater extent than ever before. The often used (but not official) name for the country is Aotearoa, the 'land of the long white cloud'. You can expect to be greeted warmly with a cheerful kia ora by almost everybody. The Māori are always around as they form 17% of the population, and often possess a striking and solemn dignity, until they start laughing…
New Zealand's breathtaking landscapes
While I write this, I'm in the middle of taking my group on Great Rail Journeys' Grand Tour of New Zealand.
Today, I'm on a balcony in Queenstown watching the sun set behind the snow-capped mountains overlooking Lake Wakatipu. My customers have been on a free day and have used their time travelling up a mountain on a gondola, riding in a jetboat (invented in NZ), zip lining, paragliding, walking around and swimming in the lake and enjoying a cool glass of local wine.
The tour takes in the length and breadth of New Zealand, pretty much top-to-toe. We've been warmed by the sun in the Bay of Islands and chilled by the alpine glaciers as we explored the Fiordland National Park and sensational Milford Sound.
The people
As I said earlier, one of the main reasons I love the country so much is the people of New Zealand.
Courtesy is widespread and expected. Formality is almost entirely absent; pretty much everybody seems to wear shorts and T-shirt with jandals (flip-flops) as standard uniform. There is a relaxed feel to almost every activity, and airs and graces are frowned upon. But here's the thing: don't think for a moment that this results in casual performance or service.
New Zealand feels to be a very young country in many ways. Young people arrive here on the generous one-year working holiday visas and have come from countries all over the world to enjoy the relaxed freedom and healthy environment of this remote nation. Young Kiwis also travel extensively on what is known as their Overseas Experience, usually for a year or more, as they gain work and life experience and a wider outlook. This process is valued by NZ companies, amounting to what is effectively a work qualification. Wherever you see them, you'll always find a cheerful smile and buckets of optimism.
Here are just some of the fantastic people I met while leading the recent tour.
Te Paihere and Phoenix
Te Paihere and Phoenix work at the Kawiti Glowworm Caves in the Waiomio valley. On our visit, we see Glowworms clustering on the limestone cave ceilings in dazzling constellations, seeking to attract insects. The brighter the glow, the hungrier they are. These two ladies were our delightful guides and are descendants of original Māori family landowners. Te Paihere has on her chin the Moko kauae, a chin tattoo that represents a woman's mana (status or power), her whakapapa (ancestry and forebears) in society and the mana of her iwi (tribe). Each chin tattoo is voluntarily applied at any age and is unique. It tells a story about its owner.
Phil Waggoner
Phil Waggoner is an engineer and driver on the Glenbrook Vintage Railway, south of Auckland. He's been working on New Zealand's railways for more than 50 years and was rewarded with his steam license in 2004. He's 100% pure Kiwi and makes a point of wearing a white tie on every day that he works steam. Steam and white aren't usually a good mix, especially for engineers. His name may be Phil, but to everyone he knows and meets, he's known as Teapot.Nicole & Rachel
Nicole and Rachel work at the Country Café in Makarora, South Island. They sell pies. What you may not know is that pies are an essential part of Kiwi culture (Kiwiana) and are omnipresent in every town or city, usually in a bakery. Pies are savoury and contain all kinds of fillings, both meat and vegetarian. They are the ideal size for lunch, not too big, not too small, and there's something profoundly heartening about the combination of flaky pastry and juicy filling. You can eat them with knife and fork, but they're so much better eaten with one hand. Be warned, the first bit seems pleasant and innocuous, but on subsequent mouthfuls you will encounter the filling which can be the temperature of molten lava. Always blow on your pie.
Experience New Zealand on a Great Rail Journeys holiday
So, as I sit here writing, I'm feeling the need to draw these thoughts together and summarise.
This is one of the most extraordinary places on our tiny planes. Its isolation provides a plethora of unique vegetation and wildlife that is found in few other places. Its geography and geology stop you in your tracks and make you sense the hand of god, whoever that may be. Its people charm and enthuse you. In my next life, I want to be a Kiwi.
You too can fall in love with New Zealand on two Great Rail Journey holidays:
