I fell in love with New Zealand during my student exchange in 2012, and again in 2016 during my Around the World adventure. This time, I traveled to New Zealand with my small family. The outstanding Norwegian parental leave system made it possible to take our 5 months old son on this adventure.

On the Northern Island, we explored surfers town Raglan, some hot springs around Taupo, and the Tongariro National Park. On the South Island, we started in Westport, visiting Cape Fowlwind and of course the Pancake Rocks.

Traveling with a small baby, we did not want to drive too much and therefore chose a few ‘basecamps’ where we could spend a few days hiking, exploring, and relaxing.

At Mount Cook National Park, the blue lakes, mountains, glaciers, and especially Hooker Valley Track took our breath away. 

A bit further south, we almost decided to move to Wanaka permanently, had it not been so far away from our families and the rest of the world. We loved the lakes and mountains around the city and the friendly Wanaka vibe. Queenstown is somewhat different again, but we enjoyed the views on Ben Lomond Track, with our son sitting comfortably in his child carrier.

We concluded our visit to New Zealand by visiting my hospitable Kiwi study buddies Angus and James and their families.

By the time we had to return to Norway, the whole family had fallen in love with Aotearoa. We will return – again!