It’s easy to become blasé, especially in western countries… we seem to get used to how good we’ve got it, but at the same time a lot of magic spots become major centres of attraction! In New Zealand, it’s a whole different story. Somehow our cuzzies have managed to keep the country untouched to a point that it gives you a buzz that only a trip to third world countries can generally give you. Last weekend was once again more proof of this – after at least 20 trips to NZ, I was still surprised.  I got to Wellington on the Friday evening, got picked up by a couple of Finnish friends and 2.5h later, we were camping on the beach. We woke up to perfect surf, in a small town of 40 people & 5 surfers. After walking up to the lighthouse to see the sunrise, Tom, a local Maori & cray-fishing entrepreneur who I stopped on the beach to ask about our surf options for the weekend, said:

“hey you know, if you want a warm shower tonight, just come to mine. I can cook for you guys and you can stay the night! What would you like me to cook!?”.

What a legend! And so we did! We surfed world-class waves  (didn’t manage to film that bit!), we climbed some amazing rock formations on the beach, we talked to ultra friendly locals and spent the night at Tom’s – our new bro -before waking to even more perfect surf, with no-one out!

NZ for president, I say!