I love wild places. Places with incredible natural beauty and
isolation. I enjoy feeling like I might be the first visitor ever
to discover an off-the-beaten-path gem a place that only locals
know about. To me, that’s a big part of the joy of traveling.
New Zealand is such a place. And because of movies like “Lord of
the Rings,” more Americans than ever are discovering the country’s
charms for themselves. There comes a point, however, when the
desire for some place wild actually begins to destroy the very
thing you are looking for. A native Alaskan friend once told me
that when four cruise ships pull into port in one day, one after
the other, his usually charming and picturesque hometown can feel
more like a charge-by-the-hour motel just change the sheets and
bring in the next guest.
Well, in this issue’s cover story, “Down South” (page 10), we
look at a still emerging, truly unspoiled region of New Zealand.
(Think more “Whale Rider” than “Lord.”) So the next time you have a
client looking for adventure, you’ll know something more than the
way to Middle Earth.
