What do we write about a place where we had such a good time? We were enthralled by everything that New Zealand had to offer - and we had a truly memorable holiday in the South Island. And if you were to ask us to describe Quintessential New Zealand, here's what we would have to say:

New Zealand is a small place in terms of area. But it offers a diversity of terrain that is difficult to fathom - from volcanic lakes and craters to glaciers, and from undulating meadows to rainforests. This combination is a boon to travellers - in 8 days of driving around in the South Island, we were able to drive to the top of a volcanic crater, along the Pacific coast, through lush green meadows with grazing sheep, along the banks of huge lakes, glaciers and forests, through mountains and valleys, and mountain passes - but everywhere we went, there were some things that remained the same... the well organised tourist industry, the cottages and villas, the early sunrises... and late sunsets that characterised the southern hemispherical summer, the motels, hotels, farmstays and bed-and-breakfasts...

Wherever we went and bought stuff, the salesperson would tell us the price followed by a quick "thanks". We found it very quaint, and unique to this beautiful country. "Twelve-dollars-fifty-thanks." "Forty-five-dollars-thanks."

And then there were the NPS - Nanga paonv specimens - Hindi for people walking around in bare feet. They embodied typical Kiwi characteristics - easy going nature and dry sense of humour, in typical Kiwi surroundings - clean streets to walk on and clean air to breathe.

The urban landscape is amazingly bereft of high-rise buildings - instead, what you see are cottages and villas, and farmhouses and heritage sites, and an urban density that is a fraction of what we'd find in Hong Kong. During our car ride from the airport to Christchurch, we were so disoriented till we figured out the reason... there were no skyscrapers to be seen, and the sprawling bungalows were miles away from each other!

While New Zealand doesn't have indigenous cuisine, the best thing going for us was the abundant choice in vegetarian fare - fresh salads, Italian pasta, Lebanese felafels..., we got vegetarian food from all over the world! What more could we ask for? After all, we're not the fussy types!

Before you read more of our Kiwi webpages, we've gotta tell you that no browsing experience is as good as going there yourself and checking the place out. You won't be disappointed. Interested in reading more? Take the trip - click on the hyperlink!!