Avenues – August 2019

2

tewepu.co.nz

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VOUCHERSAVAILABLE

EDITOR’S NOTE

T

here’s nothing better than a holiday with friends. I’ve all but

just stepped off a long-haul flight (somewhat reluctantly), after

five weeks in Europe with several of my dearest friends. I spent

my days jumping off seaside cliffs in Dubrovnik, riding rollercoasters in

Denmark’s Tivoli Gardens, and even gained a few extra freckles in Spain.

I’ve ticked off the usual – Berlin, London, Tokyo, and Paris – but my

favourite destinations by far were without any agenda or planning. I

love the little things – watching old men walking their dogs, people

going about their daily life, groups of children playing, and spending

time soaking in the essence of a new community.

In my late 30s, I’ve identified travel as an essential for enriching my

life. I’m far from a travel blogger extraordinaire, and you won’t find

my social media clogged with selfies in front of monuments – but I do

find travelling to other countries fills me with a feeling that outlasts

the experience itself. I can still feel the highs of the rollercoaster in

Copenhagen, and the sun on my skin in Alicante, Spain. It’s so clichéd,

but true – life should be made up of experiences, not things.

I even found myself amongst 100,000 Spice Girls fans at their final

concert at Wembley Stadium. That was one for the books – teenage

Joshua would be fizzing.

After spending time with a few Londoners, I gained a new

appreciation for our corner of the South Pacific. Whatever we want,

we can have – all within a short flight or a couple of hours in the car.

Skiing. Hiking. Beaches. Subtropical getaways. It’s all here, in God’s

Own. Golden Bay is breathtaking. The mighty Waikato is filled with

natural beauty. Even Hanmer – a stone’s throw from our city – feels like

another world.

Yes, we don’t have IKEA yet, and subways and trains are the future of a

well-planned town but gosh – we’ve got a bloody great city here, don’t we?

In a way, I was sad to return to my ‘norm’ (the post-holiday blues are

real, people!) and I braced myself for a harsh winter blast as I left the

airport. Instead, I was greeted with a crisp wind, and a bright blue sky

and the remnants of a frost in the air. My favourite kind of winter day

here in the Garden City. Keep it up CHCH.

Joshua Brosnahan

Editor

Antipodean

wanderlust