In the middle of thinking about home back in New Zealand, I realised how much I miss it. There are sayings about how you don't miss something until it is taken away from you, and it is times like this when you realise how true those saying really are. Seoul, and Korea have never treated me in anyway less than fantastic, but it's also true, there's no place like home.

While living in a rather quiet corner of New Zealand, I came to despise certain aspects of my life there. The quiet, boring lifestyle of the people that surrounded me. The lack of motivation for me to do anything... There was more to it, but I was pretty unhappy for a while and back then I attributed that to the place that I lived. I always yearned for more, for bigger and better.

Fast forward to now and it's funny how views change. I still know why I felt those feelings, but through a combination of experiences and growth, I feel like it was me as a person rather than the place in which I lived. When I visited New Zealand again in the summer, I tried to relish every moment I could. I asked my family to go to the mountain with me, I asked people to go to the beach. I realised I missed it.

I could make a list of no less than one hundred reasons as to why I like New Zealand, but for me personally, there is one reason that stands above all the others. A reason that rises above the rest, the nature, the feeling of freedom and for me, belonging. This is my backyard.

My Backyard:

The Mountain

Mount Taranaki

Nikon D5300 | Mount Taranaki | location | More Info

Driving time from home: 30 minutes. Multitudes of walks and activities.

Every garden has a centrepiece, something that makes that garden what it is. Something that gives it identity and uniqueness. Mount Taranaki stands tall rising above everything else on the visible horizon. Not even the clouds rise above Taranaki.

It is one of the most conical volcanic cones in the world, and it provided the backdrop for The Last Samurai. Facing towards the image another cone can be seen, the famous Fanthams Peak. Mount Taranaki is not one volcanic cone, but rather two.

Nikon D5300 | Mount Taranaki, Dawson's Falls | location | More Info

Driving time from home: 45-60 minutes. Multitudes of walks and activities, many involving water!

Hours and hours of my childhood were spent traversing this mountain, it is somewhere I can comfortably call home. I've been lost on it with friends, spent nights sleeping in the bushes because we couldn't find our way out. I've run the tracks for exercise, I've lit fires and cooked marshmallows there. Most interestingly I've even spent nights up there under hand dryers in toilets to stay warm (part of the lost with friends story... Long story!).

The Ocean

Whitecliffs beach

Nikon D5300 | Whitecliffs beach | location | More Info

Driving time from home: 45-60 minutes. Beautiful beach and hill walks.

Beaches are everywhere, we are all surrounded by them after all! But no two beaches are the same, and New Zealand beaches will always hold a special place in my heart. I know in my heart that these are the nicest beaches in the world, we are all a little biased right?

Something truly unique about the beaches on the west coast of New Zealand is the black sand, which can't be found at many beaches. The high amount of iron in the sand causes it to go dark. I miss the black sand, even the burning feet!

Tongaporutu beach

Nikon D5300 | Tongaporutu beach | location | More Info

Driving time from home: 60 minutes. Beautiful beach and lots of mud with amazing views.

This is probably my favourite beach in the Taranaki region. Protected by a surpassable wall of water when the tide is in, when the tide is out a whole new world is unlocked. This beach is all the more fun if you don't mind getting a little bit dirty in the mud and sand!

New Plymouth Coastal Walkway

Nikon D5300 | New Plymouth Coastal Walkway | location | More Info

Walking time from home: 5 minutes. A walkway that stretches the whole coast of the city. Traveling anywhere in New Plymouth on foot is made possible by the picturesque and scenic walk.

This is the coast that I grew up seeing every day. New Plymouth is a coastal city, and as such it is hard to not see the ocean. Especially when you live a mere 5 minutes away from it. In the distance Paritutu Rock can be seen, a remnant of the past. Once upon a time this was another volcano in the area!

The Park

Pukekura park

Nikon D5300 | Pukekura Park | location | More Info

Walking time from home: 20 minutes, Driving time: 5-10 minutes. A beautiful park that has many paths and activities and holds festivals throughout the year.

Pukekura Park sits right in the centre of New Plymouth, almost seeming as if the city is built around the park. While being breathtaking on its own, this park also holds festivals throughout the year, and brings thousands of visitors with its two biggest: The Festival of lights and Womad (World of Music and Dance). The park is filled with lakes, playgrounds, hill views, and different gardens and plantations. No matter what time of the year, rain or shine, the park provides a pleasant atmosphere that can be enjoyed by all.

Taranaki ‘A Little Bit Out There’

The second best region in the world to visit as decided by Lonely Plant, 2017.

image

'The joke goes that most travellers who reach Taranaki have just taken a wrong turn, a gag backed by stats showing that just 2% of New Zealand’s international visitors venture out this way. But a new motto – ‘A Little Bit Out There’ – offsets the region’s remote location with a deliciously offbeat new gallery dedicated to effervescent kinetic artist, filmmaker, painter and poet, Len Lye. In nearby Egmont National Park, meanwhile, a magnificent hiking trail is emerging from the shadows to challenge the Tongariro Alpine Crossing as the country’s finest one-day walk.'

Lonely Planet

This is my backyard, my home. A place that I miss. But along with that, an underrated and often not thought about location in a rather small country in the corner of the world.

On the tourism side, I hope that everyone gets a chance to visit at some point. But further, I hope that I get the chance to explore the world more myself. New Zealand is home, and it will always have that special place in my heart, but that doesn't by any means make me not want to see more of the world... After all, there is so much to see and do! What secrets can I find? What places can I discover? If anyone is interested in visiting New Zealand, then don't be one of the 98% who miss out on something very special! Visit Lonely Planet for more information:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/new-zealand/taranaki/travel-tips-and-articles/new-zealands-secret-paradise-the-best-of-taranaki/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d276f416

I am also more than willing to answer any questions of comments that you might have concerning New Zealand or Taranaki!

This post might have been a little weird beginning with a more personal/emotional element and then turning into a tourism based post, but I wanted to try something new. Writing a post simply about myself brings nothing but something I can look back upon one day, this way I hope to turn it into something that is useful to others.

All images in this post (with the exception of the lonely planet image) are my own work and are therefore my property | For best results, please view on a PC browser.

Hope everyone is having a great day, and remember to keep Steeming!

Emoticons created by @readallaboutit
Check them out here