My wedding anniversary weekend was so lovely!
And far more history-inspired than I expected. I promised photos—so here they are:
New Zealand is not old.
Most towns recently celebrated their 150th anniversaries.
We don’t have grand castles and ancient ruins.
Except…
We have Dunedin.
This is as close as it gets to an English royal experience here and my husband Ben and I LOVED it!
We didn’t realize it, but we’d booked a room designed by a famous 19th century architect in Dunedin, R.A. Lawson.
The house was full of beautiful details and gorgeous ceilings.
My country boy husband pretends he doesn’t like nice things (but I know he secretly loves it).
The architect also designed New Zealand’s only castle. So we had to go see that.
Beautiful rooms and ceilings here too.
(I might have become a little obsessed with ceilings.) See the slightly crazed look in my eyes in the next photo? It’s a gorgeous ceiling-overload-look.
We also did other non-history related things—went ice skating, visited a butterfly house and then went to Wanaka where we explored a puzzle world and navigated a maze (and found out I’m far more determined and competitive than Ben).
Dunedin is up there now with one of our favorite places to visit.
What’s the best place you’ve stayed?
By the way, I restarted my second Substack this week—just for fun. I find all sorts of interesting facts when I’m reading and researching and thought I’d share some.
If you want to read 3 interesting things on a Thursday come check it out.
Thank you for sharing your NZ photo essay. After spending decades in the leisure travel industry and traveling the world, I am frequently asked, "What is your favorite destination?"
Without hesitation I answer, "The South Island of New Zealand."
What's not to like about an island that boasts a glacier and a rain forest, a cultural intensity and a modern wine industry, and a larger population of sheep rather than people? The Kiwi's are masters of humor and hospitality--a fascinating and addictive combination.
BTW, based on my Iowa farm-boy heritage, it appears your husband feels right at home in NZ.
Cheers!
What a beautiful place, Kelly. I love visiting National Trust properties here in the UK 🇬🇧 and am always drawn to the gardens.