From Winchester to Wanaka
Liz Carlson loves our friendly, laid-back lifestyle, but could we leave the beetroot off the burgers, please?
Where are you from?
Winchester, Virginia in the US.
What inspired your move?
I had always dreamed about living here, and when my job teaching English in Spain ended, I thought it was a good opportunity to give it a try. That was five years ago and I haven’t looked back since.
What do you do here?
I’m a professional travel blogger. You can read my stories at Young Adventuress or follow me on Instagram for a lot of photos of mountains, coffee and alpacas. Basically, I travel New Zealand and the world and share my photos and stories online with my followers in the hopes of inspiring them to live more intrepid lives.
What surprised you most when you first arrived?
How genuinely friendly everyone was. I grew up in the suburbs outside Washington DC where you don’t make eye contact with anyone else. I love how nice and friendly and safe it feels here and I’m grateful for it every single day.
What are the greatest advantages to living here?
I’ve travelled all over the world, and New Zealand is still my favourite place. I think I’ve calmed down a lot since moving away from the chaos of urban DC life, and I feel like I’ve slowly become part of the Kiwi community, which feels really special.
Disadvantages?
I have to travel a lot for my job, and New Zealand is pretty much as far as you can get from most places, except Australia. I don’t mind though, more air miles for me.
How expensive is it compared to home?
I live in Wanaka, which has an incredibly high cost of living that keeps on going up and up. Right now, houses cost around $1 million and I’ve seen avocados on sale for $7 each at the supermarket. Insanity!
What do you do in your spare time?
I spend my spare time hiking in the mountains and reading by the lake in Wanaka. In winter I snowboard, and in summer I SUP [stand up paddle board] on the lake a lot.
What are your favourite New Zealand foods?
Flat whites and hokey pokey icecream. Not together.
How do you get around?
I get around in a very beat-up old burgundy Nissan Terrano SUV from the last century that will never stop running. It’s the best car in the world, and his name is Ron.
Favourite after-dark activity?
Looking at the stars. New Zealand is very special for having such little light pollution, especially on the South Island. Where I grew up, you could see about five stars in total in the night sky. Here, I’ll go out and lie down and watch the stars for hours and never get tired of it. Sometimes I even see the Southern Lights.
Your top three for visitors?
Visiting a predator-free ecosanctuary or offshore island. New Zealand’s natural history and wildlife are unique to the rest of the world and once you visit a place that has worked to bring that back, it can be incredibly special. Especially if you get to see some native birds like kiwi. If you get the chance to carve your own pounamu it’s also a very special moment. Challenge yourself with one adventure activity. New Zealand is famous worldwide for its adventures, whether that’s a bungy, rafting, helicopter ride or big hike, get outside and do something out of your comfort zone.
Besides family and friends, what do you miss most about home?
Mexican food and Target. You’ll understand if you’ve ever been inside an American Target. It’s a magical place.
If you could change one thing about New Zealand, what would it be?
Less dairy farming and putting beetroot on burgers. It’s an abomination.