Jennifer Ludlam Shortland Street

When you live on gorgeous Waiheke Island, it’s easy to believe that you are always on a summer holiday, tells Jennifer Ludlam. But this summer, she will be leaving the idyllic Auckland island to head home.

“I will travel to my hometown of Taumarunui to see family. I also plan to spend quality time with friends who are visiting from abroad,” she says.

Jennifer has fond memories as a child of her family loading up the car in Taumarunui and driving north to Auckland on long metal roads to holiday at the small coastal town of Mairangi Bay, as it was then.

When Jennifer is on vacation, she likes to let the days unfold. “It is so nice to not have a schedule, early starts or be learning lines!” she admits. “I love to walk, swim and garden, and at the end of the day enjoy a nice glass of chardonnay and watch the sun set.”

When she has a three-day weekend, she will often get on the car ferry from Waiheke and drive the coastal road to Coromandel, head to Raglan or in the other direction to Leigh.

And she doesn't mind if it rains this summer either.

“It would be a little cruel, but personally, I would be delighted because it would mean my water tank is full, the garden is watered, and I would just put a raincoat on and go for a walk!”

Jennifer has never made a New Year’s resolution, but if she had to make one, it would be to say “yes” more often. “And to remember to reach out to friends to check in. It’s so easy to get caught up in your own life at times.”

She feels blessed to live in New Zealand, but she is sure she is not alone when she says she hopes she can travel overseas again.

“I have spent a lot of time over the years travelling through Bali and Asia, which feel like a second home. I have made many friends there, so it would be nice to be able to safely visit again.”