Have you ever stood, craning your neck to look up into the canopy of the ancient kauri, Tane Mahuta, while peace and birdsong permeate your soul?
Have you ever felt the crusty spray and the satanic whiff as the Pohutu geyser shoots aloft while a dozen languages bubble through te reo?
Have you ever shivered in the receding darkness, standing in the china-white sand as you waited for the first sunrise over Makorori Beach?
Have you ever sat on the summit of Mt Taranaki and eaten a well-deserved sandwich while cows grazed far below on the lush, volcanic-rich pasture?
Have you ever experienced that mixture of fear and awe as an orca’s dorsal breached beside your too-fragile kayak in the shining waters of the Abel Tasman?
Have you ever paused atop a ski run on Coronet Peak and reflected on the reflections of sunlight dancing on snow and water?
Have you ever felt sorry for tourism chiefs and advertising creatives trapped in offices in the Auckland CBD dreaming up “100% Pure” and “Clean and Green”?