8 Ways New Zealand is the best place on earth for slow, mindful travel

Although I haven’t been to every country on earth, I’d wager New Zealand is (one of) the best place to slow down and understand mindful living and travel. This is yet another love letter to New Zealand, the perfect little home that continues to impose meaningful lessons upon my growth-hungry self.

A question I get asked often is: why did it take moving to New Zealand to understand how to slow down? What makes New Zealand so special that slow travel and mindful living were finally accessible for this tortured little soul?

The answer is simple. Island lifestyle makes New Zealand one of the best places on earth to understand the value system behind slow travel and mindful living.

Without corporate America rising above me in every direction, without the “perks” of sprawling resorts and towering malls… a girl learns a thing or two.

I’m honored to be writing this post today on 8 ways New Zealand is the best place on earth for slow, mindful travel.

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8 Ways New Zealand is the best place on earth for slow, mindful travel

1. Māoritanga

I start here out of respect for Māori, New Zealand’s tangata whenua (indigenous people of the land).

I thank my job for daily exposure to Māoritanga and tikanga (Māori customs). Although it took time to understand it, Māoritanga, the Māori way of life, really landed for me as a value system for which to go about life.

Music and dance are an integral part of Māori culture, so it’s common to find us singing waiata (songs) in the office. Their poetic language titillates my soul, often with single words describing complex life concepts. Most common being kia ora, the act of acknowledging another person’s mana and ancestors, often used as a way to say hello in New Zealand.

I also mention the concept of Tūrangawaewae in the post below, the concept of finding home, a place to plant your feet and grow roots, which my friend Rose had found at the stunning Kaituna Riverside Cottage.

Slowing Down at Kaituna Riverside Cottage: Off-Grid in the Wairarapa

Māori have a deep connection with nature. Māori lore describes mystical ways in which the land came to be, with lyrical names for landmarks and great significance given to mountains, rivers, and valleys. Best part is, the New Zealand government is legally obligated to preserve Māoritanga, and that includes nature preservation (though they haven’t always done a good job).

Māoritanga seems to get a lot of things right, like the importance of family, heritage, music, and affinity with the natural world. I embraced this way of life all too easily, landing it as the most significant way New Zealand encourages a life of slow, mindful travel.

2. Small cities

This is one of my first disclaimers when someone plans to visit New Zealand. Outside of Auckland, there are no big cities here. If your idea of a good time is sprawling malls and beach resorts, you’re in the wrong country.

Not to say our mini-cities aren’t fun (we take our coffee and beer culture very seriously). But when someone says “Kaikoura is incredible”, I learned they’re often not talking about the town, but the nature surrounding it.

With this philosophy in mind, all entertainment becomes culture-bound and nature-oriented. The tourism industry is rooted in this, activities ranging from nature expeditions to heritage towns and historically significant museums.

New Zealand’s infrastructure is built to enjoy its wild nature and rich history as much as possible and it’s intoxicating.

3. Too expensive

I used to resent everything being so expensive in New Zealand. As a then-Amazon addict, I couldn’t fathom not having anything I wanted for $10 or less.

This was a rude awakening after moving here. It forced me to seek healthier forms of entertainment, hobbies that felt enriching and less hollow. Such as treks into nature, time nurturing relationships, and much much more mindful shopping.

I’ve learned to embrace things being expensive. Although it can be a bitch at times, it’s humbling to practice not being able to have everything I want at the drop of a hat. A world of instant gratification isn’t good for mental health.

This translated into the way I travel, choosing slower experiences and meaningful connection over the itinerary frenzy.

4. Nature and wildlife reserves

As mentioned, life in New Zealand is enriched by the natural world.

Although I didn’t “get” nature at first, there are such untouched universes of flora and fauna in this country that falling in love was inevitable.

I started to understand that being among nature didn’t just stop at a “pretty place”. There’s an emotion to it, a silent stillness where my senses awakened to everything alive. It pulled me into the world of plants and wildlife, taught me things as simple as distinguishing between bird songs, the direction of the wind and why that mattered.

This intimate relationship with the natural world is a staple of slow travel, reconnecting with the present moment and all other life forms we share this earth with.

5. Expansive landscape for solitude

To take it a step further, expansive landscapes of New Zealand provide many opportunities for solitude. This is the rare commodity of open space in your calendar with zero expectations. It’s my favorite way to spend the day… when I leave the fast life behind and take time to reconnect with myself and the earth.

This lifestyle made me reevaluate the important things in life. Feeling so small and absolutely insignificant – in the most literal sense when the earthquakes rattled me – was a necessary knock to my ego.

A humbling happens when you’re at nature’s mercy.

I transitioned from a world where everything mattered so much and I had all this anxiety about my life… to one where nothing mattered as much as I thought. It took the pressure off, and I stepped out of my mental cage. Ironically, exactly what I needed to start taking the world by storm.

And yes, I did all this ruminating out in the New Zealand wild. Amazing what happens when your brain gets a bit of quiet time to reflect and realign.

6. Friendly Kiwis

As I settled into my New Zealand home, it quickly became clear how kind and honest Kiwis (New Zealanders) are.

New Zealand is a small country. It’s important to make good impressions.

The culture of openness and incredible diversity (as an expat hotspot) made it easy to talk to pretty much anyone. To make connections and understand society a little more.

Kiwis are also a humble bunch and it gave me a breath of relief not to feel like every interaction was a competition in worth or prestige. It brought me pure friendships with people from all walks of life.

Caring about people and community is one of the pillars to slow travel. My spirit stretched open to understand cultures different from mine, their history, and the context of the world we share.

7. Small businesses 

New Zealand is built on small, family-owned businesses. So everywhere I spend my money, I feel like I’m interacting with something honest and human.

This is a key theme of mindful travel: voting with your dollar for small, heart-led businesses doing good work for people and community. 

And in New Zealand, it’s so easy! “Big corporation” culture isn’t really a thing here. The underbelly of corruption isn’t so prevalent as it is in other corners of the world so everywhere I spend feels good.

Mind you, New Zealand isn’t perfect. I still do my research and can’t fully abstain from international chains (like Lululemon). But mindful travel and mindful shopping doesn’t feel so impossible. Even snacks at the grocery store are from small New Zealand brands.

In fact, this one of my favorite parts of living here. Feeling like this society was built by a collection of family businesses with a moral compass.

8. A culture of slow living

All of the above summate into a lifestyle of slow living in New Zealand. This is the crème de la crème of slow travel, when everyone around you just cares. About community, the environment, connection.

Island culture is a good time. It’s living in a deeply connected way with plenty of space to enjoy life and surround yourself with everything you love most.

It gave me space to slow down and figure out the direction I want to take with my life: in business, relationships, travel. It’s been a journey of incredible growth.

Although I always miss my family, it’s going to be hard for me to leave a place where humanity still exists in abundance. I’m so lucky I get to call this place home, for now.

Have you been to New Zealand and do you agree it’s the best place on earth for slow, mindful travel? Where have you been in the world that has a similar value system?