A Walk in New Zealand

I checked the sky for signs of rain and set of early to make the most of the day. I had packed my backs with a few necessities- a bite to eat, a bottle of water and heaps of curiosity about what the day would bring. I had looked forward to walking for a long time. A vacation to New Zealand simply called for great hikes.For a long time I walked along a small river. It curved into the soft landscape, and I followed along some grassy hills to see where they would bring me. Before I knew it, I had lost track of my way. Not that it bothered me much. In fact that was what I liked about walks like that. You see, when you walk into a landscape like that, there are no roads, nothing to tie you to a specific route. I was certain I would find my way back somehow, but for that moment; I decided to just enjoy the beauty of the foreign nature surrounding me. It was all so pretty, so nice to look at, but somehow it seemed distant. It was as if I was looking at a picture, rather than standing there myself.Regardless, I kept walking, and as I entered a small grove, I heard a distant drumming. I found this peculiar, as the area seemed deserted, but I decided to follow the sound further into the grove. The further I got, the more I heard. The rhythm was accompanied by eager voices and delightful laughter, and I simply couldn’t help but bop my head and smile. I followed the invisible path to a glade, where I encountered a small tribe of what I assumed had to be native people of New Zealand. They did not seem to be bothered by me presence, but perhaps they had not yet seen me. I just stood for a while and watched them. They reminded me a bit of the small children back home. The sheer happiness and wonder in their eyes as they danced around each other and the way they marveled at the beautiful world around them. Rarely have I seen anything, which has gotten to me, the way that scenery did. Sure, I had learned to appreciate the shallow beauty in nature, but never before had I noticed how alive it could be. Take for instance the glade. The way the grass would bend and rise under steady feet and how the flowers would sway to the music. All the smells and sounds and movements were all a part of each other.I think that was the point, I decided to leave without further interruptions. An uncontainable grin played on my lips, as I felt the nature surround me. I don’t think I will ever forget that day, and I will certainly never see a landscape the same way again. It has become a part of me.