Picture little Emma, sitting in church, hearing about the new mission trip to New Zealand to spend a week with sweet kiddos. Hearing that NZ had less than 1% bible-teaching churches hurt my heart, & I wanted to know where to sign up. Getting there & working with the kids & the awesome people at Onekawa Bible Church was 10 days I would think about for years after. Learning about the Maori culture was fascinating, & seeing the GORGEOUS landscapes that surrounded them. They had grown up on this land, yet still couldn’t see that there must be a far greater creator. Was a good reminder to me of how blind we all are (myself especially) before Christ comes & opens our eyes.

I didn’t make it to the famed South Island this time, but the North Island has plenty of spots that have you picking your jaw up off the ground. Example A: Hobbiton. Whether you are a fan of the LOTR world or not, you know you’ve always wanted to visit the Shire. Example B: Cathedral Cove. It may not ring a bell, but Narnia scenes were filmed there!! You guys, I’ve seen Narnia. There were many other one-of-a-kind destinations, like Hot Water Beach & Rotorua. Take a look below…