Written by Joyce Ann Pardue, MD    

AOTEAROA: Land of the Long White Cloud.
Aptly named, as one can look into the New Zealand sky at any given moment and see such clouds somewhere above the horizon.

FLOWERS in abundance. Fields of Calla Lilies and Lilies of the Nile grow wild along the roadsides. Roses "riot" from mid November until mid January. One gardener's yard was a fantasy land of purples and lavenders. Stunning, to say the least. Flowering trees also abound - some just to be "showy" as many of these don't produce fruit. It would be hard to guess Mother Nature's favorite color for flowers, but I'd guess either purple or red.

WATERFALLS galore! On the Milford Walk we were serenaded with waterfalls practically every step of the way. At one point, we were in an open space surrounded with mountains beribboned with waterfalls - we appreciated the "surround sound" effect. In a setting like this, one is inspired, uplifted and adrenalized, which is a wonderful antidote to the discomforts of a long hike in adverse conditions. When it rains, it is as if there is a "new crop" of waterfalls as fresh ones come tumbling out of the mountains...

Dr. Joyce Ann Pardue is a Psychiatrist from Pasadena, Texas, USA, who has worked as a Global Medical locum tenens in her much-loved New Zealand, as well as Australia. Her self-proclaimed "sketchy reports" have inspired other physicians and their families to follow in her footsteps down under. Watch right here for more of her communiqués.