Like many New Zealand families in the early 1980s my family migrated to Australia to seek out opportunities for a better life.
I was 10 years old at the time. It was nearly five years later when I returned to holiday with extended family.
I was packing plenty of teenage girl attitude and little enthusiasm for the journey that awaited me.
It was a road trip, up the east coast of the South Island from Christchurch to Golden Bay, with my aunt, uncle and four cousins.
We kids rode in the back of a ute.
This was the rough and ready Kiwi culture I wasn't accustomed to.
I definitely felt like the odd one out among the Swanndris and muddy boots.
Fishing gear and other equipment was packed in around us.
When we arrived at our destination, a camping ground miles from nowhere, the pop-up caravan and awning had to be erected before we could go off and explore the area.
There was a beautiful stretch of beach not far from where we set up camp.
That night we had a bonfire on the beach.
The following day we went for a hike on the Heaphy Track.
I didn't know it at the time but this was to be the best day of my life!
I had never been into a rainforest before.
It was teeming with life, filled with birdsong and the smell of rain and damp earth.
I couldn't believe how grand the trees looked.
I remember crossing a swing bridge over a ravine, waterfalls flowing from rocky outcrops in the forest floor into the depths below.
I was captivated by this place, it was beautiful.
All my senses were engaged and taking it all in.
With my cool demeanour left by the wayside, I was calm and felt connected, happy and peaceful.
I didn't walk out of that forest quite the same person I was when I had entered that day.
I returned to Australia for a short while, time enough to save the money I needed to return to New Zealand to live.
Nowadays I'm inclined to take whatever opportunity arises to explore this beautiful country.
I love road trips, meeting people along the way, discovering new places off the beaten track.
Our landscapes are sublime.
I am privileged to call Aotearoa New Zealand my birthplace, my home.
• Catherine Irvine is waste strategy officer at the Dunedin City Council.
