The internet is a wonderful place; it has given us the ability to travel all around the globe whilst still connecting us to home. Gone are the days where your friends and family would have to wait days, even weeks on end for that fateful letter or postcard to let them know that you're alive. No longer do you have to spend a small fortune trying to call home, spending half your allotted telephone time attempting to work out how that goddamn pre-pay card works, and the other half battling the delayed responses and dodgy line connection, shouting "Can you hear me now?" and "Are you still there?" With the click of a button we are now able to phone home in a few seconds and (time differences depending) can look upon our loved ones faces whenever we so choose.
But sometimes we really have to remember to put the phone down, shut the internet away, and truly appreciate the places we've spent time, energy and a lot of money to travel to. And for that reason, I am grateful that that Kohutapu Lodge had absolutely no WIFI signal, so once we all woke up at 6am I had no choice but to watch the sun rise over Lake Aniwhenua.
It was peaceful. It was otherworldly. It was freeze-your-tits-off cold, but nothing several jumpers and a barrel full of coffee couldn't fix.