#starstoryBen, Angelina & Noemi: First Times

Written by Angelina

My partner Benjamin and I were very excited for our first overseas trip together and could think of no better location than around the South Island of New Zealand. This road trip was several years in the making, with us dreaming of escaping to New Zealand with our good friends Daniel and Noemi after the Sydney COVID lockdowns.

In October, we spent two magical weeks in the RV going around the South Island. I’ve previously been to the North Island, but was so excited to see the snow-capped mountains of the South Island for the first time. This was also exciting as it was Ben’s first time to New Zealand. My favourite areas were around the White Horse Hill Campground with views of mountains, Milford Sound, Franz Joseph Galizer and of course, Mount Sunday!

Ben and I are quite adventurous people, back home in Sydney we often spend long weekends 4wding and going on weekend trips with friends. There’s something about disconnecting from the normalness of life and work stress and being able to connect and find peace in nature. We are childhood friends and a lot of our childhood memories revolve around camping and bush walks in nature.

While everything about the trip was wonderful, my favourite experience was Ben surprising me with a proposal at Mount Sunday on a perfect sunny day. The location was perfect, with giant mountains in the background. As our good friends were with us, we were able to get great photos and videos of the proposal and celebrated with lunch cooked in the RV.

This trip meant so much to us as our first overseas trip together and now will remain my favourite for a long time. The RV road trip was such a unique and fun way to get around the South Island and make once in a lifetime memories.

I felt so happy to be on this road trip with my friends and Ben really made me the happiest girl in the world with his surprise proposal. It was so nice to lose track of time and get lost in the natural beauty of New Zealand. The mountains of the South Island made me feel in awe at their grandeur and like we were going on a great adventure.