Our final morning in Taupō takes us to the spectacular Aratiatia Rapids before we head towards Rotorua and rediscover Blue Lake, a favourite from 25 years ago.

For the last couple of years, we’ve found ourselves returning to somewhere that holds a really dear place in my heart, for so many reasons. Some places just stay with you, quietly weaving themselves into who you are. Luckily for me, it also happened to feature on Craig’s Top 5 Travel Destinations list — another slightly silly but surprisingly meaningful thing I got us to do in the early stages of our relationship. Travel and freedom have always been core values for me, and i