I spent the month I was in New Zealand with three different families.
With all three, I had unforgettable moments and created memories that I will carry with me forever.
I spent the first ten days with a lady named Karen in a small town called New Plymouth.
I lived with her in her house, which was located in a large retirement village, where I met many elderly people with whom I talked a lot about Italy. Many of them had visited it before and shared their experiences with me.

The first place she took me to was a restaurant where she introduced me to a typical New Zealand dish, fish and chips. The fish was delicious, and you could tell it was fresh.
I shared many beautiful moments with Karen; I visited many attractions, but my favorite was Hobbiton, where I got to see many sets from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sagas. During the early days, I explored a lot of the town where Karen lived, which was near a beautiful black sand coastline.
There, with some other Lions members, I climbed a very tall cliff where the only thing you could hold onto was a chain. The path was steep and challenging, but once we reached the top, there was a beautiful view of the sea, and you could see the entire town.
I also had some wonderful moments with her friends, Mr. and Mrs. Hogan, who were very welcoming during my stay with Karen.One evening, they cooked veal for me in the New Zealand way, and it was delicious!
During that time in Thames, I visited other attractions, such as the Driving Creek Railway, which is a train that takes you on a long journey adorned with beautiful ceramics.
The entire route was through a beautiful forest on a very high hill, and when we reached the top, the view was breathtaking.
One of the last places I visited with Karen was Mount Taranaki, where I took some beautiful photos of the snow-capped peak.
On the last day, we visited her daughter, who lived near the family I was going to stay with next. There, I met her daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandchildren.
The second family was a couple who lived in a lovely house, and my room was very spacious.
With them, I visited many towns with lots of New Zealand history. In fact, they took me to visit a museum about the Maori, who were a population that had migrated to New Zealand many centuries ago. Slowly, they developed across the entire island by mixing with the population that already lived there.
They explained to me that the Maori no longer exist because they had all intermarried with the English colonizers.
It was also very interesting to visit the towns where miners used to live, which were almost abandoned, but there were still some very old shops open.
They also took me to visit a farm where they showed me the process of milking cows, and I got to bottle-feed calves.
Murray, the husband, took me to the pool with him a few days, allowing me to stay in shape even after the various dinners I had with the Lions.As my final stop, I went to the home of another couple who had a beautiful house. They told me that they were the ones who chose the location and designed it.
With them, I couldn’t do much because the days were often cloudy.
Still, I managed to visit much of the neighborhood where they lived, and they took me to see all the wind turbines near their home.
I also visited a school where there was a Lions club made up of kids all my age. I introduced myself, and they asked me many questions about Italy.
Eventually, the day of departure arrived, and I felt very sad because in New Zealand I learned many things, but most of all, I met so many wonderful people.
I am always very grateful to the Lions for allowing me to take this trip.