My travels abroad aren’t complete without a little bit of shopping. And even though I wasn’t able to shop something for myself (like a souvenir shirt or hoodie) during my entire New Zealand trip (a first for me!), I managed to get a number of Kiwi snacks from Four Square and Countdown supermarkets.

Everything is expensive in New Zealand, like a regular MAC lipstick costs Php 390 more there or the cheapest microwave beef lasagna I found was NZ$ 5. But if there are two affordable items that are worth buying in NZ, these are milk and chocolates.

I didn’t go too crazy in my snacks shopping, but I did get myself 18 items. I was able to bring home most of them and consumed two snacks during my vacation. 80% of these are chocolates in different varieties and I’ve taste tested them in different days. I won’t blab much longer – here’s my Kiwi snacks haul straight from New Zealand!

I just came back from my 9-day trip in New Zealand and it was awesome! Though this vacation was short, this was the longest trip I had this year. It was a battle between going back to Europe for the fourth time or going Oceania for something different. We took the latter option and New Zealand didn’t disappoint. For friends and family asking if I was in NZ for #TheWanForAnne, no I wasn’t there for Erwan Heussaff and Anne Curtis’ wedding (how I wish! Lol).

Enjoying the sun and the view of Lake Wakatipu and snow-capped peaks in Queenstown, New Zealand

Kidding aside, going to New Zealand was a long journey. It took us three plane rides (Manila – Bangkok – Auckland – Queenstown) and more than 24 hours of travel time to finally get to Queenstown. We left Manila at 1:00 PM on November 2 and arrived in Queenstown at 7:40 PM on November 3. The sun was just about to set when we landed and it was one of the most beautiful airport locations I’ve been to, probably one of the best in the world. Queenstown Airport is surrounded by vast, snow-capped mountain ranges all year round. Yes, it was spring when we arrived, but the weather was full-on winter!

New Zealand is known for its nature attractions and preserved natural resources so if you’re the outdoor type of person, this country is your perfect haven. Lush greens and forests, towering peaks, gushing waterfalls, and still lakes – there’s always a nature trip endeavor for every adventure-seeker.