Jacinda Ardern gives her top tips for when she packs her suitcase and takes a holiday with her loved ones.
First trip I remember:
It wasn’t my first holiday memory, but probably my most memorable as a kid. Opononi! We drove the five hour trip from Morrinsville with Mum and Dad playing The Carpenters on repeat. It was the first time I learnt to fish – sprats off the wharf with bamboo poles. I was so excited by my catch I went home and drew my own picture of it.
Best trip:
I can’t go past simple summer holidays at New Zealand beaches. But my best overseas trip was probably Japan with Clarke some years ago. It was one of our first trips together and I loved it.
Worst trip:
Possibly Opononi. The fishing was great but the Iraq was broke out and Mum and Dad spent the rest of the holiday watching it unfold. Mum then got a stomach bug. It was downhill from there.
Place that surprised me most:
It was never a surprise to me that I would love the East Coast, what did surprise me is how quickly it became a second home. I grew up going to Whangamata and The Mount but now summer doesn’t feel right without a trip to Gisborne or Mahia.
Biggest womp womp:
I have a few travel disasters. I used to travel a lot when I was the president of an international youth organisation. Once on my way to Peru, a colleague and I had a stopover in Florida. He managed to leave his laptop and wallet in a cab. We spent 24 hours calling every cab company in the city. It was not a good time!
Favourite holiday outfit:
Anything that’s not a suit.
Regrettable holiday outfit:
Every outfit I wore in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. There was a lot of fluoro and lycra.
Person I most like travelling with:
Clarke and Neve. Neve loves the water like her Dad and it’s such a joy.
Person I would jump off a moving train to avoid travelling with:
I’ve not yet found anyone I wouldn’t travel with again!
Cheese scone, meat pie or sausage roll?
Cheese scone in the morning. Meat pie in the afternoon.
Backpack, wheelie bag or suitcase?
Suitcase.
Bikini, one-piece or mumu?
Shorts and a t-shirt!
Stilettoes, sneakers or jandals?
Jandals.
Favourite holiday read:
Anything that isn’t a Cabinet Paper. Realistically these days it’s likely to be something I can share with Neve but Im also partial to spy novels, books about Antarctic exploration and basically anything written by Kiwis!
Best-kept secret in New Zealand (that I’m willing to share):
Tairawhiti!!
Most Instagrammable vista:
The top of Mokotahi Hill at Mahia.
No-holds-barred dream holiday:
I’ve always wanted to visit Antarctica. It’s such a special place and the history of it has been a long-held passion.
Back-to-real-life next holiday:
This will be a Christmas when we plan to spend some downtime as a family on the East Coast.
Holiday when you’re not having a holiday:
Reading a book. An actual book.
Tips for travelling with a toddler:
I’m not going to lie – it’s a screen!
Don’t let me leave the house without:
Sadly, my phone.
