Solitude. If you enjoy getting into the outdoors, you’ll enjoy a bit of peace and quiet from time to time, particularly if it involves surrounding yourself in bush or mountain views.

As Auckland prepares for another one million residents over the next couple of decades – many of those people coming from smaller New Zealand towns and cities – those of us living here will cherish a bit of solitude even more. Just as well we’re getting some practice in now with our feature on finding alone time in the some of our busiest national parks. On the face of it, finding solitude in places where people swarm to enjoy a Great Walk or for the novelty of viewing our highest mountain or to ride chairlifts and ski in their many thousands might seem impossible.

It’s not. There are still many lonely peaks, campsites and valleys to explore. You might have to sweat a bit more to get there, but that just makes it all the more worthwhile.

On the topic of Auckland, as more people move to the ‘Super City’, more will undoubtedly think of ways to escape. Moving to live in a small mountain town is a dream of many people and the reasons for wanting to make the move are similar to the reasons you might like to explore less-frequented parts of our national parks – only a little more permanent.

People who pack in their jobs to live in places like Ohakune or Wanaka are generally looking for a quieter lifestyle and a slower pace. The ones we’ve spoken to for the article on p42 also want easy access to the outdoors and the ability to spend more time with their families. It’s not an easy move – getting a livable income is one of the biggest challenges – but for those who succeed, it does appear to pay off. Their incomes may be lower than in the cities, but their lifestyle is vastly improved.

Just goes to show how amazing the outdoors is; a real healer of the soul.