Is New Zealand as awesome in real life as it sounds on paper? I've never been outside of the United States but hope to study abroad and/or WWOOF next summer and have been researching potential destinations lately. Everything I've read about New Zealand makes it sound like the most amazing country: low population density, excellent work/life balance, educated and tolerant population, amazing natural beauty, relatively low crime rates, etc. While I hate to generalize, is everything I've read so far really true?