Upon completing a New Zealand nature adventure, Nat Hab traveler Linda Ayres was inspired to compose the song lyrics shown below.
(The words are intended to be sung to the tune of Johnny Cash’s famous song, “I’ve Been Everywhere.”)
We’ve Been Everywhere (New Zealand)
We’ve been everywhere, man. We’ve been everywhere.
Along the Southern Alps, man.
Cruisin’ Milford Sound, man.
On to Stewart Island.
We’ve been everywhere.
©Mark Hickey
We’ve seen weka, weta, kiwi, kea, kaka, gecko, tuataras, tui, tomtits, takahe, pukeko, coots, scaups, fantails, bellbird, fernbird, oystercatchers, red-billed gulls, and big ol’ wood pigeons.
We’ve been everywhere.
We’ve been everywhere, man. We’ve been everywhere.
Gone through Arthur’s Pass, man.
Kayaked Lake Pearson.
Dashed through Hokitika.
We’ve been everywhere.
We dined on whitebait, crayfish, hokey pokey ice cream, Southland sushi, blue cod, ANZAC cookies, Pavlova, ginger beer, moonshine, iced chocolate, and lots and lots of lamb.
We ate everything.
© Mark Hickey
We’ve seen everything, man. We’ve seen everything.
Giant eels and glaciers.
Waterfalls and sand flies.
Glow-worms and fur seals.
We’ve seen everything.
We’ve seen Harrier hawks, crested grebes, shelducks, albatross, shags, pettrels, skuas, black swans, moreporks, a bra fence, Fiorland-crested penguins, and skinny-dipping men.
We’ve seen everything.
We’ve done everything, man. We’ve done everything.
Hiked up Mou Waho.
Ate a zillion Crunchies.
Sat beside the Tasman.
We’ve done everything.
We’ve seen the Southern Cross, Hector’s Dolphins, Cardboard Cathedral, Roarin’ Forties, Mount Brewster, Larnach’s Castle, Foveaux Strait, Ulva Island, Mitre Peak, and 30 million sheep.
We’ve seen everything.
We’ve had so much fun, man. We’ve had so much fun.
In Judy and Duncan’s care, man.
In our Sprinter van, man.
From Christchurch to Dunedin.
We’ve had so much fun.
Righty-O!
© Matt Goddard
