As I bum-shuffled my way down the scree at Avalanche Peak I wished I was back in the bush | Rose Lu

As my family were neither middle class nor white European I didn’t venture into the bush until I was an adult – I’ll never forget my first time

• Guardian writers and readers describe their favourite place in New Zealand’s wilderness and why it’s special to them

Nothing beats the New Zealand bush. The writer Ashleigh Young once tweeted: “Sometimes NZ writers say ‘the forest’ instead of ‘the bush’ (and they definitely mean ‘the bush’) because they are nervous about saying ‘the bush’. Bring back the bush. If everyone does it, we will be fine.”

So here I am, proclaiming, “I love the bush!” Perhaps this is my opinion as an outdoor enthusiast and bisexual, but “bush” is the more accurate descriptor for the native flora of Aotearoa. Our bush is dense and scratchy, inured to the trample of boots. Our bush is thick and lush all year round, as few native plant species are deciduous. Our bush is not some wan forest: it is wild and overgrown, it does not encourage easy passage.

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