Miss World New Zealand Deborah Lambie (25) said she was enjoying relaxing at her parents crib in Bendigo, near Cromwell, after a "full-on'' month, including competing at the Miss World pageant in China.
The pageant final was on December 19 and Dr Lambie was placed 15th among the 117 contestants.
She returned to Dunedin on December 23 to celebrate Christmas with her family.
"I really needed a rest, so it's nice to be back,'' she said from Bendigo yesterday.
On her return, she was "surprised by the reaction'' to the haka she performed at the pageant and the mixed response it received on social media.
"I made a massive effort to learn it properly and I hadn't expected that polarised response ... I have no regrets about doing it at all.''
The people at the pageant loved the haka and she loved performing it, she said.
Before leaving for China, Dr Lambie finished her study at University of Otago's Dunedin School of Medicine to attend the pageant, she missed the chance to graduate with her class earlier this month, but had no regrets about missing her graduation ceremony and was happy to have been representing her country.
"It's just part of the opportunity cost. Sadly, you can't be in two places at once.''
She will start work as a doctor at Wellington Hospital in February next year.
Wellington was the home town of her fiance, David Cameron.
The pair recently announced their engagement on social media, although the proposal was made in Wanaka more than a year ago.
The engagement was never a secret but the time seemed right to make a public announcement, she said.
Mr Cameron (27) is the founder of LearnKo, an online platform teaching English to Chinese students.
The pair met when studying in Dunedin and Dr Lambie expected their wedding to be held in about a year.
"We are thinking Dunedin [as a venue] but it's not official.''
