I was undecided as to whether this post should go under “tinder tales” (possibly coming soon) or spontaneous adventures. It might make a reappearance, honestly, but for now, it was a spontaneous adventure with a new friend. (It is absolutely no secret that I take serious advantage of Tinder while travelling. How else am I…
Category: new zealand
travel essay: to all of my travelling friends
To all of my travelling friends, You know who you are. And I am so LUCKY to have you. We met in a bar. In a hostel. On the train. In a plane. In the airport. On a boat. On The Boat. Through a friend of a friend of a friend. On the trail. We…
lodge review: altamont lodge
I had the very fortunate opportunity to go back to Wanaka two weekends ago. After being slightly unsure if my car would make the drive, (!!) I got the okay from the mechanic and headed out of Dunedin on a post-rainy sunny morning. I was headed for Wanaka to explore the town and find out…
new zealand: a hiker’s paradise, part one
When you google New Zealand, what images come up? Stunning landscapes, trails through pristine wilderness, rushing waterfalls, vistas over broad lakes, snow-capped mountains… It’s easy to imagine trekking through this sublime land and many do. There are so many great walks across New Zealand, and nine of them are actually referred to as Great Walks….
a penguin experience with the royal albatross centre
Last week, I joined my flatmate Mandy on a Penguin Tour with the Royal Albatross Centre out on the Otago Peninsula. It was one of the cooler moments in my life, watching tiny blue penguins scurry out of the water and up to their nesting holes in the hillside. Read on for my experience and…
one day in wanaka
I’m back with another post about what to do with only one day in a New Zealand town. This time, its Wanaka. Wanaka lies about an hour north of Queenstown, along Lake Hawea and the road to the West Coast. Its a snow lover’s paradise in the winter and a hiker’s paradise in the summer….
lodge review: kinloch lodge
The road to paradise begins, quite literally, at the junction of Paradise and Glenorchy. Here, you have two options: keep going down a gravelly road toward Paradise and Rees Valley, or turn left and circle the top of Lake Wakatipu toward Kinloch.Personally, I’ll always go for Kinloch. I arrived at Kinloch Lodge late in the…
one day in glenorchy/kinloch
I feel like the luckiest person right now. I sneaked away from Dunedin again and came back up to Kinloch for the weekend – after one really fun day and night in Wanaka – and I can’t get over how stunning it is up here in the High Country. I found a station for sale…
tastebuds: kinloch lodge
Back over my birthday weekend, when I was drifting aimlessly through Central Otago with nothing concrete planned, I ended up at Kinloch Lodge, out on the edges of Lake Wakatipu, an hour and a half from Queenstown, down a gravel road near Paradise. I spent a few days here, hiking, enjoying the spa, chatting with…
in photos: the taieri gorge railway experience
Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel with Dunedin Railways on their Taieri Gorge Railway experience. It was a blustery day, and while the sun never made an appearance, the trip was worth every minute of my time and energy. You can read about my experience here, and enjoy this photo essay below.