A month ago, I packed up my life in Dunedin and headed out on one last big road trip across New Zealand. Here is week one! ** dates of travel: 1-8 Nov 2016 It was absolutely pouring down when I drove out of Dunedin for the second to last time. I’m talking streaming down the…
Category: south island
new zealand: a hiker’s paradise, part four
This week in New Zealand: A Hiker’s Paradise, I begin with South Island hikes around Christchurch and the Banks Peninsula, inland toward Wanaka and Queenstown, and across to the West Coast. As stated in the last post, the climate changes quite a bit as you head further south. The landscape becomes more mountainous, the nights…
travel essay: hiking roy’s peak
The afternoon sun is hot on my shoulders as I make my way from my car to the start of the track. Above me, the peak rises almost vertical, the trail obscured by the shrubs and tussocks on the mountainside. There are still people arriving – like me, late to the party – to the…
one day in oamaru
The Steampunk capital of New Zealand is a vibrant town with a tiny Victorian precinct and a thriving penguin colony. Located on the South Island, about an hour and a quarter from Dunedin, on the coast of northern Otago, Oamaru’s old town is charming and quaint. You really only need one day here, maybe the…
new zealand: a hiker’s paradise, part three
This week’s hiking in New Zealand post kicks off on the South Island. From Wellington, you can see the Marlborough Sounds, and since they’re on pretty much the same latitude, the climate is very similar. The further south you go, the more varied the landscape and the climate gets. Expect chillier nights, warm days, and…
chasing waterfalls: ten of new zealand’s best cascades
One thing I’ve done a lot of recently is track down waterfalls in New Zealand. Southern NZ is full of them, especially in the Catlins and Fiordland, but there are some really amazing ones in the North Island as well. Some waterfalls you can only see via hiking trails like the Milford Track – like…
travel trends: new zealand vineyards
Hey wine-lovers! This is a story for you! I realised I haven’t written anything about wine in New Zealand and holy crap that’s shocking because I have tried probably most wines from this incredible country. Alright, maybe not quite… but I’ve tried wine from every region and its all bloody good. In this post, I…
25 things to do in dunedin
You didn’t really think I could get away without posting a 25 things to do post about my newest hometown, did you? I’m so in love with this city. It’s less crowded than Auckland, on the water like Wellington (better weather than Welly too but we won’t tell them that,) full of remote beaches and…
a brush with spontaneity: the moeraki boulders
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…
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…