Learning to Ski: Wanaka or Queenstown?

Whilst there are ski fields dotted all over New Zealand, you will find the majority of snow seekers gathering in the Otago region of the South Island. With four major ski fields: Treble Cone, Cardrona Alpine Resort, The Remarkables, and Coronet Peak, you have plenty of choices. The Remarkables and Coronet Peak are owned by … Continue reading Learning to Ski: Wanaka or Queenstown?

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Learning to Ski in New Zealand

Skiing. I had done it on the water with fat skis that would wiggle and jump and sometimes pitch me face first into the water. I had seen it on TV, with skiers launching themselves into scary heights hoping their strapped-in ankles wouldn’t snap like dry twigs upon landing. And I’d heard about it from … Continue reading Learning to Ski in New Zealand

How to Backpack New Zealand on an Extreme Budget

Accidentally glance at New Zealand on a map and when you check your wallet later you will notice that you are missing twenty dollars. There is no denying that New Zealand is expensive; $1500 will buy you a month living in some shady hostels and eating wiggly noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Vegetable soup … Continue reading How to Backpack New Zealand on an Extreme Budget

Love it or loathe it: Queenstown

A lot of people, when quizzed about the New Zealand’s south island, would wax poetic about places like Milford Sound and Wanaka, and would be very quick to dismiss Queenstown with words like ‘flashy’ and ‘crowded’ being thrown around. Coupled with it’s world-wide reputation of being ‘the adrenaline capital’, you imagine it to be a … Continue reading Love it or loathe it: Queenstown

Kaikoura: Where the Mountains meet the Sea

Kaikoura is a special place. A quick mention that you’re going there will almost always illicit a happy recommendation. New Zealanders are quick to state just how beautiful the little seaside town is, and backpackers declare it a ‘must do’ with stories of seal encounters, cheerful hostels, and cheap food options (fush n’ chips aplenty!). … Continue reading Kaikoura: Where the Mountains meet the Sea

A Campervan Adventure in Tekapo and Wanaka

Everybody and their Grandmother hires a campervan or motorhome when they touch ground on the South Island in New Zealand. Whether it is a monstrous beast that puts Howl’s Moving Castle to shame, or a glorified trash heap that is more moving garbage can than car, there is a reason for this transportation trend. I … Continue reading A Campervan Adventure in Tekapo and Wanaka

Getting Steamy in Rotorua

I am a serial over planner. I read reviews on TripAdvisor, scour through blog posts, flip through Lonely Planets, and sometimes even venture onto the second page of Google to troll through even MORE information. That is true research dedication right there. If Googling travel destinations was a legitimate hobby, I would be the president … Continue reading Getting Steamy in Rotorua

The Places That Make Up My Brisbane

You can poke your toes into the water, or you can dive right in. The first five years of living with Brisbane, I poked my toes in, shuddered, and declared that I hated the water. The last year, I threw on my most flamboyant swimming suit, grinned to my friends, grabbed their hands, and jumped … Continue reading The Places That Make Up My Brisbane

Embracing Brisbane: A Bucket List

“I wish I knew how to quit you.”     ― Annie Proulx, Brokeback Mountain  Australia has welcomed me back into it's sweaty embrace after a year of non-stop travel. I admit I was reluctant to return to the motherland, but Australia has a way of sucking you back in. One day you're drinking a flat … Continue reading Embracing Brisbane: A Bucket List

7 Things to Know Before You Go: Australia Edition

  My favourite, and possibly the only joke I know, goes like this. What’s the difference between yogurt and Australia? Yogurt has culture.. As funny as I think this joke is and as much as I am itching to escape my homeland, I can see the appeal Australia has for travellers. Where else can you … Continue reading 7 Things to Know Before You Go: Australia Edition