A new country, a new car.
Since I really missed having a car in Australia, I decided to look for one straight away in New Zealand. After having done a couple of days of sightseeing I put my mind to it. Between the websites Trademe, Gumtree and Backpackerboard there were many options at this time of…
A taste of the Routeburn
I’ve only been in New Zealand for about 4 weeks, and yet I’ve met plenty of people who claim the Routeburn Track is the prettiest of the country. This walk usually takes three days, but I set out on a two-day walk to see if all those comments were actually…
Wonderful walks in the Aoraki/Mt Cook national park
Mt. Cook village is a good base to explore the Aoraki/Mt. Cook national park. Accommodation is generally expensive, but the local YHA has normal prices and is a very relaxed place to stay. In the warmer months you can also use the excellent campsite close to the village, where some of…
From dorm room to Routeburn
There’s a new girl in the room. “I’m going to do the first part of the Routeburn track, sleep in a hut, and walk back.” “O, awesome. I’ve been looking into that.” “Do you want to come?” And so it happens that I will set off for the Routeburn track…
Get your swag out!
Say what now? No, a swag has nothing to do with today’s oh-so-cool youth and their attitudes. One can swagger, but will never be as cool as sleeping in a swag. A swag is a big sleeping bag with a built-in mattress, a zipper along the side and a flap…
Hot pools and hot chocolate
Time is ticking away. I spent some awesome days in Pareora and did things I never thought I’d do. Queenstown is waiting though, and thus it’s time to hit the road! Since I don’t want to start working without having seen anything, I planned some stops along the way. First…
Pareora; family life
Travelling is all about new experiences. During one of my intense internet searches I came across Workaway. Workaway is an international platform where people can connect via volunteer work. I signed up as a volunteer and started browsing the ads. New Zealand seems like a perfect country to do this…
88 days diaries: Cheating
You never know what actually happens to your food. It happens everywhere; lying and cheating and messing around. A cherry farm is no different. The cherry season has ended, but the cheating continues. The cherries all go through a quality check, but if it didn’t pass, there was always a…
Travel theme: Glow
This week’s travel theme is glow. When I was in Sydney about two years ago, I visited the Vivid festival. It’s a beautiful artsy festival and the whole city seems to be glowing. Throughout the CBD there are light projections on the buildings. Here are some of my photo’s.
Driving the clouds away
Woohoo! The new car is checked, registered and ready to go after buying $140 petrol. This might become an expensive endeavor, but as soon as I hit the road, I know I have made the right decision in buying a car for my time in New Zealand. The freedom! My first…