1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: July & August
Today, July 29, marks the start of my second month in New Zealand, so I’m posting the first few weeks of my 1 year of New Zealand selfies. When you’re traveling alone, sometimes the ubiquitous selfie is all you have.
More photos will be uploaded to this page every few weeks. If you’re subscribed to my new post notifications, you won’t get an email when new selfies are added (since the page will already be published). So you can check back here occasionally to see what each day is like with a New Zealand Working Holiday Visa!
*Note: For full stories about many of the regions, hikes, and activities featured in these selfies, you can click this link to view the complete list of Oceania Travel Entries.
**Final note: I decided it was too much scrolling to post 365 selfies on a single page, so you can access other months at the links below:
September & October
November & December
June 29
Auckland: arrival day & walked Mount Eden
June 30
Auckland: visited the Wintergardens
July 1
Auckland: walked One Tree Hill Park
July 2
Devonport: hiked the North Head Historic Reserve
July 3
Auckland: night out with hostel people playing mini golf
July 4
Waiheke Island: Mokemoke Pā Headland Walk
July 5
Hauraki Gulf: early morning ferry to Great Barrier Island
July 6
GBI: windy day by the water
July 7
GBI: working in the garden
July 8
GBI: seaweed gathering
July 9
GBI: sunny morning drinking tea on my WWOOF host’s deck
July 10
GBI: exploring one of the island’s sandy beaches
July 11
GBI: baked a square apple pie for my WWOOF host
July 12
GBI: hiked to Kaitoke Hot Springs for a soak
July 13
GBI: walked in the ocean, even though it’s winter!
July 14
Tryphena Wharf: headed back to Auckland on the ferry
July 15
Auckland: Explored the Viaduct Basin while it was all lit up for Matariki
July 16
Auckland: spent the day car shopping
July 17
Auckland: took the train to go test drive a car
July 18
Auckland: I finally bought a car!
July 19
Waipu Gorge: drove to Piroa Falls for my new car’s maiden voyage
July 20
Whangārei: hiked the Te Whara Trail at Whangārei Heads
July 21
Whangārei: explored Mount Parihaka and A. H. Reed Memorial Park
July 22
Waipu Caves: looked for glow worms
July 23
Paihia: learned about Māori and British history at Waitangi Treaty Grounds (and ate lunch)
July 24
Paihia: watched the sunset on the beach after a cruise in the Bay of Islands
July 25
Kerikeri: explored six waterfalls, including my favorite, the Te Wairere waterfall
July 26
Mahinepua Bay: hiked the Mahinepua Bay Peninsula track
July 27
Kaeo: hiked the Duke’s Nose Track
July 28
Cape Reinga: Drove as far north as possible to where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet
July 29
Hokianga Harbor: explored the west coast and Wairere Boulders
July 30
Kaeo: a sunny day of rest, relaxation, and blog writing at Kahoe Farms Hostel
July 31
Kamo: hiked Pukenui Forest Loop to break up the drive from Kaeo to Auckland
August 1
Auckland: attended a FIFA Womens World Cup game: USA v. Portugal
August 2
Avondale: worked in the yard and took my WWOOF host’s dog for a walk
August 3
Avondale: repotted some of my WWOOF host’s flowers
August 4
Piha: arrived in Piha and walked the length of Piha Beach
August 5
Piha: hiked the Mercer Bay Track for pretty views over the Tasman Sea
August 6
Piha: scrambled over the remnants of a mud slide to see Kitekite Falls
August 7
Hunua Falls: hiked Hunua Falls to break up the drive between Piha and Whiritoa
August 8
Whiritoa: walked the beach in Whiritoa and spent a day relaxing at my AirBnB
August 9
Homunga Bay: hiked the Homunga Bay Track and William Wright Falls Track
August 10
Whiritoa: hiked from Whiritoa to Waimama Beach
August 11
Karangahake Gorge: biked the Hauraki Rail Trail from Waihi to Paeroa and back
August 12
Whangamatā: hiked to Wentworth Falls and got a flat tire
August 13
Whiritoa: laundry and planning day, as well as walks on the beach
August 14
Waihi: walked around the Martha Pit Mine while my car was in the shop for an oil leak
August 15
Waihi: hiked the Dickey Falls Track to a waterfall, including passing through a 180m mining tunnel
August 16
Coromandel: explored the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula
August 17
Mount Maunganui: hiked Mount Maunganui and walked the beach
August 18
Te Aroha: hiked Mount Te Aroha for views over the Bay of Plenty
August 19
Whiritoa: recovered from hiking Mount Te Aroha 😉
August 20
Whiritoa: cooked with my AirBnB hosts, played games, and watched the World Cup Final
August 21
Whangamatā: hiked Wharekirauponga Trail through a tunnel to a swing bridge and falls
August 22
McLaren Falls Park: hiked several tracks in McLaren Falls Park and kayaked on the lake
August 23
Whiritoa: read my book at the beach
August 24
Hot Water Beach: explored the east coast of the Coromandel, including Hot Water Beach
August 25
Paeroa: visited Paeroa and prepped for my hiking trip the next day
August 26
Pinnacles: hiked the Pinnacles track and stayed overnight at the hut
August 27
Pinnacles Hut: got a very poor night’s sleep before hiking down the track
August 28
Hamilton: visited the Hamilton Gardens
August 29
Hahei: kayaked to Cathedral Cove
August 30
Whiritoa: caught up on my blog, walked the beach, and found a mussel
August 31
Wairere Falls: hiked to the top of Wairere Falls, the tallest waterfall on the North Island
I optimistically thought I could fit 365 selfies on a single post page, but turns out that’s a lot of scrolling down and down and down some more, so I’m breaking it up into about 2 month segments.
Here’s a link to the next part:
1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: September & October
3 Comments
Lyle Sondergard
Hey you tough woman, your selfies are a cool way to background your happiness in your travels. You’re a breath of fresh air in our comparative boring daily routines. But we leave in a week for our usual annual visit to Anna Maria island Florida, so we get a beach-refresh to see the nightly sunsets from water line and the open sky. Take care and keep your adventurous perspective forever. Lyle
Maddie
Thanks Lyle! Enjoy your vacation!
Lyle Sondergard
Oh, we had a fun visit from your folks last week. They are pacesetters for us to dream that we might have ever been somewhat like, entrepreneurial, risk-takers and very happy together…time spent together is never wasted. I wish you the happiest life you can make. Lyle