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Trekking with Kiwis – Off the Beaten Path
This story begins at the end of a dirt road far past the jewel-like Lake Ohau in the middle of the South Island. The dirt road carries a two-vehicle caravan down ruts and pot-holed roads. Sometimes the road splits to mirror the braided river to our right, letting our guide/driver choose his own adventure: a mini canyon carved out of…
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The Magical Milford Track and the Invention of Sandflies
A car. A bus. A boat. Finally, I arrive at the beginning of the Milford Track. One of New Zealand’s 10 Great Walks and often dubbed the Finest Walk in the World. So here I am. At the beginning of the Milford Track. Ahh, breathe it in. Take in the view. Snap a photo…
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Middle Earth Magic in New Zealand
I've never been one to obsess over actors, over sets, over costumes. I don't care about who played the character or where the movie was filmed or how the magic happened. I like the characters, the plot, the story. However, there is one film series that is a little bit different.
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Dueling Volcanoes and Fire Power in Tongariro National Park
What I imagined I would see when I reached Tongariro National Park was a battle ground: Open horizons. Scars of black rock, like charred ground. Rubble. Dry, choking air. A barren place. Hard. Void. Dark... Blame Mordor, I guess.
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1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: January & February
Happy 2024 from New Zealand! For the beginning of the year, I visited volcanoes, dropped back down to the South Island, and went on two epic adventures! Then, my parents and my aunt and uncle arrived for almost three weeks of fun!
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Easy, Yummy Hostel Dinners: Spiced-Up Store-Bought Indian Curry
I invented this because I tried a store-bought Indian curry all by itself (just add veggies) and found it too thick for my preferences and not spiced in my preferred way. Maybe you like store-bought curry just the way it is, in which case, your dinner is going to be even easier!
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Easy, Yummy Hostel Dinners: Elevated Pesto Pasta
I love pesto. Enough said. Also, so much pasta is left behind at hostels. I always search the free food shelf before deciding what I'm going to eat and there is almost always pasta of some kind.
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Easy, Yummy Hostel Dinners: Tuna Couscous Bowl
This is super easy to make and I love the sourness of the capers with the tuna.
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Cooking in Communal Kitchens: Cheap, Yummy Hostel Dinners
When I arrived in New Zealand, my observations of the people around me led me to understand that hostel cooking is basically like college cooking: ramen, pesto pasta, frozen pizzas, and microwave meals. But I didn't just want cheap and easy. The most important factor is yummy!
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A Backpacker’s Life, Introvert Style
How, you might wonder, does someone who loves spending weeks at home just reading and writing, deal with the constant change of location? How does an introverted, large-group adverse, anti-heavy-drinking, control-loving, homebody juggle her dichotomous desire to cheaply travel and explore the rest of the world? I'm here to give you the answer: small routines and big organization skills.
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Photos from New Zealand Christmas and New Year
My expectations of a Kiwi Christmas were, in no particular order: BBQ, beach, summer fun, games, big gatherings, and tables shuddering with the amount of delicious food. These expectations, I believe, could have been met by many families (as I've heard stories of recounted holidays from many Kiwi's on my journeys), but the couple I stayed with did things quite…
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Crashing through the Catlins + Cool Coastlines
Actually, I drove incredibly carefully through the Catlins--which is how I usually drive. However, since I had a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time, it did feel a bit like careening wildly through the region. Thankfully, I had driven out to see a few sites at the edge of the Catlins area when I'd been…
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Easy, Yummy Hostel Dinners: One Pot Veggie Risotto
When I arrived in New Zealand, my observations of the people around me led me to understand that hostel cooking is basically college cooking: ramen, pesto pasta, frozen pizzas, and microwave meals. But I didn't just want cheap and easy. The most important factor is yummy! After six months these are my go-to hostel dinners. This One Pot Veggie Risotto…
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Stewart Island: The Island of the Birds
Throughout my wanderings, multiple travelers have told me that Stewart Island was one of their favorite places in New Zealand. Stewart Island is at the bottom of the South Island. I'd loosely been planning on visiting the island (because I'd been to the farthest northern point, may as well try to get to the southern point!) before I heard these…
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The Sound of Silence: A Little Luxury and a Lot of Peace in Doubtful Sound
As we set sail on the 42 kilometer sound, one of the bigger ones in Fiordland, I nose my way around the ship, claiming my bunk and finding the best view points. Over a snack, we get some Fiordland history that answers some of my burning questions. First, what is a sound and what is a fiord?
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Easy, Yummy Hostel Dinners: Almost Instant Pizza
When I arrived in New Zealand, my observations of the people around me led me to understand that hostel cooking is basically college cooking: ramen, pesto pasta, frozen pizzas, and microwave meals. But I didn't just want cheap and easy. The most important factor is yummy! Pizza isn't usually my go to, but since so many people around me were…
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Rainy Routeburn: My First Great Walk
To be perfectly honest, I was not feeling all that excited the night before I was set to do the Routeburn Track. Because of the popularity of these Great Walks, you generally have to book your huts far in advance, which means you have no idea what the weather is going to do. When I checked in with the DOC…
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A Week in Wanaka Getting High
Wanaka is a town in the Otago region of the South Island. Not far from Queenstown, it's located on the shores of Lake Wanaka. And Lake Wanaka is a ginormous and stunning blue lake that fills an old glacial valley. That means there is plenty of room to spread out on the flat valley floor and that the lake edge…
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