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Peace, Love, and Turtles – Gili Air, Indonesia
Beneath my feet, beneath the planks of the dock, it is the brightest turquoise. A pale sandy beach runs in each direction and the most perfect shades of blue stretching away. To my right is the large island of Lombok with green hills and mountains. To the left is Gili Meno and Gili T.
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A Quarter of a Century Old in Sydney, Australia
I cried when the plane left New Zealand, but in the air, as I crossed the Tasman Sea, I regained my sense of exploration and landed in Sydney, Australia with the wide eyes and the eager heart of an adventurer.
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Three Actual Trip Itineraries I’ve Done in New Zealand
This post includes three actual itineraries for trips I planned and executed with the participating parties. Each group came for a different amount of time with different goals (which I've also listed). Each was a successful trip, though I will include a few lessons learned at the end of each itinerary.
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Kunkels in Kaikoura: the End of the Line
I wake up on day 18. There's a horrible little thought in my head. Abel Tasman was such a world of it's own that there was no room for intruding thoughts. But Abel Tasman is now behind me, and there is that horrible little thought growing bigger and bolder...
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Spoiled in the Sand: Adventures in Abel Tasman National Park
The beach-side spoiling actually starts two days before Abel Tasman National Park when the bus pulls up to our AirBnB in Mapua, which is a small coastal town about half an hour from Nelson in the Tasman Bay. Not only is it beach front with a beautiful deck and soft sand, but it is so close to the Mapua Wharf...
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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 differently.
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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 staying in Bluff, so I could check two places off the list. But there were still seven stops I had to make in a single day, and at least six hours of driving between me and my next hostel! So buckle up, cause you're gonna crash and careen through this…
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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 rave reviews. So, as I kept hearing about how awesome Stewart Island was, I knew I really had to make the effort.
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I Would Drive 500 Miles…Just to Hike 20 More
I compile my items and hop in the car to drive from Kaikōura to Karamea. From East Coast to West Coast in one day. New Zealand is such a small country. But...also not that small. It's 263 miles, but will take seven hours. Distance-wise it's like driving from Longmont to North Platte, Nebraska. But it will take almost twice as long.
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The North of the South: Picton to Golden Bay
Crossing the Cook Strait between the North Island and the South Island felt like embarking on a completely new adventure. Perhaps it was the high expectations. Afterall, nearly every person I've spoken to, kiwi and traveler alike, told me the South Island was the best island, that it would blow my mind, that it was far more beautiful. All of these expectations bubbled in the back of my mind like a boiling pot even as I tried to suppress them. High expectations often lead to disappointment.
