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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.
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Photos from the Kaimai Range
I visited the Kaimai Range several times while I was staying in Whiritoa, so they were disjointed visits. Hour long drives out and back through small towns and straight roads (shocking, but the Waikato region nearby actually has straight roads!). However, since I visited about three times in the span of three weeks, there is no backbone to the whole area and no experience here that was particularly noteworthy, other than loving all the waterfalls. It's simply a pretty and deserving-of-visitors region, so I'm adding my favorite photos and maybe a few comments--mostly for me. Because I'll look back at this blog in three, five, and ten years, and want…
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Ducking Ropes and Slippery Slopes in Piha
I've heard it said that the west coast of New Zealand on the North and South Islands alike is the "wild west." The waves are bigger, the coasts are rockier, the people are fewer. Piha, about a 45 minute drive from Auckland through the Waitakere Ranges, proved much of this to be true. The black sand beach's most prominent feature is Lion Rock, which rises out of a sea of sand and a sea of waves to tower above the beach and the town. The waves beyond crashed and smashed and thundered, tossing and frothing like a herd of wildebeests.
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Over the Edge: Reflections on Selfies, Hand Prints, and Solo Travel
About a year ago, an article popped up on my Instagram feed about the discovery of a new cave with early history cave paintings, one of which was a handprint. This is not unusual. Handprints are a common form of cave painting. What stuck with me was that the consulted archeologist, when asked about the single handprint, shrugged and said the hand-print maker was perhaps only trying to say, “I was here.” Because I'm traveling on my own, the only way I get to say “I was here” is to have a photo of me in that spot.
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Getting My Feet Wet in Whangarei
Whangārei is located about two hours north of Auckland in the Northland region of the North Island. This (as I consider it) is the true start of my backpacking experience. Auckland was simply "traveling." However, in Whangārei, I feel like a real person, rather than Traveler Maddie. I finally am beginning to feel like New Zealand Maddie.