Auckland isn’t one of my favorite cities in the world. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad city. I just find it to be quit boring- it’s a business city lacking the character of Wellington or Queenstown. I think living in Auckland would be great. It’s a beautiful city, there are a lot of parks [...]
Tag Archives: New Zealand
Hiking the Tongariro
March 17, 2010 – 10:41 am
The Tongariro Crossing is considered the best one day hike in New Zealand. It is a 19.4km hike that takes you through the area where they filmed Mordor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a mostly easy walk, though there are a few places where the ascent and descent is pretty steep. Moreover, if you [...]
Is This Really Travel?
March 8, 2010 – 6:58 am
For the last three months, I’ve been traveling around Australasia visiting New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia (for the second time). I’ve noticed something interesting- a lot of the travelers I see are young (18-24) gap year kids and most never consider leaving “the beaten track.”
Don’t get me wrong- I am happy to see people [...]
Budgeting in New Zealand
March 3, 2010 – 4:06 pm
When I went to New Zealand, my goal was to live within a budget. After paying $15 dollars for lunch I knew New Zealand was going to be more expensive than I had originally though. While I work and travel and could afford $15 dollars for lunch, I wanted to live within a budget that [...]
New Zealand’s Backpacker Buses
February 28, 2010 – 10:03 am
One of the biggest ways travelers get across New Zealand is by backpacker bus. These buses offer a hop on/hop off service allowing travelers the flexibility to go at their own pace but also the convenience of having travel and activities organized for them. New Zealand has three major hop on/hop off buses: Kiwi Experience, [...]
My Favorite Hostels in New Zealand
February 17, 2010 – 6:43 pm
Traveling around New Zealand, I’ve made it a goal to stay at a variety of different hostels. I didn’t want to just stay at the chains like Base or Nomads. I wanted to see small operations besides just big chains. I quickly found out though, most of New Zealand is dominated by chains such as [...]
Great Reasons to Visit New Zealand
February 15, 2010 – 7:25 am
New Zealand’s far away location ensures that its natural beauty is protected from the hordes of tourists who would overwhelm this place if it was easy to get to. True, New Zealand’s greatness has been exposed to the world by movies like Lord of the Rings but, surprisingly, few people make their way down here. [...]
The Weekly Photo: Mount Doom
February 11, 2010 – 4:05 pm
Mount Ngauruhoe a.k.a. Mount Doom, Tongariro Park, New Zealand
Bungy Jumping the Nevis
February 9, 2010 – 7:35 am
New Zealand is known for its adventure activities. People come from around the world to white water raft, hike, glacier trek, sky dive, and bungy jump. And one of the best places to do a bungy is in Queenstown, New Zealand. Queenstown is home to a lot of bungy operators, the most famous of which [...]
A Look at Maori Culture
January 6, 2010 – 6:14 pm
Maori culture has always fascinated me ever since I saw the movie Whale Rider. Their history, cool tattoos, dancing, beliefs, and general relaxed personality make them very interesting to me. As the indigenous people of New Zealand, they haven’t done well since the arrival of European settlers. Then again, no indigenous population fared well after [...]
