The Tongariro Crossing is an 11-mile (18km) hike between two active volcanoes, one of which is Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings.
New Zealand
Video: Traditional Maori Haka Dance
During our third night of the bus tour, we stopped in Maketu for a bit of traditional Maori culture. We were entertained by a family’s music/dance show, and then the guys were invited to learn the Haka dance, while the ladies learned another type of dance. The lack of shirts was mandatory and it’s clear […]
Joining the Backpacker Bus Brigade
After paying a hefty sum for a bus tour with the STRAY company (new kid on the block to The Kiwi Experience), I almost missed my first departure. Yes, myself and 2 others were waiting in the right spot outside the hostel when time slowly ticked away and after more than an hour, I called […]
Hostel Life in Auckland
Before I start to write about my adventures on the STRAY backpacker bus, I wanted to share a clip from my first few minutes at a hostel in Auckland. I’m sure all my fellow backpackers can relate!
Dare #1 – Completed – Nose Pick @ Sky Tower
#1 – From Justin: I would come up with a sweet dare for you, except that, like you are soon to feel, my bank account has been poured into a not-too-narrow funnel. But if you pick your nose in front of the Sky Tower, I’ll buy you a beer. Reward: a tasty beer in New […]
Canyoning – Abseils, Jumps, and Chutes
I’d wanted to go canyoning since I first learned about it in 2005 while planning a trip to Costa Rica. It consists of maneuvering down a river canyon by combination of hiking, sliding down natural rock chutes, jumping off cliffs and waterfalls, and abseiling (rappelling). The Rough Guide referenced canyons a 40-minute drive west of […]
Goodbye Tahiti, Hello New Zealand
I spent my last night in Tahiti couchsurfing with Sam, though he actually gave me a spare bedroom to myself. With the open windows all the time, rather large roaches are not uncommon. Sam managed to squash two, and I surely injured a third before going to sleep. I didn’t sleep much though being that […]
An Inconvenient Truth
I started to recycle again today. I had stopped upon moving into my current studio apartment 4 years ago this month. The kitchen barely had room for a medium garbage can, let alone another bin for recycling plastic and glass. I told myself it’d attract bugs too. I told myself I’m just one person, not […]
Destination: New Zealand
I’m posting a second time today to test out the Google map. I wanted to establish a link to what I expect to be my first destination – Auckland, New Zealand. Land of the adventurous, home of the kiwis.
