—The Catlins— If you happen to be in New Zealand and have a few days to spare, the Catlin area is a great place to stop by. Everything we saw in this blog post was seen over the course of one day, starting at about 7am. It sits about 3 hours away from Queenstown, 2 … More Swimming with tiny frickin’ dolphins!!!
So despite the Kepler track making every part of my body ache, I decided to head out for another 60 kilometers. However, instead of taking the three to four days that I suggest to everyone who comes to the visitor center, I crammed it into two because I guess I am some kind of masochist. … More Routeburn and Caples Tracks
Recently I finished my first lone adventure here in New Zealand. My worn down boots carried me and my 40 pound pack sixty kilometers over the tops of fiords that reached to the sky from untouched waters. It took me three days to clamber over the mountain saddles and back into civilization. Outside of the … More Happy Thanksgiving
One week of induction down and I am officially a Department of Conservation Ranger! I am not sure I have ever been so proud in my life. Alex gets to go out and save all the birds but my job is pretty cool too. I work in the Queenstown office and my duties are basically … More Crossing rivers and climbing mountains
I have fallen in love with this country and Queenstown might just be my favorite city on Earth (thus far). I think one of the reasons I love it so much is how in some ways it feels so much like home, but it has its quirks that keep me on my toes. So Alex … More 11 strange things about New Zealand, from an American perspective
I can’t believe a week of October has already past but spring is coming on fast. The sun is getting warmer and the cherry blossoms have bloomed. Good news for us because our DOC jobs start soon. Not that I have minded my job as a cleaner too much. I have met some amazing people … More
We have had such an exciting weekend that I am not sure where to begin! First things first. On Wednesday we went and checked out an apartment and starting Monday evening we will have ourselves a home! It isn’t exactly an apartment. We have our own room, bathroom, refrigerator and deck but there are still … More Cheers to summer!
I just returned from my job interview at the DOC and I think it went really well. The supervisor said she would contact me by Friday so I really really hope I get the call. Even if I don’t, there is actually a lot of jobs here. About a quarter of the shops downtown have … More Home Sweet Home, hopefully
After a glorious night of sleep we woke up to the tail end of the storm. We quickly packed up our things and made our breakfast in fear of another storm rolling in. Luckily one did not. We were now on our way to glacier country, home of the popular Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. … More Glacier Country
Screw air mattresses and sleeping pads, pillows are where it’s at! For less than the price of on new sleeping pad, Tracey and I both had a pillow top sleeping experience that could compare to a Hilton. Or we were so tired from the night before that anything felt great. The beginning of our trip … More Rock Pancakes
