There are more than a few things that make Wellington stand out from New Zealand’s other urban areas. It’s a beautiful harbor city perched at the southern tip of the North Island, known for good food and beer, a thriving café culture, hip residents, and above all, its oft-inclement weather.

I think many travelers can relate to the experience of seeing images of a particular place, view, landmark, or monument, and upon arrival it’s just not quite the same. From what I had heard, Taranaki could be one of those places.

“You know, you’ll never get New Zealand out of your system,” she said. “Oh, I know,” I replied, almost before the sommelier had finished her sentence, the minerality of the last pinot noir still lingering on my palette.

Bongos, rowdy Australians, bold ducks, an accordion, fireworks…there’s not much our first freedom camping experience didn’t include (oh, except running water.)

The sun was dropping in the partly cloudy sky as we reached the west coast of the North Island once again. About five minutes outside of town we reached our final destination, Solscape, an “eco-retreat” situated on a Raglan hillside.

Carlindsay is back in action and better than ever; we’ve covered just over 500 kilometers, hit both the east and west sides of the North Island, and checked off more than a few of the New Zealand "must-dos" plus found a couple of our own hidden treasures.

When I landed in Auckland last December, it’s safe to say Nelson wasn’t even on my radar. I certainly would not have been able to place it on a map of New Zealand.

It was never part of the original plan to buy a car and drive down here in New Zealand. Although, when I think about it, I guess there really wasn’t much of a plan at all.

Like so many of these NZ adventures, my recent overnight camping trip to the Marlborough Sounds started out without a great deal of organization or preparation, a real fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants operation.

There’s not a lot I won’t do for a good donut. Sure, there are people who might say that forty minutes is too far to drive for a donut. But I’m not friends with those people.

Most people are either surprised, appalled, or some mixture of the two when they find out that I am one of few and far between, that rare breed, a child of the Pacific Northwest with zero snow sports experience. The follow up question is usually an incredulous, “You’ve never skied or snowboarded?” Nope, never. 

Hola! It’s been a minute since I’ve posted a blog, I’ve been busy tramping around the Nelson region, (which is not what it sounds like, Mom.) Remember, tramping=hiking in Kiwi-speak.

The final destination of any trip westward at the top of the South Island is Cape Farewell, where the sunny Nelson region meets the wild West Coast.

There’s something to be said for going to bed and rising with the sun. Anytime I’m camping or hiking I’m always struck buy how much more natural it feels to sync your sleep schedule with daylight hours.

This particular mish started on another one of those crisp, clear, sunshiny fall mornings that Nelson does so well. The vehicle? My very own Kiwi whip, a little silver Subaru Impreza hatchback that I love not for her looks, but for her fuel efficiency and durability. I dubbed her Lil’ Beezy

It’s hard not to like Nelson. It’s kind of got it all; a gorgeous beach, the sea, mountain ranges to the West that are splashed with pink light every morning as the sun rises behind the foothills of the Richmond Range to the East, oh and did I mention it’s the sunniest place in New Zealand?

For six and a half glorious days during the third week of February, Auckland was graced with the presence of an American icon—no, not Bruce Springsteen or Nicholas Sparks (though I did see both of them)—it was the one and only Olivia.

I spent a total of twelve days in Paihia, which basically makes me an expert on the town, and therefore qualified to provide you with unsolicited travel advice. Here goes, my list of Paihia travel tips

It’s Valentine’s Day in New Zealand and so it seems appropriate to dedicate a blog post to love, letting the world know that I have fallen in love. I am in love with a taco.

Yesterday Mary hopped on her return flight to Seattle, and with that our 42 day adventure came to a close. But, as Semisonic aptly notes in their 1998 classic banger Closing Time, "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." And so begins my solo adventure!