a prairie girl who collects passport stamps.
Formerly a mining town, Reefton was heavily reliant on gold and coal. Thanks to the creativity of people like Patsy, the town has been revitalised and Kiwis have a new reason to visit this historic destination. For a town that’s nearly 150 years old, Reefton has aged well and continues to draw crowds from across New Zealand.
I don't know about you, but I've been dreaming of the day I could get together with a few friends for a post-lockdown adventure. I've even made lists of all the activities I was looking forward to once New Zealand moved to Alert Level Two… Deciding where to go for our first proper outing in [...]
If you're wanting to experience winter in New Zealand, you'll have to go further south than Christchurch. Accustomed to full-scale, snow-globe, frostbitten winters back home, it's almost a relief to see the snow-capped Southern Alps, even from a distance. So, when an invite to stay at Isolation Bay came through, you'd better believe this Canadian [...]
I conducted a poll on my Instagram stories asking if you'd be interested in hearing my pros and cons of living in New Zealand. It turns out, quite a few of you are intrigued, so here we are. For those of you who are just tuning in, here's a quick rundown: I studied in Auckland [...]
Nowhere in Auckland has as many excellent eateries, quality cafés and beautiful boutiques as Ponsonby. The affluent suburb is synonymous with style and one would be remiss to visit the City of Sails without spending some time here. When I was studying in Auckland, I dreamt of renting a small villa in Ponsonby amongst the [...]
The last time I was in New Plymouth was to see Tegan and Sara open for Jack Johnson in 2010. Evidently Jack Johnson chose Taranaki as the destination for one of his two New Zealand shows because of its reputation for having some of the country's best surf. Taranaki is known for much more than [...]
Access to some of the country's most spectacular regions is one of the reasons Nick and I moved to Christchurch. With Banks Peninsula on our doorstep, the drive to Akaroa is a winding wonderland of sights. Stop at Hilltop Tavern for a coffee or quick bite before carrying on down the road. The views are [...]
The scenic drive to Hanmer Springs is a mere 90 minutes north of Christchurch. Perfect for a weekend away, the resort town is popular amongst Cantabrians and international visitors. I had yet to visit Hanmer despite having resided in Christchurch for almost two years. Nick's birthday weekend was a great excuse to treat ourselves to a [...]
As New Zealand's adventure capital, Queenstown is on everybody's travel bucket list. On my first visit in April 2009, my friends and I decided it was a good idea to go bungy jumping, sky diving, white water rafting, jet boating, luging and for a helicopter ride - in one weekend alone! We also tried Fergburger, visited a multitude [...]
Having visited Queenstown a handful of times, I still marvel at the drive down from Christchurch. The Canterbury plains swiftly disappear to reveal rolling hills and turquoise, azure lakes. With so many changes in scenery, the drive never becomes stagnant. Many a tourist flies into Christchurch from the North Island, ready to journey south. And so, why [...]
