Stories – about travel

Nothing quite beats waking up on a grey, rainy Saturday morning with four hours of sleep under your belt and plans to go walk around an animal park all day. A huge part of me was wanting to beg my friend Ellen to cancel the trip to Orana Wildlife Park we’d planned. But alas, a … Read More

Despite how loathe I normally am to celebrate my own birthday, I was surprised to find myself actually looking forward to this year’s. For one, I am in New Zealand after all, so how can I not be excited? And then I would be having my first winter birthday – from laying out by the … Read More

Before arriving in New Zealand, I knew generally three things about the sort of animal life to be found in the country: 1. There are no squirrels. 2. There are, however, enough sheep to make up for the squirrels’ absence…and then some. 3. They have kiwis – not kiwifruit, but a little bird that lends … Read More

Despite a week or two of serious debating, in three weeks’ time I will officially be en route to Queenstown, via a southern tour of Dunedin, Invercargill, and Stewart Island. Like most things in life, the decision was a fast one. Newspaper articles, advice from friends, general hear-say – none of it spoke positively about … Read More

An island—‘tis of climate mild, Uncultivated once and wild, But peopled now and doated o’er With cottage homes from shore to shore, Whose owners till the fertile fields, And live on what their labour yields… — Francis Knowles, “A Dream,” written in 1851 upon arrival in New Zealand Easter weekend, I visited the Canterbury Museum … Read More

As the train pulled into the station at Greymouth, to my left was a Wal-Mart-sized Warehouse and Fresh Choice, two giants in the New Zealand circle of chain stores, and to my right a main street lined with buildings sporting Wild West-style facades. But the sun was shining and that was all that mattered. I … Read More

There’s nothing like having to get up on a Saturday morning earlier than you would during the week to propel you out of bed. Especially when it’s still dark outside, raining for the sixth day straight, and you have a ten-minute walk in front of you to the nearest bus stop. But thankfully it was … Read More

I broke my first glass at work last week, a margarita glass with a few drops of strawberry or mango pooled at the bottom of the stem. No big deal, right? As they say, there’s more where that came from. And like every other human being since Adam, I could blame someone else – the … Read More

“New Zealanders are solid tea drinkers when compared to other countries around the world! Tea consumption per capita in New Zealand is around 1kg – we consume more tea per head of population than Australia or USA.” – Bell Tea Company During my first few days at my office, I noted with increasing confusion a … Read More

Since I’ve been traveling from last August, my time abroad has kept me away from home for several major holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, which, coincidentally, is also my dad’s birthday. And as the year goes on, I’m prepared to tick more and more off the list of holidays I will miss – … Read More