Jenny Rankine writes in Lesbian News Aotearoa: New Zealand has gained another Pride festival with the renaming and expansion of the former Gay Ski Week QT, which this year will include Queenstown’s first Pride in the Park. The 2018 Gay Ski Week GT Winter Pride festival from September 1 to 8 will have three strands – the on-mountain events for skiers, the parties and … [Read more...]
Rēkohu – The Chatham Islands
Rēkohu (the Moriori name for the main island) is a world apart. A predominantly flat island, 860km east of Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. Recently four of our friends decided they must go. Here is a story from Charmaine and Tanya's recent visit.... In the midst of our house sorting and packing process, Tanya woke up one morning with a dream of … [Read more...]
The North Island of New Zealand – My Personal Favourites
When I told my well-traveled friends that I'd be pursuing an adventurous road trip around New Zealand's North Island, I received quite a few disappointed faces. “North? Why go North? All people ever talk about is the South Island!”. Don’t get me wrong – I was happy to have their input and wasn’t totally surprised by their reactions. The South Island, with its dramatic … [Read more...]
How to Successfully Travel – New Zealand to Canada
Ah, Canada. This is a country that pretty much everyone has thought about moving to or visiting at one point in their lives. There are incredible cities that have so much to offer anyone who visits like Toronto or Vancouver. The food is absolutely incredible and the people are so warm and hospitable. P Plus, there are plenty of outdoor activities to be had – from hiking to … [Read more...]
Enjoy freedom on a surfboard with me at New Zealand’s best surfing spots
Growing up in Auckland, my parents always worried about my tomboy ways. Having four older brothers who constantly teased me didn’t help either. But all that changed the day I discovered the joys of a surfboard while on a weekend beach holiday with my family. It was at Waikato’s beach I first discovered my passion and I made sure not to tell my parents fearing they’d stop me … [Read more...]
5 Places Every Adventurous Woman Should Visit in New Zealand
New Zealand is blessed with many heritage and tourist centres, many of which existed centuries ago while some were created recently. Be it a natural tourist centre or manmade, as an adventurous woman, if you have not seen any of the following places, you need to put them in your must visit list. Whether you are a first timer in New Zealand or regular visitor, a resident … [Read more...]
New Zealand; My Perfect Active Getaway With Jolie
At some point in April 2016, I decided that the time had come for me to take a break from work and treat myself to an adventure. My husband could not agree more and encouraged me to go on a trip with my sister Jolie. Jolie jumped on the wagon immediately, so we started hunting for the perfect place to tour. Through one of our numerous searches we discovered New Zealand and … [Read more...]
The Best Coffee Shops To Visit In New Zealand
There are many benefits of travelling the world, seeing beautiful sights, and experiencing different cultures. For all the many benefits, of travelling, there are certain home benefits that even the most experienced of travellers will miss. For those coffee lovers amongst us, finding the perfect coffee shop, to engage in our java addiction can be challenging, to say the least. … [Read more...]
Finding Nemo Car
Have you seen this car? Who in their right mind? I wasn't in my right mind - I was a little tipsy. The normally shy and retiring sort, this purchase summed up my inner learnings I took from my time in New Zealand as a female solo traveller - to live life to the maximum, and it was at this time the inner extrovert in me made its first appearance. When I was in Nemo the car, … [Read more...]
Choosing The Right Campervan For Your Trip
If you enjoy the freedom of the open road, and don't like being tied to an itinerary, then hiring a campervan for your trip could be ideal. It means that you can take off when you want, and enjoy seeing things that most tourists don't get to see. However, there are lots of different vehicles on the road that are considered campervans, and so hiring the right one might seem … [Read more...]