I woke to the car shaking from the wind, to the clatter of rain on the roof. It had been a blustery night, parked by the seashore at Moray Terrace, but I’d caught a few hours of sleep and had made the snug confines of Te Namu as comfortable as possible. The day would start …
New Zealand
Driving to the Catlins
Driving past the holiday park leaves me feeling fuzzy — numbed to my actions and what they symbolize. I’m driving to the Catlins and leaving Te Anau. My home for the past 4.5 months, Te Anau is a tiny, buzzing little place popular simply because it’s the closest town to the iconic Milford Sound. Jobs are plentiful …
Cruise in Doubtful Sound
The prow of the boat cut through the waters of Lake Manapouri like a knife through as much butter. Gusts of frigid, pre-dawn air buffeted us as we fought for balance on the viewing deck, and the sun broke over the hills in the East. It was a fine day, and my coworker Marketa and …
The Shores of Lake Manapouri
I almost didn’t get out of bed that day. The week of balancing three jobs and over 70 hours of work had caught up to me, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep. But a peek from between the blinds left me blinking and sure of one thing: it was a fine day for …
Nature Cruise in Milford Sound
Fiordland, a vast tract of mountainous terrain that occupies the south-west corner of South Island, New Zealand, is one of the most astounding pieces of land anywhere on God’s earth, and one’s first impulse, standing on a cliff top surveying it all, is simply to burst into spontaneous applause.” – Douglas Adams “Who here is …
Crossing Rainbow Reach
Under the snowcapped mountains of Fiordland National Park, freshwater streams empty into the saltwater fiords, creating a unique ecosystem. This is a heavily wooded park, so the water in the streams is stained with tannin, a substance found in plants that makes clean water seem dirty, though it isn’t.” – Brian Skerry It was the …
JUCY Cruise in Milford Sound
Kipling is rumored to have named Milford Sound the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. He also — verifiably — said that New Zealanders are great tellers of tales. Perhaps the former is merely an example of the latter… But as much as that particular claim to fame is debatable, the splendor of Milford Sound is not. And …
Day Hike to Brod Bay
Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.” – Pedro Calderon de la Barca It’s funny how quickly we get used to being in a beautiful place. My first week in Te Anau, I spent hours just sitting and reading on the shore of the lake each day after …
Getting Settled in New Zealand
There’s a real purity in New Zealand that doesn’t exist in the States. It’s actually not an easy thing to find in our world anymore. It’s a unique place because it is so far away from the rest of the world. There is a sense of isolation and also being protected.” – Elijah Wood After …