I woke to the sound of surf, and stretched cat-like in my double bed — enjoying the snap, crackle, pop of my spine as my vertebrae realigned themselves. One week of sleeping in my car had taken its toll, and I was enjoying the comfort of my room at the Punakaiki Beach Hostel. The previous day …
roadtrip
Driving the West Coast Highway
The morning was cold, and I crawled out of my cocoon in the backseat of Te Namu to the sound of distant surf and the blasted buzzing of an infernal sandfly. I killed it before I dressed, and immediately felt positive about the day ahead. I would be driving the West Coast Highway to a place …
The Land of the Rohirrim
I remember when I first read Lord of the Rings. I was in 7th grade, and even though I’d heard about the books before then, for some reason I didn’t get to Middle Earth until I was in Middle School. Dry prose and dense narrative did nothing to dissuade me — within pages I was …
The Backroads of Canterbury
It felt like it had been an age. Melissa and I had been in Samoa only 15 days, but the separation I felt from New Zealand seemed like it stemmed from an absence of months. Perhaps the displacement was because we were in Christchurch, a far cry from the rural pace of Te Anau. Whatever the cause, once we’d …
Highlights of the Catlins
Morning walks are one of those things: I like to take them, but I won’t get up for one. The good thing about sleeping in the trunk of a car is that sleeping in isn’t a luxurious prospect, it’s a chore. So it was that at the crack of dawn I found myself out of bed and …
Driving the Southern Scenic Route
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 …
He’s Got a Dead Cat…
I see it just before it charges, a gaunt, grey beast crouching by the roadside with ears pressed back and shoulders hunched in anticipation. I swerve to the far side of the lane and accelerate, snarling at the dog as it leaps to give chase. Melissa tenses on the seat behind me as we pass …
Savai’i Road Trip
I open the throttle and the engine roars — all 110cc of it. Melissa and I perch on the seat of the little Suzuki scooter — bags strapped to our backs and chests, respectively — as it works its way up to cruising speed. The sky is a flawless blue overhead, and brilliantly hued plants …
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 …
Living on the Edge
This year, I’m going to be featuring some guest writers on my blog, other travel writers whose work has inspired me. Each person will be writing a post about the following question: What’s an experience you’ve had on the road which has changed your life?” The goal is to gather some intriguing tales involving the …