After crossing to the South Island by ferry – a wonderful journey across the Cook Strait and through Queen Charlotte Sound – we drove along the South Island’s north coast all the way to the beginning of the Farewell Spit at the northern end of Golden Bay. Wharariki Beach The spit can only be visited…
Category: Hiking
Tongariro: Hiker’s Highway Tongariro Alpine Crossing, North Island, New Zealand
New Zealand is a hiker’s paradise. With hikes from five minutes to five (or more) days, there’s something for everybody. One of the most well-known day hikes is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, an almost 20km hike across volcanic terrain. It’s so popular, that in summer up to 1000 people a day walk the track. If…
Rotorua: Pools of Mud and Champagne North Island, New Zealand
Rotorua is also known as “Rotten-rua” because of the smell of rotten eggs that hangs over the city. It’s not that there’d be too many chickens and people couldn’t eat all the eggs fast enough, it’s because Rotorua lies in New Zealand’s most active thermal area and it’s the smell of sulphur rising from the…
Bay of Islands, Cape Reinga, Kauri Coast: The Land of Giant Trees and Dunes Northland, New Zealand
New Zealand’s South Island may be more beautiful than the North Island (according to most travelers), but the North Island has some stunning scenery too. Bay of Islands A few hours drive north of Auckland, on the east coast, is the Bay of Islands. A bay with many islands, that simple. It’s a major tourist…
The Yasawas: Always on Fiji Time Fiji
What comes to mind when you hear “South Pacific”? Beach? Turquoise water? Snorkeling? Island hopping? Probably yes. Don’t we all dream the island dream..? The Yasawas and How to Get There While dreaming is free, making dreams reality isn’t. It’s actually pretty expensive, especially in Fiji. But you cannot go to Fiji and not go…
Ambrym: Mighty Marum & Big Benbow One volcano, two lava lakes. Ambrym, Vanuatu
A few months ago, on a Maya pyramid in the middle of the Guatemalan jungle, we met Sam Cossman, a young guy from the States who had done a crazy thing: Dressed in a special suit he descended into the crater of one of the world’s most active volcanoes, Mt Marum on the island of…
Sydney: From the City to the Blue Mountains Australia: Sydney and the Blue Mountains
Contrary to what many people all over the world think, Sydney is not the capital of Australia. Nope. But it’s Australia’s most populous and probably the country’s best known city. Who hasn’t heard about Sydney and seen pictures of the iconic Opera House? Postcard pictures however, only show you one side of the story. We…
Great Ocean Road Trip Driving along the wild coast of Victoria, Australia
The Great Ocean Road was built after WWI by Australian soldiers who had returned from the war. They used picks and shovels to build a road along the rugged coast. Even at the time, their methods and equipment were considered outdated. Nevertheless, they managed to build the road (it was opened in 1932) that today is…
Wilpena Pound: A Matter of Perspective Flinders Ranges, South Australia
There are places that look much better from the air than from the ground. One of these places is Ikara/Wilpena Pound in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges. The pound looks like a (oval) crater but has not been formed by the impact of a meteor or anything the like, it’s form is totally natural. On images…
Your Majesty, the Kings Canyon Northern Territory, Australia
Equally far from Alice Springs as Uluru and Kata Tjuta lies the truly majestic Kings Canyon. The Rim Walk A short and easy walk leads, not very far, into the canyon. Much better however, and really amazing is the walk along the canyon’s rim. On days when the temperature exceeds 36°C, a part of the…
Kata Tjuta: The Bigger Rocks Northern Territory, Australia
In the same national park as Uluru, but about 35 km further west from the big rock are the 36 boulders of Kata Tjuta (also known as The Olgas). The highest of the boulders is 100 meters higher than Uluru. . A Beautiful Hike A trail leads around some of the rocks and takes the…
Uluru: The Big Rock Northern Territory, Australia
Uluru/Ayers Rock is one of Australia’s most iconic sights. In fact, a picture of Uluru is like a synonym for Australia and of course it ranks high on any traveler’s bucket list. But is it really the greatest sight in the country? The one place you absolutely have to see if you’re going to Australia? A…