Articles in ‘Travel’

On the northern end of 90 Mile Beach lie the giant sand dunes of Te Paki. Down the riverbed and behind the thick shrub, we found ourselves exploring landscapes we never knew existed in New Zealand. Te Paki was once its own island disconnected from the mainland. Over millions of years, sand built up from volcanic activity elsewhere in New Zealand, and the dunes were created.

Topher and I were lucky enough to be granted access by the local iwi to one of their hidden landscapes. It's an area only a few hours north from where Bridget grew up, but somewhere that very few in the area have had the opportunity to explore. · Accessing the area involves driving 10 km up a beautiful white sandy subtropical beach. The beach access limits your time exploring, as when the tide is high the beach is impassable.

With its rich limestone architecture, stunning views of the Pacific Ocean from its harbour and most famous for its blue penguin colony sits Oamaru, one of the largest ‘best wee’ towns in North Otago. Oamaru was laid out in 1858 by Otago’s provincial surveyor, John Turnbull Thompson whom named the streets after British rivers. In the 1860s the town discovered riches through livestock production and goldmining, with the latter serving as the…

Unlike how one may envision Africa, a dry desolate landscape, many areas of Botswana are the complete opposite! Botswana is home to the Okavango Delta, a river which works its way through Angola and Namibia, expanding into a giant swampland. Due to the abundance of water, the delta is home to a huge number of wildlife species. · Botswana is also home to the Makadikadi Basin, where the water here is so high in salt that bacteria can turn the…

Famous for its long keeper onions, former champion rally car driver, Possum Bourne and its sports facility, Park Raceway, Pukekohe is a vibrant town with a rich melting pot of diversity, culture and plenty of things to see and do. Founded in 1880 with large areas of volcanic land, Pukekohe’s main rural activity is market gardening known for its large vegetable growing industry and is one of the only areas in the Auckland region that can grow…

We reached Egypt after navigating our way north through Ethiopia and Sudan. Both countries were experiencing political unrest and civil uprising, so it was a difficult journey to say the least! During our drive, we looked at Egypt as our safe haven destination. However, the day we crossed the border at Wadi Halfa, there was a terrorism attack targeting a tourism bus. Our safe haven mindset was no longer! The result was that all tourist spots…

Most New Zealand's will know Andrew Bayly as a community man and a local MP, only a few will know the other side of his life, the Andrew Bayly who is an adventurer. He has climbed mountains, both here and internationally. Trekked to both the North and South Poles, a feat that gains him a place in an exceedingly small club, as he is one of only 140 explorers who can make this claim. · As a father, he loves to share his passion for adventure, and…

For Topher and I, 2020 has been a year covered in clouds with silver linings. If there wasn't a global pandemic, we would be somewhere in Malaysia right now, having spent the previous few months driving through the bustling streets of India. Instead, we were here in New Zealand waiting in anticipation for the borders to re-open so we can continue our global expedition. · Although a disappointment, we decided to make the most of the situation,…

Over the following 8 months we weaved our way down the longest road in the world, the Pan-American Highway. It stretches from Deadhorse to Ushuaia, Argentina. We crossed the world's most dangerous road in Bolivia, witnessed civil uprisings in Nicaragua, and minefields crossing the Atacama Desert. Landscapes changed as much as the climate. We experienced temperatures fluctuating from -28C to 45C in just a few days. · Since April, Topher and I…

In late 2017, while on our second date, Topher and I had the idea to drive the planet. That evening we shook hands to agree that “one day” we would follow through with our big plan. · In March the following year we arrived in Vancouver to pick up our Jeep Wrangler “Gunther”. On the 18th of April 2018 Gunther, Topher and I began one of the longest overland expeditions ever undertaken from Deadhorse, Alaska to Auckland, New Zealand.