by Jenna Thomas | Feb 16, 2015 | Destinations, New Zealand, Round the World Travel
Because we decided to spend our daily budget entirely on food and drink while in Wellington, it was important to find free things to do. We were in luck; there were enough activities and sights to keep us occupied for four days of sightseeing. All of the following are...
by Jenna Thomas | Feb 12, 2015 | Destinations, New Zealand, Round the World Travel
To make it clear just how much I loved Wellington, I’ll have to start by pointing out that for our first four weeks in New Zealand, Ben and I barely ate in restaurants. After paying for campsites and activities, we could just afford to buy food from supermarkets and...
by Jenna Thomas | Feb 9, 2015 | Destinations
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing has been called one of the world’s best day hikes. It winds between two recently active volcanoes, Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngauruhoe, and passes bright blue lakes, steaming vents in the earth’s surface, and eerie black lava...
by Ben Thomas | Feb 6, 2015 | BenThere, New Zealand
“Would you like to take it for a test drive?” Omer asked, eager to move along the inspection. I hesitated for a minute. In the months leading up to arriving in New Zealand, every time I mentioned to an American friend that Jenna and I were planning on...
by Jenna Thomas | Feb 4, 2015 | Destinations, New Zealand, Round the World Travel
The North Island of New Zealand, it seems to me, is getting short shrift. The mountains and fjords of the South Island are the star of the show down here; even the locals have told us, “Oh, the South Island is way cooler.” Maybe that’s true, and...
by Jenna Thomas | Feb 3, 2015 | Destinations, New Zealand, Round the World Travel
Like many people around the world, I’ve spent the last decade-plus associating New Zealand with the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. In my head, New Zealand landscapes included the green, rolling hills of The Shire, the high grasslands of Rohan, the magical...
