San Diego: Some of the Places I Miss the Most
San Diego is an interesting city. It’s the eighth largest city in the United States, and because it’s so spread out it feels even bigger. It has a very relaxed vibe, and a laid-back feel that reminds me of home. The people are warm and welcoming, and there’s a huge amount to see and do- most of [...]
Swimming with the Dolphins on the Big Island of Hawaii
When I was in my travel month after working as an Au Pair, I was most excited about the prospect of finally swimming with the dolphins on the Big Island of Hawaii. I’d wanted to do it for years in New Zealand, but you know how it goes-often you never do that sort of stuff [...]
The Best Beaches on The Big Island, Hawaii
I recently visited the Big Island in Hawaii, and when other travelers told me they were “island hopping”, I figured I’d mistake devoting 11 whole days to just one island. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Public transport is sporadic and unreliable (although very cheap), so we rented a car for a few days, and [...]
Save me San Francisco: The Main Attractions of a Very Interesting City.
I was recently in San Francisco for four days, and it was barely enough time to explore this quirky city. It quickly became one of my favorites in America. Where to go: Fisherman’s wharf:
A day in Tijuana, Mexico
A few weeks ago I took the trip across the border to Tijuana. I was lucky enough to have my cousin Hayley staying in San Diego, and she came along with me. We left the car in a parking lot in America, and walked across the bridge into Tijuana, which was a weird experience-New Zealand is [...]
My heart still belongs to Chicago
Ahhh Chicago. The coldest winter I’ve had in my life, prettiest city I’ve ever seen, and the best clubbing I’ve experienced in America. When I decided to be an Au Pair, I was determined that I would be living in New York City. I imagined myself riding the subway, eating pretzels on the street, [...]
Christmas in Florida
Last Christmas was freezing. I was living in Chicago and literally have never experienced a winter that cold in my life. My host parents were going to New Zealand for two weeks (my host mums a kiwi as well), so I had vacation time and was determined to find some warmth. One of my friend’s [...]
The Christchurch Earthquake- A Year Ago Today.
One year ago today, my hometown Christchurch was devastated by a massive earthquake. The damage likely wouldn’t have been as severe if the infrastructure hadn’t already been weakened in the first earthquake measuring 7.1 on the 4th of September 2010. You never think this can happen to your city. Earthquakes happen in other parts of the [...]
Are Kangaroo’s and Koala’s in my future?
I’m thinking about moving to Sydney, Australia for a few months when I’m done with this Au Pair thing. The original plan was to go straight to London, but since it’s looking more and more like I’ll have to head back over that side of the world to get my Youth Mobility Visa, I figure I [...]
Texas I love you.
I wasn’t expecting to love Texas. In fact I was glad we were just going for a weekend and wouldn’t be wasting any of our precious vacation time on it. So I was surprised when Austin became one of my favorite places in North America. Austin “Keep Austin Weird” is the unofficial slogan of Austin, and with bumper [...]
I’m not a fan of LA
I’m not a fan of Los Angeles. I don’t hate it, but compared to all the other places I’ve seen in America it just doesn’t stack up. Truthfully I’ve only been for a day and a half, so I will update this post when I’ve seen more of the place. But what I did see [...]
Where did I go?
Yes I am still in this world. It’s been a crazy couple of months that’s for sure, and I sort of dropped off the face of the earth for a while there. So where did I go? I started a new job as a travel agent, and of course I completely underestimated exactly how hard [...]