Tongariro National Park is located just south of Lake Taupo in the centre of New Zealand‘s North Island, and is home to the Tongariro Northern Circuit, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. The Northern Circuit is a 4-day circumnavigation of …
Category: Australia & NZ
Abel Tasman Coast Track Hiking & Sea Kayaking
After spending the ski season in Queenstown, I needed to get up to Auckland for my onward flight to Fiji. One must of course fly to Fiji (unless you’re on a cruise ship or you happen to have a yacht), …
The Overland Track, Tasmania
Overland Track overview The Overland Track is a multi-day trek through Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National Park, which I walked with a couple of visiting hometown friends (my frequent travel companions Mike & Ross) towards the end …
Hiking Mt Kosciuszko
At 2,228m Mt Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia, located in the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales. The nearest town is the small ski resort of Thredbo, where I was based for the ski season of 2004. Towards …
Whale Watching in Kaikoura, New Zealand
Kaikoura’s a cute little town located on a gorgeous stretch of coastline an hour north of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island. It offers lovely scenery, a laid back atmosphere, and famous seafood (crayfish in particular), but the main draw …
A few pics of New Zealand’s stunning roads
One of the best things you can do in New Zealand is just simply drive somewhere a few hours away. This is especially true if you have your own wheels (though the bus rides are lovely too), and especially true …
SS Yongala Wreck Dive, Australia
The SS Yongala wreck is one of the most famous dive sites in Australia, and for good reason – my two dives there were far better than the diving I did on the Great Barrier Reef. The Yongala went down …
Broken Bones and Silver Linings
Famous last words: “Okay, last run and then I’m off to get some dumplings and catch the bus.” I was talking to my riding pal Lilly, we were stood at the top of the terrain park at Welli Hilli Park, …
Drugs Busted After the 2006 World Cup. Sort of…
“Sir,” she said in a suddenly stern voice, “your bag’s tested positive for amphetamines.” My jaw hit the floor. My bag? Amphetamines? You what? I was standing in the customs area of Christchurch Airport, the entire contents of my bags …
A Week of Fruit Picking and Verbal Abuse in Bundaberg
“Stop chatting to your girlfriend and get back to work, you Pommie cunt!” The speaker was my supervisor, and we were in a Queensland tomato field pruning vines. My ‘girlfriend’ was my male coworker who, being a white Australian, couldn’t …
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Sailing in the Whitsunday Islands: 3 days of vomit and misery
I looked along the deck at the picture of youthful beauty alongside me, all the long tanned legs and all the long blond hair fluttering in the breeze, and I looked out at all the beauty around us, all these …
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Hostel Horror Stories: the Melbourne Bag Pisser
Spend any significant length of time backpacking, and you’ll hear plenty of hostel horror stories. Eventually, you’ll directly experience or witness your very own! I’ve had a few, but one of my hostel horror stories stands out head and shoulders …
