15 Best Things to Do in New Plymouth and Taranaki, New Zealand

New Plymouth is a small seaside city in Taranaki, a region on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island that is usually overlooked by visitors and even Kiwis themselves, despite being named by Lonely Planet as one of the best regions to visit in 2017. The area quickly became one of our favourites in New Zealand. We loved the lush green countryside,...

Oct 2020

Allbirds Tree Dashers Review: Sustainable, Comfortable Running Shoes

I’m a huge fan of Allbirds shoes, so I was excited when they released a new high-performance shoe designed for running. The Allbirds Tree Dashers have the same features I love in my other Allbirds—they are ultra comfortable, machine washable, and made from sustainable materials. They also have an understated look and come in neutral colours, which...

Oct 2020

14 Best Things to Do in Wanaka, New Zealand

The Southern Lakes region in New Zealand’s South Island is one of the most visited areas of the country. Travellers are drawn to the iconic snow-capped mountains, crystal clear lakes, and many exhilarating adventure activities. While Queenstown is the most popular lakeside town, we prefer smaller, quieter Wanaka. While the pace of life may be more...

Aug 2020

The Best New Zealand North Island Itinerary

The North Island is home to three-quarters of the population of New Zealand and includes the country’s largest city, Auckland, in the north of the island, and Wellington, the capital city, in the south. The North Island has some of the best beaches in the country as well as hot springs, geothermal parks, volcanoes, lakes, waterfalls, wineries, and...

Jul 2020

Queenstown to Milford Sound Scenic Flight: The Most Beautiful Half-Day Trip in New Zealand

Taking a scenic flight from Queenstown to Milford Sound was our biggest splurge in New Zealand, but we didn’t regret it for a minute. Milford Sound is one of the highlights of the country with waterfalls and soaring peaks in a glacier-carved valley. Accommodation is limited at this remote fjord in the southwest of the South Island, so most people...

May 2020

22 Best Things to Do in Nelson, New Zealand

The top of New Zealand’s South Island doesn’t attract the attention of further south, especially with international visitors. This is a shame as there’s so much to explore including beaches, mountains, lakes, native bush, wineries, craft breweries, berry farms, art galleries and more. You can hike, mountain bike, kayak, shop, and sample delicious local...

Apr 2020

Visiting the Magical Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand

While Hobbiton is currently closed until at least June 2020, here’s some inspiration for the future. You can visit plenty of locations where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in New Zealand, but none of them transports you to Middle Earth like Hobbiton does. On the Hobbiton Movie Set you’ll find the lush rolling hills of The Shire where you...

Apr 2020

Learning to Sail in the Bay of Islands (While the World Falls Apart)

We’d been looking forward to sailing in the Bay of Islands since we arrived in New Zealand five months ago. In fact, we first discovered this was one of the best places to learn to sail a yacht on our first trip to the country 12 years ago. We’d earned our Competent Crew certificates while living aboard a yacht in Malaysia, but that was six years ago...

Apr 2020

Nomadic Life During a Pandemic: Lockdown in New Zealand (Updated)

I originally published this post on 10 April and updated it on 5 May 2020 with our latest thoughts and experiences during lockdown in New Zealand. If you’ve already read the original post, use the contents to skip ahead to the update.  The last month has certainly been a rollercoaster of emotions for us, as I’m sure it has been for all of you. I can’t...

Apr 2020

How to Buy Travel Insurance After Departure

Can I buy travel insurance after departure? Yes, you can but only with a few insurance companies.  Finding travel insurance when you’re already travelling is challenging. As digital nomads, we started out with a one year long term travel insurance policy, like many round the world travellers, but unlike them, after a year we carried on travelling....

Mar 2020