Where: Putaruru, South Waikato, New Zealand What’s involved: A 4.7km loop around the Putaruru Blue Spring. Here the water is incredibly clear and takes 100 years to filter from the Mamaku Plateau, supplying over half of New Zealand’s bottled water. There is a beautiful walk along boardwalks that brings you by the crystal clear water,…
Working in New Zealand – What to Do, Where to Look and What to Expect
Job Preparation Updating your CV Have your CV up to date so all you need to update is your NZ phone number and address (I put my Airbnb until I got a house). Kiwi employers look for a job specific CV so focus in on all relevant experience. For example if you’re looking for an…
Mt Isobel
Where: Hanmer Springs, New Zealand What’s involved: This is a 10km round trip to the Mt Isobel summit which dominates the Hanmer Springs skyline at over 1300 meters. There are a couple of different ways to get to the summit: Jacks Pass: This is the hardest, steepest but most direct ascent to the top. You…
Making Your Move Abroad
You’ve been bitten by the wanderlust bug. Instead of scrolling through Instagram after Instagram being jealous of everyone else globetrotting you’ve decided to bite the bullet and go for it yourself. Moving abroad is one of the most nerve wracking and exciting adventures you’ll ever take! I will happily admit to being a glass half…
Mt Victoria
Where: Wellington, New Zealand What’s involved: From Courtenay Place it takes approx. 30 minutes to complete the 190 meter ascent. The Hike: Starting in the city centre you will work your way up Majoribanks street until you reach Charles Plimmer Park. Once you reach the park you’ll see a sign for the Southern Walkway. Follow…
Heading to Hobbiton
We’d already made it to Hogwarts when we went to LA so we couldn’t live in New Zealand without stopping at Hobbiton. Even if you haven’t seen the movies you have probably heard of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises. The world was first imagined by JRR Tolkien in his 1937 book…
Best Podcasts for Road Trips
Is there anything better than getting in your car and hitting the road? I’ve done a couple road trips – from a few days to a few weeks and all that driving means you spend plenty of time with no phone or radio signal. After a few hours of Richie’s ‘witty anecdotes‘ and all the…
Sydney – Overheated and Underwhelmed
I had always wanted to go to Sydney and see the famous sites but after going there in January 2017 I found it just didn’t quite live up to my expectations. What surprised me the most, after telling others that I didn’t really like the city, was how many other people also didn’t like it….
Pacific Coast Road Trip
Get a glass of wine, put your feet up and make yourself comfortable because this post is a long one! One of the trips I’m most commonly asked about is the 3 weeks Richie and I spent in Australia in 2017. During this trip we went from Brisbane to Sydney before flying down to my…
North Island Road Trip Itinerary
The below itinerary provides a breakdown of our North Island Road Trip over Christmas. It includes the drive time between each location as well as some of the key things to do and see in each area. Wellington Cable car Te Papa National War Memorial and Museum Climb Mt Victoria (40 mins) Waterfront Weta Caves…
Ais's Odyssey 