My passion for travel started at a young age. As a child, every year my family and I would go on a trip somewhere and whether it was within New Zealand or overseas, it was always one of the highlights of the year.
As I grew up I was always looking at pictures of foreign places and wishing I could go there, but that dream always seemed too far off.
I first tried to chase that dream in 2019 when I decided to backpack around the north of New Zealand, stopping for some seasonal work along the way.
It was during this time that I discovered my passion for hiking, and the week before I returned home I completed my first overnight hike.
Cape Brett in Northland was 2 days and 34 km of ups and downs, but once I was at the hut watching the sun set over the ocean I was hit with the sudden realisation that this life is what I want to do full-time. I don’t want to work a 9-5 job, meal prep every Sunday, and live the same day over and over again.
I want to actually live, get out there and experience and see everything that this big wide world has to offer.
Once I returned home, I got a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language and planned to move to South America.
But then 2020 happened. When the world shut down and my hopes of moving overseas were crushed, I decided to explore my own country more.
Having travelled most of the North Island, I booked one week in Christchurch in the South Island, followed by a 2-week summer roadtrip and then 2 weeks in Nelson to hike the Abel Tasman and Queen Charlotte Tracks.
Once these trips had finished I quickly became bored of my full-time office job and started looking for my next adventure. This is when I came across the Te Araroa Hiking Trail.
Starting at the top of New Zealand, and finishing right at the bottom, 3000km later, I would have to hike every day for about 5-6 months. It was exactly what I wanted. It would pull me out of my ordinary life and challenge me to my extremes, all while showing me the hidden beauty of my country.
On November 8th 2021 I set off from Bluff, the bottom of New Zealand, intending to walk all the way to Cape Reinga at the top…
But things didn’t go exactly to plan. Click here to read my blog posts about my journey.
After finishing my long-distance hike, my thoughts once again turned to heading overseas and pursuing my dream of seeing the world.
After working full-time for another year, I finally packed up my life into my trusty backpack and got on a plane. I travelled Australia for a few weeks before heading over to Europe for a whirlwind bus tour of some of the countries.
I’m now working at a hostel in London, and spending my free days seeing the best parts of the UK.
Stay tuned as I share my adventures and tips with you.
I always knew I loved to travel, when I was younger my family would always go on an annual trip somewhere. Whether overseas or within New Zealand, it was always the highlight of the year.
It wasn’t until 2019 that I truly realised my deep passion for travelling and the great outdoors.
After graduating from Waikato University, I embarked on a 4-month backpacking tour of Northland and the Bay of Plenty.
I started off doing the usual touristy things but soon found that my favourite days were filled with some sort of hike, and it was later in Northland that I completed my first overnight hike.
Cape Brett in Northland was absolutely life-changing, sitting there watching the sunset over the ocean I was hit with the sudden realisation that this is what life should be about. It isn’t about working a 9-5 job, meal prepping every Sunday or the monotony of the same day over and over again.
Life is about experiences, it’s about getting out there to experience and see everything that this big wide world has to offer.
In 2020 when the world shut down and cancelled any hopes and dreams to go overseas, I decided to turn inwards and explore my own country. Having travelled most of the North Island I decided to venture to the South Island. I booked one week in Christchurch followed by a 2 week summer road trip around the whole island and 2 weeks in Nelson to tick the Abel Tasman and Queen Charlotte Tracks off my list.
