10 travel moments that restored our faith in humanity. Stories of kindness from life on the road.
All my friends are buying houses and having babies, yet I'm about to embark on my fourth big trip travelling. Here's how it feels to give it all up again to travel in your thirties.
Monro Beach is spectacular and is reached via a short easy walk through beautiful dense rainforest. When you arrive you’ll find a glorious beach with picturesque sea stacks and hopefully some rare tawaki penguins too. We’re sharing everything you need to know about the walk and all our tips for spotting the adorable Fiordland crested penguins.
Punakaiki Cavern is a fantastic limestone cave you can explore without a guide. You can venture through the dark depths of the cave, whilst listening to the wild waves crashing against the rocks nearby. Come back at night and you’ll find it’s a whole new world, illuminated by the light of hundreds of tiny glow worms! We’re sharing everything you need to know about visiting the cave, by day and by night.
That’s right, there’s a lesser known gorge close to Hokitika which offers the most incredible blue water, an exciting vertigo inducing swing bridge and a safe swimming hole. Best of all you won’t have to share it with the crowds! We’re detailing exactly how to get there, including everything you need to know about the trail conditions.
Lake Gault is a spectacular lake offering sublime views of Aoraki Mount Cook and the surrounding mountain range. In the right conditions it provides a perfect mirror image in the water. We’re sharing everything you need to know about the walk to get there, plus the conditions you need to get that crystal clear reflection.
Franz Josef is one of New Zealand’s dream destinations. The scenery is incredibly dramatic and there is much more on offer here than just the glacier alone. We’re sharing all the best things to do in Franz Josef, from an electric blue gorge, to epic swing bridges, magical glow worm colonies, glacier hiking, hot springs and more.
The Roberts Point Track is one of the best hikes on the West Coast. The view of Franz Josef Glacier is phenomenal and there are several amazing swing bridges, and even a floating staircase. It does involve some scrambling and we detail that as well as everything else you need to know about difficulty and the terrain in this guide.
Lake Matheson is one of the most beautiful lakes in New Zealand. Time it right and you will be treated to a mirror image of Aoraki Mount Cook and the surrounding snow-capped peaks in the water. However, not all viewpoints are created equal and the reflection doesn’t always look like the pictures. We’re sharing everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip to Lake Matheson.
The Alex Knob Track offers one of the best views of Franz Josef Glacier in the whole area, not to mention the incredible mountain range surrounding it. You have to earn the view though with a relatively long hike up to the viewpoint. We’re sharing everything you need to know, including difficulty and track conditions, as well as shorter options which still have great views.
The Galway Beach Track has a bit of everything; wild and remote beaches, sensational mountain views, gorgeous forest and a bit of gold mining history too. It’s an easy walk and not very well known so you’ll likely get it all to yourself, but this being the West Coast you’ll find the track can get a bit muddy. We’re sharing everything you need to know about the walk.
Callery Gorge is spectacular, with electric blue water that has to be seen to be believed. It’s an easy walk to reach, yet it still remains relatively unknown. It’s one walk in Franz Josef you do not want to miss! We’re sharing everything you need to know about the walk, including un-signposted viewpoints.
Our accounts of heli-hiking in Franz Josef Glacier and Mount Cook, one of the best experiences in New Zealand. We've hiked in quite a few places over the years, but it wasn't until New Zealand that we added glacier to the list. It's safe to say, that these were two of the most incredible experiences we've ever had, hiking on top of the world in the stunning Franz Josef Glacier and Mount Cook.
