Tag: travel dreams

Reflecting on 2023 – The Final Post

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn travelLeave a comment

On this wet, rainy, summer morning, I read back over my blog from the start of the year, Travel Dreams for 2023. I wasn’t expecting them all to happen and they didn’t. Cost of living has made it less affordable to travel this year. While I have traveled more in previous years, I have made it to a few epic bucket list locations. It has been a wonderful year of travel.

My favourite place I have been to in Aotearoa this year (and quite possibly ever) is Rakiura, Stewart Island. What an incredible place to celebrate my 40th birthday. I fell in love with the incredible beaches, slow, relaxed way of life, the abundance of birds and the stunning starry night sky. It is a nature lover’s paradise. While getting there does take a bit of planning, those who make the effort will be rewarded. It is spectacular.

Travelling has taught me many lessons, but the key learning is the importance of being present in the moment. I do plan quite full itineraries, but I have learnt to stop, take a moment and absorb my surroundings.

I call it, ‘taking memory photos’.

The complete awe of gazing on the southern night sky in a dark sky reserve. Star Gazing in a Dark Sky Sanctuary.

Feeling the cold waterfall flow down over me at Patuna Chasm. Exploring Patuna Chasm

Hearing 2 male kiwis fighting (honestly, that’s a sound you will never forget!)

Watching albatross effortlessly glide through the sky. Watching Albatross

They are all but moments, ones that could have been easily missed, but I have learnt that when you consciously seek out the beauty in the simple, there are extraordinary moments to be had everyday. Travel has helped open my eyes to the awe and wonder that constantly surrounds us.

I started my little blog 4 years ago, the first post landed 1st January 2020. And now, 134 posts later, on 31st December, 2023, it feels like the right time to end. I have loved sharing my adventures with you and having these stories and photos to look back at is so special. But everything has its season, and it feels like the right time to bring this one to a close.

Thank you for taking the time to read the words of a 40 year old kiwi girl, living in the most beautiful place on earth. It really means a lot. If you haven’t made it to Aotearoa yet, put it on your bucket list. The Long White Cloud is a remarkable place that will take your breath away.

Wishing you all an extraordinary 2024 with many beautiful moments that take your breath away.

Travel Dreams for 2023

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn Uncategorized2 Comments

One of my favourite, favourite things to do is travel plan. I can do it for hours, researching, dreaming, planning and it will feel like no time at all has passed. I love getting lost in travel books, reading blogs and watching travel vlogs. Planning out itineraries, and hand picking tours, experiences and places that will suit my husband and I’s quite different interests. He loves motorbikes, fine food, pinot noir and industrial areas. I love kayaking, forests, picnic’s and nature excursions. We are quite different, but somehow it works!

I always have a pretty long travel list of places I would like to go, experiences I would love to have. But I also have to work within the constraints of a full time job and available disposable income. And while I realise that I am unlikely to get to all these places this year, it’s still fun to dream.

Walking. On a private farm in the Wairarapa is Patuna Chasm. Limestone rocks, forest and a river. I know lots of people who have done this and the photos are always stunning. You do have to book in advance (it’s popular) and there is a fee to do this walk. You will also want to do it on a sunny day as it’s not a dry walk. By the sounds of it, a lot of the time you are walking through water. But what an adventure!

A Holiday with my Best Friends. They happen to be dogs. I keep saying each year that I really want to go on a holiday with them, it’s just very hard to find places to stay that are suitable. We have decided to give camping a go while the weather is nice. It will be somewhere local, I suspect it could be a bit of a disaster, but unless we give it a go, we won’t know!

National Aquarium of New Zealand. We try to do an extended family holiday each year and this year I am hoping we can all get to Napier. My 6 year old nephew loves snakes and sharks. He is full of facts and information about them, it’s amazing what he knows. Last week he was teaching me about wobbegong sharks. A creature I had never heard of. I would love to have a nature lesson with him at the aquarium!

A Holiday with my Mum. Again, I am not sure where, but we have done a couple of trips together the last 2 years and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s so special being able to have that time with her. I am waiting for her to let me know where she wants to go so I can start some planning!

Birthday Celebration. I turn 40 this year. 40! I can hardly believe it. When I think about how I want to celebrate it, a big party doesn’t come to mind. I would much rather go travelling. 4 or 5 years ago, I had been thinking that I wanted to celebrate my 40th birthday at Machu Picchu but because of Covid and all the uncertainties it has brought with travel, we never got around to saving for that trip. I am also not great with flying. Short trips are fine, but long haul scares me a lot!

So the next best thing – Stewart Island, or Rakiura. Aotearoa’s 3rd largest Island. I have never been there and it’s a place I have wanted to explore for a long time. 85% of the Island is National Park. It has an abundance of wildlife and lush forest. It’s also a dark sky reserve and when conditions are right, it’s possible to see the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights. All going to plan, this is where I will be come April 2023.

Motorbike Tour. It’s been a couple of years since we have jumped on the bike and gone exploring. On a trip earlier this year, the inflight Kia Ora magazine had a piece on Gisborne Region and I have wanted to go there ever since. It’s part of the country that I haven’t really explored much and I want to see what it has to offer.

Boutique Wine Tasting. I have always loved Martinbourough, as a kid it was adventures with my cousins on the farm, now, I love it for its boutique wineries and artisan foods. This is another trip I have been wanting to do for a while and haven’t. We have been there many times, but I would like to pre-plan the wineries so we can visit the places that are only open by appointment.

An International Trip. I really want to try a cruise and have my eye on a trip that spends 9 days sailing around New Caledonia and Vanuatu. I am not sure if cruising will be our thing, but I am intrigued, and if I can find a good deal, I hope to go exploring beyond the Long White Cloud. Some sunshine in the winter months will be glorious.

Solo Retreat. I have done this for the last 4 years and last year, realised how important this trip has become to me. Initially a little adventure on my own, this has become so much more. An opportunity to rest & explore, as much and as little as I want, when I want. Also a time to reflect on the year that has been and visualise how I would like the next year to look. I am not sure where I will be heading for this one. The last couple of years I have stayed close to home so I am thinking I might explore a little further afield this time. Perhaps an e-bike tour.

So there you have it. It will be fun to read back on this next year and see how many I actually did, and if there are any unexpected trips not listed here that I end up doing!

Where do you want to go in 2023?

2021!

On By exploringthelongwhitecloudIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I don’t know about you, but I have been enjoying dreaming up all the places I want to see this year, adventures I want to go on and experiences I want to have. There is so much to see and do here and everyday I am so grateful that I get to call this place home.

I am very fortunate to work for a company that gives us 6 weeks of annual leave, but even with all those days, I think I might be pushing it to do all these things. (And I am sure the credit card will have something to say about it too!)

So, without further ado, here are my travel ambitions for this year:

Explore the West Coast of the South Island. Its a pretty rugged place. Untamed, natural and gorgeous. Mirror lakes, glaciers and rainforest. Its also the wettest place in New Zealand. We drove through the West Coast about 8 years ago when we explored the South Island on our Motorbike. It rained the whole time we were there. When driving through Arthur’s Pass, we reached the sign that said ‘Welcome to the West Coast’ and right on cue, it began to rain. The itinerary is planned, our leave is organised and the pet sitters are locked in, I just need to actually book it all! This time I am hoping we will get to experience some sunshine. I have some pretty awesome activities planned out for this one. And of course, we will be on a Motorbike!

Wine! Last year we made a trip to Martinborough and cycled around the vineyards. We are only an hours drive away from here and I am super keen to do this again. However, this time, I want to pre-plan it (more so than last time) so we can visit the boutique vineyards that are only open for tastings by appointment. I am really interested to see what some of these vineyards have on offer and to hear their stories.

Go on the much delayed, Covid interrupted trip. My mum and I are both April babies. Last year, we were meant to have a birthday weekend away in Greytown. This was cancelled due to Level 4 lockdown. I then rebooked it for August but we had another outbreak which saw Auckland go back into Level 4 and the rest of the country into level 2. I booked it a third time for December and the host cancelled it as she had international family staying in the Airbnb for the foreseeable future due to the covid situation in their country. So, I am really hoping that this year we will be able to get our birthday trip in. Maybe to Greytown, or maybe Whanganui. Perhaps we can do both!

Take the dogs on holiday. For so long I have wanted to take a little holiday with the whole family. I have been pondering the idea of camping but all the ‘dog friendly’ camp sites require the dogs to be on a lead at all times. And we don’t have a tent. I have looked at lots of properties that say they are dog friendly, but then I read the small print and in some cases, the dogs aren’t even allowed in the house. My dogs are small, non shedding and are allowed on the furniture at home and sleep in our bed (yes, I know, spoilt) so it wouldn’t really be a holiday if I had to spend the whole time keeping them off the furniture. But…I have recently found an Airbnb in Otaki Beach that not only allows small non shedding dogs in the house, they are also allowed on the furniture and the bed! I can’t wait to do this! I am hoping I will be able to find some more dog friendly places so we can have more adventures together.

An adventure trip. I would so love to Kayak Able Tasman in a guided tour but it is pretty pricey. Definitely one day, but for now I have my eye set on the 3 day self guided river canoe down the Whanganui river. Being self guided it is much cheaper. There are cabins along the way so you don’t need to take tents and you can stop at your leisure to enjoy the surroundings. I am trying to convince my dad that this is a trip he should do with me.

Family holiday part 2. Last Spring, I spent a weekend at Waitarere Beach with my mum, dad, brother, sister in law, nephew and niece. We had so much fun and decided there and then that we needed to make this a seasonal trip. We are now half way into Summer so need to get cracking on this one! Lake Taupo sounds like a possibility. I am really keen to get my nephew out on a kayak or paddle board! The plan is to also have an Autumn, Winter and Spring trip. Watch this space.

Anniversary Trip. Last year, Daniel and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary in Queenstown. I had no intention to mark this occasion annually with travel, but we had such a great time, so why not. This time I am thinking maybe the Northern Explorer train journey with a few stops on the way. Maybe the Chateau in Tongariro. Hubby doesn’t know about this yet and he would rather be at work than on holiday so this one might be a bit of a challenge!

My annual ‘holiday on my own’. I have done this twice now. At the end of the year. An opportunity to get away on my own for a couple of days and recharge my batteries. So far I have been to Waiheke Island and Marlborough Sounds. I have no plans of where for this year, but Akaroa has crossed my mind.

So that’s my list! I am sure there will be more dreams and travel inspiration that pop up during the year, as well as unexpected adventures that present themselves. Will just have to wait and see.

What are your travel aspirations for 2021? Where in Aotearoa are you hoping to visit?