We took Homy into Auckland yesterday. It was her first experience in the big city while in our hands. And just like how Ronan and I felt, she was out of place.  For Homy, it was the hills and the traffic lights. You could hear her cry going over speed bumps and moan through traffic. While on the highway, her side mirrors weren’t strong enough to hold against 100kms. Her curtains didn’t close tight enough to keep the streetlights or strangers eyes out. Her rustic vintage appea

Kaikōura is a place that embodies everything I love. The brochure phrase “Where the Mountains, Sea & Stars Combine” was cheesy but true. Located on the East Coast of the South Island, the town of Kaikōura is between the Pacific Ocean and the Seaward Kaikoura Range. It is famous for its year long sperm whale watching and marine life in general.  Our first few days in Kaikōura were lovely despite the rain and small waves (perfect for me). In the mornings before the rain star

I’ve been away from home for nearly nine months and I haven’t experienced homesickness until now. I never thought I would get homesick because as much as I love the mountains and valleys and my parents house in Idaho, New Zealand’s landscapes have always overflowed my cup in terms of scenery. What I realize now is that it’s not the place that I miss, but rather the people.  When I moved to Wanaka with seven of my best friends from childhood, we made our house at 3 Pepperwood

From the first time I arrived in New Zealand, I was blown away by how the country has it all. Mountains, ocean, rainforest, countryside, high-desert, deep valleys and rivers. If you were to drive from the East Coast of the South Island to the West Coast (on average a 5 hour drive from any point), you would most likely see all of this.  Somwhere in Between Last week, Ronan, Logan and I drove from Kaikoura on the East Coast to Westport on the West Coast. We split up our drive i

As any life on the road goes, there will always be trouble. So far we had mostly escaped any major car troubles, so I suppose our time was due. After a late night picking up our friend Logan from the Christchurch airport, we woke around 8 ready to sieze the day and make our way to Kaikōura – a coastal town known for its year long whale watching and where the mountains meet the sea. Kaikōura is located about 2.5 hours north of Christchurch so we decided to make a stop near

There's nothing quite like waking up in a mystery campspot, expecially when that spot is in a coastal storm. Due to our late night arrival, our camping location when we woke was a surprise. We were parked on the side of the coastal road and woke to waves crashing on the bank next to us and rain and wind blasting the windows. We were happy to be farther north and with a storm, we knew there would be some sort of wave coming through.  Aramoana Beach The Dunedin area is known fo

To start an official recording of our adventures with Homy, we’ll start in the Southland. This is the Southern most region of New Zealand.   An hour past Riverton, a Southeastern fishing town that is one of New Zealand’s oldest settlements, we arrived at our camp at Monkey Island. Monkey Island is located in Te Waewae Bay, the last bay before you reach the fiordlands – a rugged, rainy, and breathtakingly untouched terrain. We were hopeful for some swell at the point by Monkey

This is Homy - our 1994 Nissan Homy with 213,000 kilometers. I bought it off of some guy who sold it to me for a great deal because he simply wanted Homy to be loved and treated well in its next life (total Homie, thanks Aled). The inside was pre-built out with a warm colored wood and painted mustard yellow over the previous metal. The benches turn into the bed (quite comfy dare I say) and underneath the benches is our storage. The left side contains our clothes (mostly mine)

My go to line when ending a conversation with a stranger is “have a good life”. Because, realistically, we won’t ever see each other again and I hope that they have a good life. Simple as that. Traveling on the road with a partner is a funny thing. You always have someone to talk to yet your socializing is less common. Without staying in one place for too long, it is highly unlikely that you will meet an individual who will be a significant figure in your life for more than t

I love observing strangers' subconscious actions. More dramatically - or perhaps more creepily - I love observing their thought processes when they expect nobody to be paying attention.  It might be the little boy’s quick steps to catch up to his dad, or his “shush” to the seagulls to stay in tune with his imagination so that they might understand what he is telling them.  It might be a woman’s afternoon beach walk where she snaps a photo of a seagull on a rock that captures

Throughout my life, I have woken up every morning with endless privilege, and I still am incapable of completely understanding or appreciating it. What the privilege boils down to, I have come to realize, is capability. We are not all capable in every way, but all of us are capable in many ways. This blog post will explore my thoughts on the privilege of capability. In December of 2023, just a couple weeks before I was set to move to Australia, I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus