Posts Tagged ‘North Island New Zealand’

Best of 2011 – By the seat of my skirt

Best of 2011 – By the seat of my skirt

Some of my best memories to date were made in 2011 … BEST SUNSET: Broome, Western Australia South Pacific – Minerva Reef   BEST DIVE: Navy Pier, Exmouth Exmouth, America Down Under     BEST PLACE TO TAKE PHOTOS: New Zealand, everywhere! Coromandel Penninsula, North Island   BEST NEW SKILLS: Kitesurfing and Sailing   BEST PLACE […]

FEMALE Crew Only!?!?

FEMALE Crew Only!?!?

I thought finding a boat to sail to the South Pacific would be easier than it actually turned out to be. My confidence  a result of receiving emails from captains who saw my profile on crew finding websites and were interested in me joining their boat despite the fact that I had very little sailing […]

Octopus Tales

Octopus Tales

After seven eventful weeks we had to say adios to Octopus. It was a fun ride, a cozy home, and he will be missed. Maybe it was for the best that we had to part ways as Tom and I developed some bad habits during our time living in the van. There were many of nights […]

Whangarei Heads Hikes

Whangarei Heads Hikes

There are many scenic hikes around Whangarei Heads. We enjoyed a fun climb to the summit of Mount Aubrey.

Cape Reinga – where oceans collide

Cape Reinga – where oceans collide

Photo of the week: Cape Reinga as far north as you can drive in New Zealand. *The Meeting Point – Cape Reinga marks the separation of the Tasman Sea (to the west) from the Pacific Ocean. For Maori, these turbulent waters are where the male sea Te Moana Tapokopoko a Tawhaki meets the female sea […]

How to make tuatua fritters

How to make tuatua fritters

Learned something new today … how to make tuatua fritters. What is a tuatua you ask? Tuatua is a shellfish that can be found in abundance on the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand during low tide. A local had suggested we find ourselves some tuatua and fry into “fritters”, a very […]

GBF: Kitesurfed a really cool spot …

GBF: Kitesurfed a really cool spot …

that should be kept a secret as it wouldn’t be so cool if other kiters found out about it and crowded the water! The Good: I finally got to go kitesurfing after being disabled for over 3 weeks with my bruised rib! For over a week we explored the beautiful Karikari Peninsula where no matter which way the […]

Craving fish and chips?

Craving fish and chips?

Head to the tiny coastal town Monganui, home to the “World Famous” Fish and Chips Shop … SO GOOD!

Surf’s Up in Raglan

Surf’s Up in Raglan

Raglan is a laid back surfer town located on the west coast of the New Zealand’s north island. It’s a great place to kick back and relax for a few days. Manu Bay is a popular spot for surfers. Thomas went kitesurfing but I was still too sore with my bruised rib to go out […]

Manu Bay – Raglan, NZ

Manu Bay – Raglan, NZ

Photo of the week: Manu Bay in Raglan New Zealand … surfers paradise

Octopus … my new ride/home in NZ

Octopus … my new ride/home in NZ

Getting around in New Zealand can be challenging, especially when you are traveling with heavy and bulky kitesurfing gear. Public transport is limited outside of the bigger cities and not accessible to most of the places we want to visit. We needed our own wheels to explore the beautiful North Island at our leisure. From […]

Rum Racing

Rum Racing

Mount Gay Rum Race occurs every Friday at Westhaven Marina in Auckland. Thomas and I invited our new friend Jen from Idaho to join us in our attempts to get on a boat and participate in the sailing race. We walked along the dock asking if anyone had room for us on their boat and […]