Even if we are waking up slightly dehydrated from the night before, at least there is moisture in the air hanging around Lake Brunner’s mountains. The dramatic clouds reflect in the dark lake, w

The sun is shining, the waves are crashing and the cliffs are towering: we wake up to another beautiful day on the West Coast of New Zealand. But, we’re swapping it all (except the sun – w

The theme of today was not deliberate but somehow we are going back to our early roots as humans to do some bone carving and then check out a cave in the Paparoa National Park. With human settlers onl

Our final morning in wonderful Karamea involves breakfast with organic kiwifruit grown on the Rongo Backpackers’ farm and one last chat with the amazing WWOOFers who have made us feel so at home

Update: Rongo Backpackers is now Rongo Dinner Bed & Breakfast. Rail, hail, wind, sunshine, rail, hail wind, sunshine… You know us. We don’t usually let the weather get in the way of wh

We don’t think there has been a day in New Zealand where we’ve needed to hike so little to see so much! Arches, caves, viewpoints, forest, wildlife, cascading streams, beaches, rivers: Kah

We’re moving on again! This time, northwards to Karamea. It’s a small town on the West Coast that’s a little off the beaten track, but it is also the base for adventures into the Kah

This is it – the day we have been most looking forward to since arriving at Bazil’s Hostel in Westport. Murals of The Evolution of Surfing, surfing kiwi birds, surfing pukeko, painted surf

It’s the second day of spring here in New Zealand, but already it is starting to feel like summer. Fellow hostel-dwellers at Bazil’s Hostel, Westport, are sitting in the bright and colourf

There’s just one more thing we have to check out in Reefton before we leave today. (Well, there are a million things we wish we had time to check out in Reefton to be honest). But our number one