curioustravelertravelogues

2018: The Year of Positivity

Posted on February 2, 2018 by juliamenn

My word for 2018 is Positivity, and I’ve learned quickly that this year needs to be approached differently than years past if I want to see any growth and self-improvement. Continue reading →

A Brief Service Announcement

Posted on December 16, 2017 by juliamenn

It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure I proudly present my latest itinerary on this crazy crash-bang, whirlwind adventure of mine… Continue reading →

Posted in china, Ireland, Thailand, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged Adventure, chengdu, china, hangzhou, Ireland, levitate, maglev, new year's eve, nye, opportunity, seal, seal rescue ireland, shanghai, Thailand, train, Travel, volunteer | Leave a comment

A Brief Sojourn in Wanaka

Posted on December 14, 2017 by juliamenn

Maybe it’s because the weather cleared up, maybe it’s because the Fall colours were on full display, maybe it’s because I FINALLY got to do some adventure sports – but I freaking LOVED Wanaka!

#ThatWanakaTree

Continue reading →

Posted in new zealand, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged aerobatics, aeronautics, aeroplane, airplane, anxiety, church, cocktail, comfort zone, easter, empath, fall, fly, flying, nature, new zealand, snoopy, soul, south island, that wanaka tree, trick flying, u-fly, wanaka, wine tasting | Leave a comment

What’s the first thing that springs to mind when I say West Coast? Ok, probably California. But, unlike that warm, sunny, American expanse, the West Coast in New Zealand is generally referring to the section on the South Island along Highway 6 – from Kahurangi National Park all the way down to Mount Aspiring National Park. Renowned for its glaciers, mountains, national forests, and, of course, coastal views, I’m sure it was very nice, except for the fact it rained. Every. Freaking. Day. Which, ok, I admit it is exposed to the sea, so, you know, weather. But seriously! Buckets of rain all the time. And misty drizzles when it wasn’t pouring. I’d greatly wanted to go heli-hiking on Franz Josef Glacier, but it kept getting cancelled due to the weather. Eventually I just moved on because there was no forecasted break in the monotonous rain.

Continue reading →

Posted in new zealand, Uncategorized | Tagged aoraki, fish and chips, fox glacier, franz josef, glacier, haast, hiking, hokitika, lake mathieson, mt cook, mt tasman, new zealand, rain, rainbow, south island, the craypot, walk, weather, West Coast, wet | Leave a comment

Let Me Count the Ways

Posted on October 22, 2017 by juliamenn

As I’ve mentioned, unfortunately my work visa for New Zealand didn’t pan out, and the past month and a half has been an utter whirlwind as I tried to sort out my path forward. I was waking up every morning with a knot of anxiety so bad it made me want to vomit.

ANZAC Memorial

Continue reading →

Posted in new zealand, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged air asia, airport, auckland, Change, china, currency, flights, fly, hong kong, insurance, life, lifestyle, moving, new zealand, nz, passport, plan, question, sell, solo female travel, transferwise, Travel, visa, wellington, work | 2 Comments

Christchurch and Arthur’s Pass

Posted on October 15, 2017 by juliamenn

The day after seal watching was dedicated to soaking at Hanmer Springs – a hot springs facility outside of Christchurch. I got an $11 ticket from a deals website (either grabone or bookme, I think) and spent the entire, rainy day basking in the naturally fed pools. As it was overcast, I didn’t even have to worry about getting sunburned!

I spent the weekend on a friend’s sheep station outside of Christchurch; relaxing, exploring, and drinking a fair bit of wine.

Another glass gone

I came across quite a number of sheep skulls on the station

I rode a gd penny farthing!

NZ’s mural game is on point!

Fennel fields overlooking the ocean

Continue reading →

Posted in new zealand, Uncategorized | Tagged 185 white chairs, akaroa, arthurs pass, butterflies, cardboard cathedral, castle hill, cathedral, christchurch, earthquake, hanmer springs, hot springs, limestone, loss, lyttelton, memorial, monarch, Mountains, road trip, rock climbing, rocks, Sheep, simpsons, springfield, tragedy, wine | Leave a comment

South Island Road Trip: Part 1

Posted on October 7, 2017 by juliamenn

There was a lot of driving done on South Island, and I’d say half of it was because, “Well, I have time, so I’m going to take this several hour long side trek to see whatever’s there.” I zig-zagged back and forth across the island multiple times in this fashion; simply exploring waterfalls, beaches, seal colonies, big rocks, star gazing, mountain spotting, glacier hiking, lighthouses, things of that nature. Anything that piqued my curiosity (and wasn’t too difficult) got a look. (There were some LOTR filming locations and a Blue Lake I’d heard about, but as they required 12hrs to 2 days hiking in mountains to get there, I uttered several resounding “Fuck that”s)

Driving in NZ is never boring!

Continue reading →

Posted in new zealand, Uncategorized | Tagged beach, cape foulwind, colony, drive, iphone, lake, lake rotoiti, lake rotoroa, new zealand, pictures, road trip, sand flies, seal, south island, st arnaud, sunset, walk, West Coast, wildlife | 1 Comment

Farewell Spit

Posted on October 2, 2017 by juliamenn

No, it’s not the name of some strange leaving ritual (though now that you mention it…) – it’s the stretch of land right at the tippy top of the South Island. Weather was inclement, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me (good thing, too, because 3 out of 4 days down south seemed to be “inclement”). I had several days before meeting a friend down in Christchurch – no better way to fill the time than exploring! Continue reading →

Posted in new zealand, Uncategorized | Tagged anxiety, beach, cove, depression, elements, farewell spit, life, living, nature, new zealand, pilot whale, sand, seal, skeleton, south island, struggle, whale, wharariki beach | Leave a comment

Plot Twist!

Posted on September 26, 2017 by juliamenn

Well, in an unpleasant turn of events, my New Zealand work visa has fallen through. I had been so hopeful that somehow things would work out so I’d get to stay here in this beautiful city I’ve made my home, but after bringing it right up to the wire in terms of timing, my bosses decided not to pursue things further. I received this news while I was waiting in LAX for my flight back to NZ and spent the next 12+ hours alternatively being fine and making future plans and totally freaking out. Continue reading →

Posted in Musings, new zealand, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged action, america, beach, china, clouds, comfort, difficult, fight, fish and chips, hard, hurt, love, new zealand, paths, persevere, perspective, stability, Travel, usa, visa, wellington, weta, wisconsin, working | 1 Comment

Exploring Abel Tasman

Posted on August 20, 2017 by juliamenn

On what turned out to be the last day of good weather for quite some time, I did my first proper tramp – a chunk of the Abel Tasman Track; from Torrent Bay back down to Sandy Bay

I drove in the morning to Sandy Bay where I caught a water taxi up to Torrent Bay. It was stunning weather and we also got a bit of a tour – saw Split Apple Rock and some baby seals. I love cruising around by speed boat 🙂

Continue reading →

Posted in new zealand, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged abel tasman, beach, cleopatra's pool, golden sand, new zealand, pool, queen charlotte sound, sand, sandy bay, south island, tasman bay, torrent bay, tramp, trek, walk | 1 Comment

curioustravelertravelogues

2018: The Year of Positivity

A Brief Service Announcement

A Brief Sojourn in Wanaka

Wet on the West Coast

Let Me Count the Ways

Christchurch and Arthur’s Pass

South Island Road Trip: Part 1

Farewell Spit

Plot Twist!

Exploring Abel Tasman

Instagram

Follow Blog via Email

Archives

Categories