Towards the end of my time in Wellington, I started looking ahead to Auckland. I had already booked a flight for about $60 but a woman in my hostel dorm started telling me about the scenic train she was taking to Auckland the same day I had my flight. As much as I like to […]
After 10 days in Melbourne, I boarded a plane to Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington is known for being windy and rainy since it is on the water, and it definitely lived up to its reputation. The weather was so bad my first two days there, I barely left the hostel except to eat. When the […]
Exploring the Wellington Botanical Gardens is a great way to spend a few hours relaxing in the city. There is no charge to get in, and you can either walk up or take the cable car, which costs NZ$3.50 one way or NZ$6 round trip. The walk is a bit steep, and the cable car […]
When I first arrived in Wellington from Melbourne and got settled into the hostel dorm, I started tweeting about how it was rainy and windy. Amanda from A Dangerous Business, who loves New Zealand more than anyone I know, suggested I check out the Te Papa Museum since it was something I could do inside […]
Traveling in Melbourne, Australia was different from traveling in Southeast Asia in as many ways as you can imagine. One of the biggest difference was the cost. While I never expected Melbourne to be as cheap as Southeast Asia, I was still surprised at how expensive things were. But there are quite a few free […]
Melbourne has a lot to offer besides the quirky attractions. You could easily spend days just wandering around the city center without getting bored. I spent a couple days walking around on my own, a couple days hanging out with people from the hostel, and two days on a tour of the Great Ocean Road. […]
Day two of our Great Ocean Road tour was better than day one in several ways. The scenery got better and better, I took almost twice as many pictures, and no animals crapped on me. The Great Ocean Road, especially the section called the Twelve Apostles, was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever […]
I had heard so many wonderful things about the Great Ocean Road that I knew it had to be a part of my trip to Melbourne. I briefly considered renting a car and driving it myself, but I’ve never driven on the other side of the road or the other side of the car, so […]
I love going to markets in other countries. It’s always interesting to see what kinds of things are for sale, what the prices are, if anyone haggles, and it can make for some entertaining people watching. I went to a night market in Hong Kong a few years ago and bought a knock-off Jimmy Choo […]
I visited Australia a few years ago but didn’t have time to make it to Melbourne. When I was planning my round the world trip, I decided I wanted to stop there in between Southeast Asia and New Zealand. Originally I thought maybe I’d spend a few days in and around Melbourne and a few […]