New Zealand | Thirdeyemom

THE FRIDAY FEATURE: Camping in the Kgalagadi

September 21, 2012 by thirdeyemom

This week’s first Friday Feature is by Rory Alexander, a South African blogger and photographer who I’ve followed for a long time now. He has written three blogs: Rory in China, Rory in New Zealand and Rory in America. They are all fabulous and are definitely worth adding to your reading list! Having been out of the country for two years, when a friend said there was seat going begging on a trip to Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, I jumped at […]

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Categories: China, FRIDAY FEATURE, New York, New Zealand, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, United States • Tags: China, CULTURE, Friday Feature, Kgalagadi, new york, New Zealand, Photography, rory alexander, Safari, South Africa, Travel

Goodbye New Zealand

February 28, 2012 by thirdeyemom

Photo above taken on our last day in Auckland, New Zealand. The sun was shining warmly and spring was in the air. November 2002. Never in my life had I not wanted to leave a place and return home than during my two weeks in New Zealand. The pure beauty and laid-back, carefree life of New Zealand was effecting me in an utterly positive way. Going back was not only depressing but a dreadful thought. For it was the start […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, New Zealand, North Island, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY • Tags: CULTURE, New Zealand, North Island, South Island, thirdeyemom, Travel

Day hike in Waimangu Volcanic Valley

February 26, 2012 by thirdeyemom

With an unexpected, unplanned day ahead of us due to bad weather at the Tongariro Crossing (see earlier post), we discussed our options with our B&B hosts Peter and Grace who enthusiastically informed us of nearby Waimangu Volcanic Valley located near Rotorua. Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley is the hydrothermal system created on 10 June 1886 by the volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera, on the North Island of New Zealand. It encompasses Lake Rotomahana, the former site of the Pink and White Terraces. It was the […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, New Zealand, North Island, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, Trekking/Hiking • Tags: Adventure, CULTURE, Hiking, New Zealand, North Island, thirdeyemom, Travel, Waimangu Volcanic Valley

The tramp that wasn’t meant to be

February 25, 2012 by thirdeyemom

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing in Tongariro National Park is one of New Zealand‘s most spectacular tramping tracks, and is considered the most popular one-day tramp in New Zealand. The Tongariro National Park is a World Heritage site which has the distinction of dual status, as it has been acknowledged for both its natural and cultural significance. The crossing passes over the volcanic terrain of the multi-cratered active volcano Mt Tongariro, passing the eastern base of Mt Ngauruhoe which can optionally be climbed as a side trip. The 19.4 km (12.0 […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, Lake Taupo, New Zealand, North Island, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, Trekking/Hiking • Tags: Adventure, CULTURE, Lake Taupo, life, New Zealand, North Island, thirdeyemom, Tongariro Crossing, Travel, trekking

In the North Island: A visit to Lake Taupo

February 24, 2012 by thirdeyemom

Today was the day that we were heading back to Auckland to begin our exploration of New Zealand’s North Island. We had already used up well over half of our vacation in the South Island and were reluctant to leave because we loved it so much. The South Island of New Zealand is a magical, beautiful place that is a true outdoor enthusiast’s heaven. We could have easily stayed there forever but of course had to get back to reality […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, Lake Taupo, New Zealand, North Island, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, Trekking/Hiking • Tags: CULTURE, Lake Taupo, life, New Zealand, North Island, thirdeyemom, Travel

Day trip to Akaroa

February 24, 2012 by thirdeyemom

With one day left on the South Island and yet another spectacular blue sky, Paul and I decided to hit the road and take a day trip to the nearby village of Akaroa, located about 54 miles/87 kilometers from Christchurch. Akaroa is the oldest town in Canterbury, founded by French settlers in 1840, and is a wonderfully quaint, beautiful village nestled in the heart of the Banks Peninsula. We had also heard that the area offered many opportunities for excellent “tramps” […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, Akaroa, CULTURE, New Zealand, South Island, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, Trekking/Hiking • Tags: Akaroa, CULTURE, life, New Zealand, Photography, South Island, thirdeyemom, Travel

Back to Christchurch

February 23, 2012 by thirdeyemom

Ok, I know I was going to jump into the North Island of New Zealand but I found a few more pictures and stories that I forgot to include on the South Island. I guess that’s what happens when you are writing about a trip that was ten years ago! So let me back up here and return to where I left off in the Milford Sound. To read the last post on exploring the Milford Sound click here. We […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, CULTURE, New Zealand, South Island, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY • Tags: Christchurch, CULTURE, Nature, New Zealand, Queenstown, South Island, thirdeyemom, Travel

Sailing sound in the Milford Sound

February 16, 2012 by thirdeyemom

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, Milford Sound, New Zealand, Trekking/Hiking • Tags: cruise, CULTURE, Milford Sound, Nature, New Zealand, South Island, thirdeyemom, Travel

South bound to Milford Sound

February 15, 2012 by thirdeyemom

After traveling to the world-famous fiords of Norway and being blown away by their sensational beauty, I knew that Paul and I would have to make time for a trip down south to New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park. Fiordland National Park is located on the Southwestern part of New Zealand’s South Island and is the country’s largest park with over 21,000 square km/8,100 square miles of pristine forests, mountains and lakes. The region is composed of over 14 fiords and […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, Milford Sound, New Zealand, South Island, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, Trekking/Hiking • Tags: CULTURE, Hiking, Milford Sound, New Zealand, South Island, thirdeyemom, Travel

1200px-Panoramic_mountain_view_from_the_Routeburn_Track

Hiking into Middle Earth: A tramp along the Routeburn Track

February 13, 2012 by thirdeyemom

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain The New Zealand Silver Fern, the symbol of purity and beauty. The Routeburn Track in the South Island of New Zealand is perhaps one of the finest hikes in the […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, New Zealand, Queenstown, Routeburn Track, South Island, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, Trekking/Hiking • Tags: Active, CULTURE, Hiking, Nature, New Zealand, Queenstown, Routeburn Track, South Island, thirdeyemom, Travel

Thirdeyemom

Traveling and experiencing the world with a third-eye

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