Spending $500 at once is a major shock to a backpaker’s budget. (Don’t worry! I planned on it and it was worth every dime!) To compensate and to calm the inner-frugal-Trevor who saved all the money to be able to afford this trip, I had to spend some cheap days. Don’t get me wrong – they were very good days. I’ll be the first to tell you that you don’t Read the rest…
Warning: the following is just ramblings. After skydiving, I started to transition into a new phase of my trip. The romance of traveling and backpacking had worn off and although I’ve been living out of my backpack for the past month, I was nowhere nearer to Henry David Thoreau’s state of mind. I have also spent the majority of my budget on expensive adventures (ahem, scuba and skydiving) and I Read the rest…
In my scuba post I mentioned a short list of must-do items in New Zealand. On Wednesday I crossed the third off the list. Skydiving. To those of you who haven’t thrown yourself out of a plane, you’re missing out. Without a doubt it was my favorite activity of this trip. It was also the most expensive single-day adventure. For NZ$499 I jumped out of an airplane at 15,000 feet. Read the rest…
After Waitomo, I Strayed to the town of Maketu, known for its kiwifruit orchards. There, we stayed the night at Uncle Boy’s compound. For a mandatory $75 donation we would be given a traditional Maori dinner, unique cultural concert and experience, a place to sleep, and breakfast. Everything was nice, and I did enjoy myself, but not $75 worth. I had seen a Maori cultural show back in 2008 in Read the rest…
Note: Although Waitomo is pronounced “why-tome-oh”, I felt the urge to give a shoutout to the excellent NPR show. After leaving Raglan, we came directly to Waitomo to see the famous glowworm caves. In 2008 I saw them via a tranquil stroll and boat ride. This time, I wanted to do something a little more adventurous. Like most businesses, especially tourism businesses, everybody scratches everybody’s back. The drivers get kickbacks Read the rest…
 |
 |
 |
 |