Chilling in Queenstown

The weather was going to be iffy midweek, so we hunkered down in Queenstown to ride out the drizzly skies after kayaking Milford Sound. We found some backpacker accommodations Wednesday through Friday to have a little more space to stretch…

Glimpse of a glacier

It was beautiful on Sunday. Almost completely clear skies. After breakfast we drove to Fox Glacier and hiked up the glacier view trail. It was awesome to walk through a rainforest and emerge in a giant valley full of moving…

Franz Josef Glacier

We set the alarm for 7 on Monday. It was cloudy, but at least it wasn’t raining. We made ham sandwiches and got some snacks and clothes together for the day ahead. We walked to the Franz Josef Guides location…

Franz Josef Glacier: a portrait

I took 246 photos while hiking Franz Josef Glacier—which made it very hard to select only a few to illustrate my previous post. So I’ve decided to put together a follow up with some additional photos that form a sort…

From Hanmer Springs to Akaroa

There are two passes that we could take eastward on our way back to Christchurch (to return the Spaceship). One is apparently so phenomenal that it has its own national park (Arthur’s Pass), but we were more attracted to the…

Tramping the Abel Tasman Coast Track

Day 1: Marahau to Anchorage Bay – Mon Nov 8 We started on the Abel Tasman Coast Track around 2:30. The skies were fairly overcast, so we hoofed it to Anchorage Bay, just under 4 hours away. The first bit…

A week of milking goats

Immediately after our Abel Tasman Tramp, we spent a week in Upper Moutere wwoofing—volunteering on an organic farm for 5-6 hours a day in exchange for room and board. A curious goat Every morning around 8:30 and every evening at…

Meat pies cutaway, literally

Meat pies are like a national dish in Australia and New Zealand. Gourmet meat pies at the Nelson Saturday Market

Justin Watt as ‘Bullitt’

Sitting in a ’67 Ford Mustang against a San Francisco backdrop at the WOW Classic Cars Museum in Nelson, New Zealand

Me and the DeLorean

Posing with a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 at the WOW Classic Cars Museum in Nelson, New Zealand

Meet the Mullins

One of the interesting coincidences of this trip so far has been meeting up with the passengers who stayed in our cabin on the Cap Cleveland (between New Zealand and Philadelphia) before we got on. We never met in Philadelphia—they…

Really hating the west coast sandflies right now:

Sandfly bites may leave large, red itchy bumps that may turn into a rash. These bumps are frequently several times as itchy as mosquito bites, and tend to last longer as well.

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Food for thought: Data-Visualizing the Most Remote Places On Earth #

Oops:

A Comfort, TX photographer is suing the state of Texas over roughly 4.5 million vehicle inspection stickers that appear to incorporate, without his authorization, an image of a saddle-toting cowboy he created in 1984.

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To skim later: 20 Things I Learned About Browsers and the Web #

Apparently “justinsomnia.org” is the lorem ipsum of QR Codes (English translation). Can’t say I’ve seen any appreciable traffic benefit as a result of “Justinsomnia Syndrome”. #

Trying hard not to be seduced by overland tours of Africa #

Must. Stop. Buying. Icebreaker merino wool in New Zealand—even with the exchange rate, it’s still cheaper in the US! #

Andy visits a Gruyere cheese factory in Gruyères #

Flipped through the Atlas of Remote Islands in a bookstore in NZ—it’s Tufte-esque. #