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I came to New Zealand on a working holiday visa in January 2024, with a vague plan to stay for a few months. Twelve months later I was still here, having worked a handful of jobs, driven most of the country's main roads, hiked fourteen trails, and eaten a truly unreasonable number of meat pies.
This blog is my attempt to document it honestly β not the Instagram version of travel, but the actual one. The getting-lost bits, the hard bits, the bits where the mountain is so beautiful you can't talk for a moment.
365Days
9+Stories
2Islands
βPies
Things I Like
Hiking
Photography
Reading
Flat whites
Maps
Solo travel
Writing
Pies
The Year in NZ
January 2024
Arrived in Auckland
Landed at 6am, still in summer clothes, slightly overwhelmed. Found a hostel in the CBD and slept for twelve hours.
January β February 2024
North Island exploration
Rotorua, Tongariro, Taupo. The volcanic plateau is alien and brilliant.
March 2024
Moved to Christchurch
Took the Interislander ferry south and based myself in the Garden City for two months. Got a job at a cafΓ©.
April β May 2024
South Island road trip
KaikΕura, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Dunedin. Three weeks, one rented car, and a lot of scenic pull-offs.
June β August 2024
Winter in the South
Ski season in Queenstown. Picked up work at a resort. The Remarkables in snow are something else.
September 2024
The West Coast
Drove the Hokitika to Haast road. Rained three days out of three. Would do it again immediately.
January 2025
Home
Left from Auckland. Cried a small amount at the gate. Started writing this blog on the flight back.
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