Category Archives: Travel

A conversation with my mother:  Me, “I’m going to be able to tell my nieces and nephews that I spent my whole 28th year in New Zealand. Like, exactly, from Sept. 19th to Sept. 19th. I’ll tell them I swam with sharks, I bungee jumped…” Mother, “<sigh>. You better not. If you got bit byContinue reading “sharks.”

I bought a Lonely Planet guidebook to New Zealand for 50 cents on eBay. It’s packed full of great advice on the best secondhand bookstores, cozy coffee shops, and the most beautiful beaches and hikes.  The previous owner of the guidebook is someone very unlike me. In fact, I have learned to note the thingsContinue reading “lonely planet.”

I was in the pool today, because the Florida heat in August will kill ya if you don’t stay in the water. I saw my shadow, arms on my hips, and thought I looked like Peter Pan. Then I thought, I am kind of treating New Zealand like Neverland, flying there so I don’t haveContinue reading “neverland.”

Dad and I were side by side on the treadmills at the gym, and he looked over with a surprised look as I was huffing and puffing on 12 elevation. I pointed to my guidebook and said, “I’m getting ready to hike Mount Cook.”  He said, “Nice. How tall?” Then he put his elevation wayContinue reading “mount cookin’.”

Aaron and Carlee Buchanan (future parents of Beth Anne Buchanan) are such dear friends that I cherish more than a blog post can delineate. They threw me a going away bash full of pool time, corn hole, and chargrilled burgers. They also bought me a Canon Powershot camera. Thus, all of my future NZ photosContinue reading “buchanans rock.”

It’s been surprising how many people have said, “One of my favorite people lives in New Zealand, here’s her number” or “I did a working holiday there, too, let me give you some advice.” It’s a small world after all.  Brittany (my lovely friend who is going to NZ, too) has a friend of aContinue reading “ghost lake. boo!”