Saturday, September 7, 2013

Queenstown.

Our time in Queenstown is coming to an end so I thought I would dedicate a post to my favourite photos that have been taken over the last 5 months.

Queenstown Beach:

Walking up Queenstown hill.
The lonely goat!

Picnics on Queenstown hill

Autumn in Queenstown

Arrowtown.

Queenstown Park:

Autumn flowers:


Sunset on the lake:

View from the gondola!

Favourite place to sit

Typical view in Queenstown!


Thursday, September 5, 2013

Musical.

I saw on Listette Loves blog page that she keeps track of all the songs she currently loves so that she doesn't forget them. I thought this was a lovely idea as I am always finding great songs, and then forgetting all about them. Songs are also a great way to remember certain parts of your life, so I am going to try and dedicate a blog post to songs which I cannot keep playing!

I love the Anna Kendrick song which is out now. Pitch perfect is such a feel good song! It comes on the radio every day whilst i'm working at the nursery on coronet peak mountain!

Ingrid Michaelson has such a lovely song! I'm not sure how I discovered this song but it always makes me smile :)


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Shopping in Queenstown

Redcurrent is a really nice little shop in the Remarkables Park which I discovered today! It sells so many cute things including candles, jewellery, hats, scarfs, furniture etc etc. It is surprisingly affordable which makes it even better! Check out there website here.



Saturday, August 31, 2013

A hut on the lake.

Whilst in Thailand we headed to Khao Sok to a little hut on the lake, where we would stay the night surrounded by the rainforest, go kayaking off the little wooden walkway, trek to caves, and see monkeys!

This is such a worthwhile experience, and something you cannot do anywhere else! It felt really weird sleeping on this little hut on the lake, and I have to admit it wasn't the best night sleep I have ever had. The pure darkness due to the lake of electricity, and the feeling that we were flouting was very disconcerting! Getting past that though it was a great experience which didn't feel too touristy, and our guide was amazing and hilarious! 



































Campervan Buying!



We are soon heading off on a campervaning trip around NZ and in true NZ traveller style we have bought ourselves a converted campervan! It is a people carrier which has had the seats taken out and a mattress put in the back, with some space left for storage. Buying a car like this has some risks as they are normally old, have done lots of miles, and have normally been owned by travellers with little money to spare to do it up. We therefore looked carefully into things we should check over before buying the car and I thought I would share our tips with you :)

1. Check the WOF! The newer the better, you don't want to get stuck with a huge bill just after buying the car!
2. Have the car checked out by a mechanic! We did this and it cost us $50 but this provides a much more in-depth look at how the car is running, something the WOF does not cover.
3. Don't pay ridiculous amounts, and if you can don't buy it in Auckland! People arrive in Auckland and buy campervans for far more money than they are worth elsewhere in the country. Also travellers can be really stingy! Remember the van you are buying will be old, it will have miles, and it is probably not worth $4000!
4. Go for the car which is going to come with less risk. We looked at two identical vans, and on first viewing one seemed far more aesthetically pleasing with a sink, pull out sofa bed, pull down table etc etc etc. But, this car needed its tyres and windscreen replaced. Don't get swept away with the aesthetics, they are not too hard/ expensive to put in yourself!
5. Do the standard checks, the tyres, the windscreen, make sure the windowipers etc work. We used this website, print it off and go through it when checking out the car!
6. Offer lower than the asking price, most people will add $500 onto what they actually expect!

I am going to post photos of the van before and after! I am hoping to install a sink, storage and curtains :)


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Paradise in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Luang Prabang, is home to the beautiful Kuang Si waterfalls. We spent a day here with friends swimming, jumping, and rope-swinging in the waterfall. A must do in SE Asia!








Thursday, August 22, 2013

Photo of the week...

The beautiful drive to Glenorchy! One of the most scenic drives in the world!

Photo by Charles Bowman