Auckland day walks ranked
There are almost no multi-day walks near Auckland, but thankfully there are many decent day walks, often along spectacular coastlines. Sadly the Waitakere Ranges are almost entirely closed now, to…
Tag: beauty
New Zealand day walks ranked
There’s a lot to be said for shorter walks. They may lack the sense of escape that a multi-day walk brings, but they can often match the scenery and carrying…
New Zealand tramps (multi-day walks) ranked
In the past five and a half years since starting with the Routeburn Track, I’ve done 24 multi-day walks (known as tramps in New Zealand), including all of the Great…
New Zealand benches
New Zealand is a truly beautiful place, with many views worth spending time to properly appreciate. Thankfully there are often handy benches to help one do so. Here are some…
Awhitu Peninsula
A great day trip from Auckland, the Awhitu Peninsula is a beautiful place about an hour south west, on the southern headland of the Manukau Harbour. Sweeping views of the harbour,…
Te Ara Hura
A relatively unknown Auckland gem, Te Ara Hura is 100km of connected tracks and trails around the Waiheke Island, only 40 mins by ferry from downtown Auckland. Particularly now the…
Hindu Kush – Mastuj to Hunza
Possibly the most spectacular piece of road I’ve ever been on (which is saying something), the scenery between Mastuj and Hunza through the Hindu Kush was consistently jaw dropping. From…
Best of 2018 – Hiking overseas
This year I ventured overseas for the longest and hardest hikes I’ve done to date, enjoying some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve seen. Hiking in Australia and Europe was…
Prague
An understandably if still overwhelmingly (in places) popular city, Prague has a rich history and wonderful architecture. The beauty of Prague (other than it’s obvious architectural beauty) is that there…
Best of 2018 – Tramping in New Zealand
I explored some of the most spectacular parts of New Zealand by foot this year. Though much shorter than my walks overseas, many of these being day walks, the scenery…
Municipal House
One of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen, Prague’s Municipal House is an Art Nouveau masterpiece that opened in 1912. It has played a key historical role twice, firstly…
Best of 2018 – Travels
By far the biggest year of travel I’ve done, helped by taking a fifteen week leave of absence from work, in addition to eight weeks of paid and unpaid leave…
Highlights of the Tour du Mont Blanc
My 24th multi-day walk, the Tour du Mont Blanc was the most consistently spectacular walk I’ve done to date. I’ve walked extensively in New Zealand, and in Patagonia, Australia, Georgia…
Best of 2018 – Places I’ve stayed
The idea for this post came while staying in a Peruvian lodge in the Amazon rainforest, thinking I’ve stayed in some memorable places this year during my travels. Here are…
Valbona Valley, Albanian Alps
A beautiful place, wonderful for walking, the Valbona Valley is a relatively undiscovered gem in the Albanian Alps. Accessible by paved roads a couple of hours from Fierza in Northern…
Northern Albania – Lake Koman and Shkoder
Travelling from the centrally located capital of Tirana to the mountains of Northern Albania there was plenty of history and impressive scenery. In a wonderful setting 130m above the northern…
Getty Villa
Opened in 1974 the Getty Villa is a gorgeous replica of Villa dei Papiri, a Roman villa in Herculaneum covered in volcanic ash from the eruption of Pompeii. It is…
Larapinta Trail Day 6 – Serpentine Gorge to Ellery Creek (Section 7)
The shortest day of walking so far, had been tempted to combine with yesterday’s section 8 but was keen on spending some time at Ellery Creek. With views like this…
Lake Marian
Lake Marian is a scenic alpine lake in a hanging valley formed by glaciers, reached by a 4.8km three hour return walk from the start of the Hollyford Road, just off…
Milford Sound
Described by Rudyard Kipling as the eighth Wonder of the World, Milford Sound is one of the most famous tourist destination in New Zealand, understandably so. I’ve been there three…