Archives for category: Travel Tips

Scenes from: Na Pali Coast, Kaua’i

November 27, 2015 //

For someone who spent her childhood and adolescence growing up on the The Garden Island, Na Pali Coast was always just out of reach. Between school, extra curricular activities and family travel funds prioritized for experiences off the island, Na Pali fell through the cracks.

When the opportunity arose to show a Mainland friend around my home island, we made like the smart tourists and booked a water tour of the coast. There are helicopter tours available which provide some incredible aerial views, but our tour included more intimate interactions with the elements, if you’re into that kind of thing.

The Blue Dolphin Charters experience was the perfect finale to our week long visit to Kaua’i. Captain Chad, a native of Kauai’s West side, and his crew kept us entertained, beveraged, and most of all, safe. He also reminded me of one of my club volleyball coaches by the same name, but I digress.

While no pictures, or even the most descriptive adjectives could capture that Sunday afternoon, in lieu of actually being there my best effort to illustrate the day is summarized below:

Na Pali Coast is truly a feast for all of the senses.

Just LOOK at this.

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Tags Blue Dolphin Charters, Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands, Kauai, Na Pali, Na Pali Coast, Pacific Ocean, Polihale, Waimea

Categories Cruise, Hawaii, Kauai, Scenes from, Travel Tips

New Zealand Re-do: 3 Things I’d Do Differently

June 17, 2015 //

When I travel, the goal is usually to shape an itinerary based on the type of experience I’d like to take away from the time spent in a destination. Reflecting on my most recent international trip to New Zealand in the Spring (their Autumn), we absorbed picturesque landscapes – our mouths perpetually agape and uttering blasphemous statements, “Queenstown, What. The. F***.” We revved ourselves up with takeaway after takeaway of flat whites, wiled the hours away on the sands of Waiheke Island, challenged our stamina to tough hikes and shared in generous libations with travelers from all over. Yet, I wish we could have done more.

Travel regrets are rare, however even after nearly three weeks in New Zealand (and brief stopovers in Melbourne and Sydney), there are plenty of reasons to return.

These are the top three things I’d do the second time around in New Zealand (and Australia):

Spend Every Day in the South Island: As I outlined in a previous post, New Zealand is an outdoor enthusiast’s mecca. During our first night in Queenstown, over a few pints of Speight’s and new company in town, one of our fellow travelers said, “If you can, I’d skip the entire North Island and stay in the South Island.” Bold words to say about a country brimming with adventure, yet entirely fitting. He’d just returned from a jet boating trip, while our other new companion was prepping for a day of canyoning (we went with her). My travel partner and good friend Ayanna and I found ourselves at odds with choosing between various hikes and water activities. Many required a half-day bus trip or an overnight stay in a smaller town, which wasn’t efficient for our four-day stay. Even after the cardio we cranked out in our short time in Queenstown, we barely broached the South Island’s potential. Instead, we stayed the course and flew to the North Island, to the San Francisco-like hills and jammed cafes of Wellington and then further still to the bustle of Auckland, which was jarring after spending most of our time surrounded by sheep, meadows and lakes – when we weren’t tramping around.