TONGARIRO ALPINE CROSSING

One of the highlights of my 4-month stint in New Zealand back in 2019 was completing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

The full-day hike covered a wide range of landscapes, including fluorescent green lakes and desert-y stretches that felt like we were walking around on Mars.

Casual lunch break in front of an active volcano

The 12-ish mile hike passes over volcanic terrain, through craters and around the Emerald and Blue Lakes.

Since the hike requires an early morning start, we stayed at the nearby Awhi Farm in the foothills of Mount Ruapehu and experienced 2 nights of camping at the rustic farm.

Manuka honey bees

Fresh veggies galore

Camp kitchen

We enjoyed cooking in the outdoor camp kitchen with fresh eggs, veggies and honey from the farm but my favorite part of our visit was hanging with the kune pig who acted like the family dog.

LAST BITS OF NEW ZEALAND 2017

(From my phone.)

Pre-surf at Maori Bay. 

New llama friend. 

Dowtown from Te Atatu Peninsula.

Vintage shopping on K Road. 

Street art in Ponsonby. 

Our friends who fed us satay sticks at the Henderson Night Markets every Thursday. 

Auckland Sky Tower at night, from below. 

Man and dog. True love. 

Art on Waiheke Island. 

Glorious Waiheke. 

Mid-run on Waiheke Island. 

Cleaned up for a Waiheke Wedding. 

3/4 of the Stratford Siblings. 

Bexee, Scott and I. Practically an ad for Karen Walker. 

Smokey, watching foolish humans. 

Smokey, one with nature. 

Downtown Auckland. 

Crater on Mount Eden.

Sunset on the Te Atatu Peninsula. 

MERCERY BAY LOOP HIKE

Most of my 3 month stint in New Zealand this year consisted of EditMate work (pitch meetings, editing videos, cursing NZ's archaic wifi when uploading and downloading said videos) but I did make sure to step away from my laptop and get out and enjoy NZ's epic landscape.

Here's a few photos from a day hiking the Mercer Bay Loop:

It's one of the oldest settled areas in the Waitakere Ranges and has a tragic past. Maori folklore says a Maori Chief's beautiful daughter drifted off from here after mourning her husband who got swept off to the ocean from a giant wave that hit the cliff.

Since then, multiple women have gone missing from this cliff (one just this past March) only adding to the Bay's haunted legend. 

COLORS OF NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand in green, blue and black + white. 

The hills are alive.

Some Tai Chi and the Auckland skyline. 

Devonport.

Silo Park. 

Bright green Devonport.

AROUND THE NORTH ISLAND WITH SMOKEY

Smokey in front of Rangitoto. 

Swimming in Devonport. 

Beach afternoon at O'Neills Bay. 

Walking on a stormy day.  

Smokey the dog remains ultimate hiking, swimming, roadtripping and surfing companion. 

OKURA BUSH WALKWAY HIKE

SHOTS AROUND AUCKLAND

From my phone.

Day at Piha with Smokey. 

Feeding the neighbors last night's salad leftovers. 

Backyard.

Kite festival on the Te Atatu Peninsula.

Cricket game, out in the country. Note tiny Smokey in the middle of a game of fetch. 

Scott and Rangitoto in the distance.  

Backyard dinner view. 

Fetch at Piha. 

Post-swim. 

BACK IN NEW ZEALAND

Scott was back in his homeland sorting out his American Business visa and a few things were happening with EditMate in the southern hemisphere -- so in January, I flew over for a New Zealand summer. It was a joyous reunion with Smokey. And Scott too. 

A DAY OUT ON THE GOAT BOAT

Goat. Owner of aforementioned boat. 

Chelsey. 

Scott. 

No fish were harmed on this trip (i.e. none were caught). 

A MORNING AT O'NEILL BAY

I've been all over the map the last few months.

Scott and I left New Zealand to expand EditMate into Australia (and explore along the way), then headed back over the Pacific for a day of swimming in everything that's glorious about America (filtered coffee! right side of the road driving!) in LA before landing in Austin, TX for a week of wedding festivities and taco hangovers. Then, we headed north to Massachusetts where we've settled into my beloved Jamaica Plain, for a TBD amount of time.

More on all of that soon. 

Until then, here's a few photos from a nice morning at O'Neill Bay in New Zealand. It was a perfect morning for a surf, a nap and an expansive game of fetch for Smokey. 

SHOTS AROUND AUCKLAND

Morning at the markets.

Smokey, pondering the meaning of life.

Brunch at Mondays.

Auckland Art Gallery. 

Rangitoto Island from Takapuna Beach. 

PIHA BEACH

Black sand at the west coast's Piha Beach. 

VALENTINE'S DAY

This year Scott learned what it's really like to date an American: we treat Valentine's Day like an episode of The Bachelor. 

Flying over Auckland!

LIFE LATELY IN AUCKLAND

Making friends at the zoo via food bribery. 

Day at The Cricket. I had no idea what was happening. 

Mount Eden crater

Smokey!

Hiking in the Waihi Gorge.

Western Springs Park

HIKING THE WAITAKERE RANGES

Sometimes I get all eye-roll-y-American at Auckland because it's a small place in a tiny country and everything closes at 3 PM.

Other times, I drive 30 minutes outside the city and arrive at a magnificent landscape that's a cross between Jurassic Park and Eden. And then I'm just... in awe.

Hiking the Waitakere Ranges was one of those times. 

A lot of the photos I take end up being back-of-head shots of Scott, which may seems like a creative choice or a way to make Scott look ~mysterious~ but really it's because I'm a slow walker and meander my way through life. 

Hiking. It's just walking! Until there is an ascent involved. 

Repping the alma mater at the top. 

Almost caught up to him...

...aaaand he pulls ahead during the descent.