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The Leaving Journal

Trip: New Zealand & Australia

There are [12] stories from my trip: New Zealand & Australia


A Threat to the Wild

AUSTRALIA | Friday, 20 Mar 2015 | Views [463]

The following is a letter regarding the management plan of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area released in January 2015. I have submitted this letter to the Draft TWWHA Managment Plan Representation, the Director of National Parks and Wildlife ... Read more >

Tags: australia, human impact, logging, mining, tasmania, unesco, wilderness, wildlife


Mount Solitary

NEW ZEALAND | Wednesday, 18 Mar 2015 | Views [911]

"Well, this is some nice, flat, forest walking," I muse. "Yeah, it can't last forever," Dad responded quickly, like we'd been having the same thoughts. We knew a mountain summit was in today's section of the 3-day, 30-kilometer hike we'd started, ... Read more >

Tags: backpacking, challenges, hikes, mountains, trekking


Western Australia: The Hub Grill

NEW ZEALAND | Tuesday, 17 Mar 2015 | Views [914]

Tucked away in a residential neighborhood in far south Perth, The Hub Grill doesn't make a very good first impression. With only a handful of tables in the small space and a tiny kitchen behind the cash register, we were a little worried it wouldn't ... Read more >

Tags: food, friends, perth, restaurants, western australia


Roselyn

NEW ZEALAND | Wednesday, 11 Mar 2015 | Views [822]

My time in Australia and New Zealand has given me a deep appreciation for the natural beauty in the United States. It seems to me that wilderness - mountains, forests, rivers, beaches - are more celebrated in this part of the world. The parks are more ... Read more >

Tags: america, characters, cultures, home, people


Finding the Way

NEW ZEALAND | Saturday, 7 Mar 2015 | Views [803]

"Margaret River is really pretty. You could use that as a base to explore wineries and beach towns along the coast. " The third time I'd consulted a local in Perth about how to spend our week in the west and the third time I'd gotten this answer, ... Read more >

Tags: advice, australia, road trips


Inconvenience

NEW ZEALAND | Tuesday, 3 Mar 2015 | Views [447]

Hi! I'm Inconvenience. You and I are going to encounter eachother quite often if you decide to pack up and leave the county to budget travel for 3 months, so let me tell you a bit about myself. I am the guy in the bunk below you, in the 3 bed, closet-... Read more >

Tags: inconvenience, mistakes, travel, trouble


Mad Mack

NEW ZEALAND | Wednesday, 11 Feb 2015 | Views [841]

I glance down at my boots and see a small mammal's grinning jawbone, complete with teeth, splotches of fur and the remains of a tiny, leathery nose. I imagine it was skinned and its hide added to the tall stack of skins I saw on a shelf inside, then ... Read more >

Tags: characters, new zealand, people


Don't Feed the Wildlife

NEW ZEALAND | Sunday, 8 Feb 2015 | Views [458]

"I'll do whatever the hell I want, so shut the hell up!" shouted the redneck, crouched next to a small yellow-eyed penguin on the rocky beach. A crowd had gathered on the earthen ledge above him, watching as he tried to coax the animal towards him with ... Read more >

Tags: animals, new zealand, tourism, tourists, wildlife


The Sandbar King

NEW ZEALAND | Tuesday, 27 Jan 2015 | Views [424]

A Caribbean scene on a New Zealand sandbar: a straw hat topper on a green folding chair, a cooler to the left with a box of wine balanced on top. A man’s bare feet stretch out onto the sand, waves lapping at bony toes. Under the sunhat I’... Read more >

Tags: bays, beaches, biology, birds, ecology, new zealand, scientists


Te Pukatea Bay, Abel Tasman Coast Track

NEW ZEALAND | Monday, 26 Jan 2015 | Views [503]

"Can we go to bed yet? " I ask. "No, it's only 7pm, you'll be awake at 5 if you go to sleep now," Lizzy answers. "Well, what are we going to do?" I whine. I'm only half-kidding in my childish behavior. Lizzy smiles knowingly. "Read. Write. Look ... Read more >

Tags: bays, beaches, coast, inspiration, new zealand, saline, tide pools, water


EATSTAYDRINK Auckland

NEW ZEALAND | Monday, 19 Jan 2015 | Views [490]

I regret spending four days in Auckland. The highlight of our time there was an afternoon spent at The Backyard Bar in North Auckland with my friend Leigh (who I met at surf camp in Morocco last year). Local DJ's, an epic water slide and a brood of ... Read more >

Tags: auckland, bars, cities, hostels, restaurants


The Aisle Seat: Kia Ora

NEW ZEALAND | Thursday, 15 Jan 2015 | Views [326]

I've always been an aisle seat gal. Primarily because I like to stretch my legs beyond the tiny hovel of hobbit-space you receive on the average airplane, but there's also a paranoid, self-preservation element to it: when the inevitable emergency evacuation ... Read more >

Tags: landscapes, new zealand, planes, window seat