Hi friends and family!
Welcome to my travel log, where I'll keep you updated
as I make my way around this big, beautiful world.
My travels start in Australia...
A little bit of background: this trip was
inspired by my Australian friend, Patrick, who I met while staying at his hostel
(in a tent in the backyard) in Melbourne.
We have stayed in touch since I returned to the States, and when he
couldn’t make it over here for a road trip in the U.S., we worked it out so
that I could join him on a promotional trip for his hostel up the east coast of
Oz.
While my itinerary still has some strategically-placed gaps, here are my plans so far, broken down by months:
June
I’ll be home in Haddonfield, New Jersey, loving the free
room and board,
Jersey shore, and hangin out with friends and family. On the 30th, I depart for my
17+-hour journey to Melbourne, Australia…
July
Patrick and I will be driving his van up the east coast of
Australia. (More specific itinerary to be determined.)
August
Up in the air – I’ll likely be hanging out in or around
Melbourne, or perhaps already crossing borders early…
September
For at least one month, I will be working at Mistletoe Bay,
a conservation trust on a peninsula between the north and south islands of New
Zealand (http://www.mistletoebay.co.nz/). For free room (my own
self-contained unit) and board (wine and calling cards included), I will be
doing basic care-taking duties: picking organic veggies; taking care of their
goats, pigs, and two alpacas; driving visitors to the site via boat; stocking
shelves of their small shop; and the like.
Mistletoe Bay is just outside Picton, the south island’s major port
where the ferries from the north dock.
More importantly, Picton is in the Malborough region -- one of New
Zealand’s top wine-producing areas.
The next time you’re in a wine store, check out their collection of
Sauvignon Blancs.. they may have some from Malborough.
So I’ll be updating you on the development of both my inner self... and of my
palate.
November
This is where it gets a little fuzzier. For November, I’ll either be hanging around
Mistletoe Bay or traveling around New Zealand, hitting up the places I missed
the first time around, notably:
Tanagriro Crossing, Christchurch, Dunedin, Stuart Island, and perhaps
even the upper reaches of the north island.
December
For the middle of this month, I hope to be entertaining or
traveling with my best friend Sarah, depending on what we both can afford! We’d love to spend the holidays and New Years
together, where ever we may be. Mistletoe
Bay has asked me to return to help them with the busy holiday seasons and this
seems like a likely prospect.
So now you know what I know!
This itinerary will surely change as time flies by, and I hope to add
entries as often as my access to the Internet allows me. So… I encourage you to post
comments and stay tuned!
**Photos on this site are from previous travels in Australia and will not be updated. For current photos, I'll post a link to my Facebook gallery after I upload them!
