“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” Alice Walker One of the greatest joys on traveling in New Zealand, is experiencing the natural world. I have been camping in a van, which is a certain way to travel that causes meContinue reading “Conservation Culture: Exploring New Zealand’s Ecological Embrace”
Tag Archives: travel
Maori Matariki Ceremony: A Spiritual Journey in New Zealand
Just off the center of the photo, you can see a bright star, Matariki. I rose at 4 am to make it to the boat on the wharf in Paihia, on the north tip of New Zealand. I joined about 80 others, mostly Maori, to commemorate Matariki. In my research before the trip, I reallyContinue reading “Maori Matariki Ceremony: A Spiritual Journey in New Zealand”
Experiencing New Zealand: A Journey Beyond Maps
I first knew the phrase ‘Map Is not Territory’ from the title of a influential book by J.Z. Smith at the University of Chicago. It turns out, ‘Map Is Not Territory’ has a much wider application. I found myself thinking about this phrase as I drove from Auckland to the Coromandel Peninisula in New Zealand.Continue reading “Experiencing New Zealand: A Journey Beyond Maps”
Vanlife in New Zealand: My First Sunset and Sunrise Adventure
Millenials and Gen Z have taken to #VanLife and are having adventures, living their best lives on the road, so I thought I’d give it try in NZ! I picked up my van in Auckland, no problem. I chose Escape vans because of the price and the reviews, AND they each have unique graffiti art.Continue reading “Vanlife in New Zealand: My First Sunset and Sunrise Adventure”
Beginnings: The plan for New Zealand
I believe more in adventures, not journeys. Life as a journey sounds more like “wherever you go, there you are.” But an adventure! Well, that’s more purposeful, more open-ended. The dictionary definition of adventure “an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.” Whereas a journey is “the act of traveling from one place toContinue reading “Beginnings: The plan for New Zealand”
Nicole Grant Yonkman 