Going bush in the Okavango Delta of Botswana
Loading ourselves into a dugout canoe, known as a ‘mokoro’ (or makoro) we set out for a 1-2 hour canoe trip to our bush camp. Bush camp meant a hole in the ground… Continue reading
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Camping and Game Drives in Chobe National Park, Botswana
After a few days of relaxation in Zimbabwe and some much needed pool time after volunteering for two weeks, came Botswana. The border crossing took a long time because of 3/4 of our… Continue reading
Walking with Lions in Zimbabwe
Walking with lions was an activity that I wasn’t 100% sure was conservation-friendly. The more I travel the more I want to know more about what is good and what is bad for… Continue reading
Touching down in Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls
The moment you step foot into the town of Victoria Falls you can hear the gushing sound of the falls and the mist rising up at the edge of the town on the… Continue reading
Finishing up at N/a’ankuse Wildlife Sanctuary
By now I’ve described many high and low points at my time at the N/a’ankuse wildlife sanctuary in Namibia. Many people come here multiple times and love it. The volunteers range in numbers… Continue reading
Wish Day at N/a’ankuse Wildlife Sanctuary
Friday rolled around and it was my last full day, the weekend would be mainly food prep and less animal related. On your last day you have a ‘wish day’ where you can… Continue reading
Babysitting a baby baboon
They may be cute, they may make you go awwww, but they may also make you cry in pain and frustration…. all in the course of 12 hours of babysitting a little baboon.… Continue reading
N/a’ankuse, week two on the wildlife sanctuary
My second week at the wildlife sanctuary I started to get an understanding of what it’s really like there. Saturday was the social night – sushi making at the lodge, which my group… Continue reading
Week one at N/a’ankuse – Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary
Top to toe in dirt everyday, from cleaning enclosures, picking up poo to feeding big cats to cuddling baboons. The odd baboon (or five) gives the volunteers entertainment in the evenings as they… Continue reading
The final Photography Friday! Z is for New ‘Zealand’
Aotearoa. New Zealand. The land of the long white cloud. My home. I think it is fitting that I end my Photography Friday alphabet series with my home: New Zealand. By now you’ll… Continue reading
Photography Friday: Y is for.. New ‘York’
How can one city be quite so amazing? New York will leave you speechless with its awesomeness. Okay okay I’m raving a bit too much about it, but it is a very cool… Continue reading
And so the adventure begins…
With any of my big trips the start to this one wasn’t going to be smooth. I should have expected that by now. I’ve ended up in a Thai hospital 2-3 days after… Continue reading
Photography Friday: X is for O ‘x’ ford
Okay okay, it’s a bit of a stretch, but I’ve never been to China and that’s where most of the countries/places are that start with X. So today’s ‘Photo Friday’ steps back over… Continue reading
10 Things I will miss about the UK
Here it goes… in just a few days and I’ll be on a plane to Namibia to volunteer in a wildlife sanctuary to kick off my 8 months of travelling. It seems fitting to… Continue reading
Photo Friday: W is for ‘Wales’
Where do you come from? I may be a Kiwi born and bred, but my grandparents came from Wales and Scotland. I love Scotland, but finding a birth certificate for my visa was… Continue reading
Planning the Big Travel Trip
Whether you take one month or one year off to travel the world, it can be a daunting task to organise. I thought moving to the UK was a massive task. Then I… Continue reading
Photography Friday: V is for ‘Vintgar’
Vintgar, ever heard of such a place? Think green waters – crystal clear. Think gushing waterfalls, wooden bridges winding around cliffs covered in plants. A world away from the city lies an oasis… Continue reading
Crossing the globe back to New Zealand: The travel plan
As I mentioned in last week’s post, I’m leaving the UK to travel the world back to my home country of New Zealand. What lies ahead of me for the next 8 months is… Continue reading
Photography Friday: U is for ‘Uganda’
Uganda is more than just wildlife, it’s culture, nature and reality. Since I did a ‘Photo Friday’ a few weeks ago from ‘Queen Elizabeth National Park’, this week I’m avoiding any wildlife photography from… Continue reading
Making the decision to leave the UK
Making the decision to leave the UK is probably the hardest decision I’ve had to make so far in my life. I’ve lived here for almost 5 years and as my visa comes… Continue reading
Photography Friday: T is for ‘Turkey’
Turkey is a land of contrasts, from boulders in the shape of fairytale chimneys to bustling cities covered in incredible unique architecture. History and beaches to shock anyone and varied landscapes seen from above.… Continue reading
Meeting nature at the London Wetland Centre
A day out with a bunch of bloggers, a free play with the new Samsung Galaxy S5 phone, a fantastic informative tour around a stunning nature reserve and a scrumptious lunch to boot!… Continue reading
Photography Friday: S is for ‘Spain’
As yesterday was the last Spanish class of my 10-week course it feels appropriate that today’s Photo Friday should be about Spain! From 2008’s visit to Barcelona to 2013’s visit to Granada. Spain is… Continue reading
Bookbenches in London: City Trail
Colourful stories coming alive all around London in the form of open books! Books about Town and many incredible artists have yet again, done themselves proud with an amazing display of artwork in… Continue reading
Photography Friday: R is for ‘Reykjavik’
Ice, snow and creamy blue waters is the feature of today’s Photography Friday! I’m taking you all the way to Reykjavik in Iceland to help you cool down for winter… Enjoy! For more… Continue reading
Room with a view
Nature, sunrises, sunsets, ocean… these are all the things we look for in a view when we travel. Sad thing is I usually don’t have a decent view. I travel cheap and far,… Continue reading
Photography Friday: Q is for ‘Queen Elizabeth National Park’
Bobbing around on a boat, spotting elephants, hippopotamus, lions, eagles and so much more. Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda is today’s location for Photo Friday and what a location it is! So… Continue reading
A day in the sun at Kew Gardens
Giant waterlilies, manicured gardens, greenhouses to put almost any others to shame and a lizard to boot! Just a few of the incredible sights to see during a day out in Kew Gardens.… Continue reading
Photography Friday: P is for ‘Portugal’
Medieval castles, beachy culture, cobbled streets, fantastic food and a relaxed lifestyle. Oh and the sunshine. Yes. SUNSHINE! That’s right, this week’s Photography Friday takes us to sunny Portugal! Enjoy a taste of… Continue reading
Bookbenches in London: Riverside Trail
A hint of colour hides around many corners in the London Bridge area of London lately. This is from all the amazing bookbenches created by artists for ‘Books About Town’. If you missed my… Continue reading
Photography Friday: O is for ‘O.E’!
This is a bit of a special Photo Friday. I decided since I’m up to the letter O in the alphabet I would celebrate with highlights of my ‘Overseas Experience’ (aka O.E) from the… Continue reading
Getting a beach and fish n’ chip fix in England
Anyone who knows me well, will know how much I miss the beaches in New Zealand. So, whenever I get an opportunity to see and smell fresh ocean air I jump at the… Continue reading
Photography Friday: N is for ‘Norway and Northern Lights’
Lighting up the night sky in typical Norwegian fashion – not with fireworks, but with the stunning Aurora Borealis. Photographing the Northern Lights is never easy, but as I detailed in one of my… Continue reading
Top 10 London Staycation Ideas
Stuck at home in London while everyone around you is jetting off around the world on summer holidays? Sound familiar? For the first time in the last 5 years, this is me. No… Continue reading
Photography Friday: M is for ‘Montreux’
Tucked away hides a quaint little castle. Sitting on a wondrous lake in possibly the cleanest area in Europe. Château de Chillon is the drawing card for Montreux, but the stunning scenery that… Continue reading
Bookbenches for Books About Town
Colourful art amongst the city of London, for all to enjoy! Having recently written an article for the New Zealand Times about Mandii Pope, a brilliant Kiwi artist, I decided to venture out… Continue reading
Photography Friday: L is for ‘Lauterbrunnen’
Imagine a valley of green, waterfalls gushing down the mountains around, snow topped Alps in the distance, cow bells ringing and the smell of country air. Wondering where you are? Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland.… Continue reading
Newly designed site with new photography galleries
Time for a change. A responsive change. Time to make the galleries have bigger better photographs. Time to re-design and re-develop designack.com! Over the last few months I’ve been pretty busy, not only… Continue reading
Photography Friday: K is for ‘Kenya’
“Africa is not a country, but it is a continent like none other. It has that which is elegantly vast or awfully little” ~ L Douglas Wilder Kenya holds an incredibly special place… Continue reading
Photography Friday: J is for ‘Jordan’
Just a few buses, a boat and a few more buses from Sharm el Sheikh and you’ll arrive in Jordan, in this case, Petra. Petra is one of the new 7 wonders of the world.… Continue reading
Photography Friday: I is for ‘Italy’!
Pasta, pizza, gelato…. ahhhh need I say more? Italy is my ‘most travelled’ country in Europe, heck, possibly in the world. It’s just stunning from the history, architecture to the food and scenery.… Continue reading
Favourite travel photos
As part of this month’s link up with a few other brilliant bloggers, it was put to us to choose our favourite travel photo. This was by no means an easy one for… Continue reading
10 ways to explain what travelling really is. Not a holiday.
‘You’re always on holiday’ “I go travelling not on holiday” ‘Isn’t it the same?’ No. Oxforddictionaries.com describes travel as ‘Make a journey, typically of some length’ whereas holiday is explained as ‘An extended… Continue reading
Photography Friday: H is for ‘Hungary’!
Back in 2008 I boarded a bus with a bunch of European Erasmus students from Linz, Austria to Budapest, Hungary. Budapest is split by a river Danube, one side of the city is called… Continue reading
Travel Inspiration
Inspiration is all around and I for one am never at a loss for options of where I want to travel next. The tricky part is usually deciding between many top destinations. Years… Continue reading
Photography Friday: G is for ‘Germany’
Spanning from 2008 to 2011 I visited Germany four times! It is close enough to Austria to feel special to me, because I was able to visit it during the winter covered in… Continue reading
Celebrating the New Zealand Business Women’s Network 5th Birthday!
13 tables of food and wine, 4 mins and a giant roomful of New Zealand women, where else could I be than the New Zealand Business Women’s Network 5th birthday! Sometimes in London… Continue reading
Photography Friday: F is for ‘France’
This Photography Friday brings us to the stylish country of France. It is a country I would like to see a lot more of because it is so vast and unique from place… Continue reading
Getting cultured in Shakespeare’s hometown: Stratford upon Avon
Wandering through the house he was brought up in, hearing the stories from the guides inside, seeing the small four post beds, the nooks and crannies – it’s hard not to be astounded… Continue reading
Photography Friday: E is for ‘Egypt’
Sunrises, Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, Snorkeling… this could be a dream, but it’s not it’s Egypt! A few years ago I managed to check out a country that was temporarily safe to… Continue reading
A Fish out of Water: My first ever international travels
It’s 4am. The fire alarm had been set off. My roommate and I haven’t slept a wink from all the banging and crashing. Now we’re faced with some German-speaking police and firemen at… Continue reading
Photography Friday: D is for… Ireland?
Okay I may not have been to any countries beginning with D, but I’ve certainly visited a lot of cities and areas beginning with D. Best example of this were all the amazing… Continue reading
Becoming an Afternoon Tea addict
Checklist for Afternoon Tea: 1. Clotted Cream with scones 2. Continuous tea and milk, extra points for array of teas 3. Fresh sandwiches 4. Interesting sweets 5. Relaxed and beautiful surroundings 6. Good… Continue reading
Photography Friday: C is for ‘Croatia’
Sun, blue skies, pebbles, clear waters, what more could a traveller want? (Okay, maybe sand instead of pebbles and some fish n’ chips) This week’s ‘Photography Friday’ takes us back to Europe and… Continue reading
Travelling around Russia
Expectations are a tricky thing, even when it’s not a physical thing you expect to see on your travels. I’ve learnt to try not have expectations as it puts a dampener on how… Continue reading
Photography Friday: B is for ‘Bangkok’
Moving on from last weeks ‘A’ is for ‘Austria’ post, I skip a few years and step into Bangkok – the single day I had there before I fell ill and wound up in… Continue reading
The Hermitage: A museum to rival Paris’s Louvre
Situated on the incredible Dvortsovaya Ploshchad ‘Palace Square’ stands an incredible green building (yes green may sound strange), opposite a yellow building with a stunning arc sculpted by George von Velten in the… Continue reading
Photography Friday: A is for ‘Austria’
In an effort to start showing you some photographs from various times in my travels since 2008, I thought I would start with the alphabet! Some letters are bound to be tricky, but we’ll… Continue reading
A Surprising Destination: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Having travelled throughout Europe for the best part of the last four years (add another 6 months if you want to include my ‘studying’ in Austria), I started to feel like I needed… Continue reading
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, Saint Petersburg
Think gingerbread house at Christmas time all painted up and ready to eat… sorry but you may be fooled, this is the incredible Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood in Russia! For ‘Photography… Continue reading
Anzac Day: Lest we forget
A day of Anzac biscuits, beer and in New Zealand, a public holiday filled with sunshine. But let’s be honest, it’s a bit more of a serious day than all that. A few… Continue reading
Six Years of Easter in different cities around the world
Its Good Friday and I’m currently in Moscow, Russia, reflecting on where I’ve spent the last six Easters… it’s always been a good excuse to check out another city for the traveller in me!… Continue reading
Checking out the flowers in London’s East End
When London brings out the sun, you really do have to make the most of it. There’s no telling when you’ll see it again. I recently visited a spot I’ve been wanting to check… Continue reading
Photography Friday: Musicians!
“Music… will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer To celebrate this… Continue reading
Glass Art to blow your mind
‘What I’ve always really been interested in is space. Even when I made a single Cylinder or Macchia, my interest was always in space. I was thinking not of the object itself, but… Continue reading
Where’s the love?
Sometimes we may not have love in our own lives, but when you travel you can find it in the most unexpected of places and it makes you smile. After a month of Photo of… Continue reading
5 travelling Kiwis and 5 of their favourite places to travel to
5 Kiwis walk into a blog post, there’s the one with love of exotic Morocco, the one who loves the sunshine of Portugal, the one that’s not sure the cause of her love for Japan,… Continue reading
Photo of the Day, March 31: Norway
Dancing lights in the sky as you realise there is more to this universe than just what happens on earth Through a snowstorm and thick cloud we drove. And drove. And drove. Finally… Continue reading
Photo of the Day, March 30: Niagara Falls, America/Canada
One of the incredible places in the world, day or night, summer or winter, Niagara Falls won’t disappoint Niagara Falls was one of those places I’d always wanted to see. The shear volume… Continue reading
Photo of the Day, March 29: Milan, Italy
Just another cathedral in Europe right? I don’t think so this time… One of the most incredible feats of architecture I’ve seen in Europe is the Duomo. It is an incredible massive Cathedral… Continue reading