new zealand

My Favorite New Zealand Adventures

Published on December 23, 2017March 28, 2019 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

New Zealand was full of adventure!! Collectively, throughout the three weeks I did more adventurous activities than I ever have! I wanted to share my favorites to keep in mind if you are ever traveling throughout New Zealand:

1. Jumping off the Sky Tower – Auckland, New Zealand

Jumping off the Sky Tower was an incredible experience! It’s one of Auckland’s favorite activities for tourists. The jump isn’t like a free fall at all, the harness keeps you stable and tight the whole fall…which is only 10 seconds. The view of the city is breathtaking from this high up!

2. Snorkeling at Poor Knights Island- Tutukaka, New Zealand

I didn’t expect to enjoy snorkeling but it was a great experience! The fish are amazing at the Poor Knights Island. I was able to swim through multiple school of fish and touch jellyfish!

3. Tongariro Alpine Crossing Hike- Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand

I know I’ve talked about this hike in a previous post but this was definitely my favorite memory/experience from the whole trip!

4. Hooker Valley Track- Mount Cook, New Zealand

This hike was shorter and less intense than the Tongariro Alpine Crossing but just as beautiful! This hike was on the South Island which allowed me to experience the amazing Southern alps New Zealand offers.

5. Ziplining through the Ancient Forest- Rotorua, New Zealand

Ziplining through the Ancient Forest was such an experience. It felt so freeing to be gliding above huge trees. My friends and I wanted to zipline all day, it wasn’t long enough!

6. Horseback Riding- Rotorua, New Zealand

I have never rode a horse before so this was a new exciting experience for me and one that I loved! The views from the trek felt unreal and being on horseback made the afternoon truly feel like a fairytale.

Travel Talk

Published on December 13, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

For the last two weeks I’ve been traveling throughout New Zealand. The whole experience has been incredible so far and I’m unbelievably thankful for the opportunity. While I’ve been in this beautiful country a lot of my friends and family back home have been commenting on my pictures and craving to know about every new experience I encounter. Because of this, over the past few days I’ve done a lot of reflecting about my travel experiences over the summer and right now. I think it’s too easy to believe a person has a perfect life or is constantly having the best time. With all of the social media constantly presented to us everyday, it is easy to make your life appear to be something it is not. This is concerning to me for many reasons. However, this is not to take away from the gratitude I feel from traveling; it’s simply to point out that just because a person’s life appears to be amazing, a picture does not reflect everything. Therefore, I want to introduce a new category to my blog called: Travel Talk. This will focus on reflections about my travel experiences that people may not see by looking at one of my edited photos.

So to begin…I’m currently traveling through New Zealand in a large group with fellow peers from my home university. Traveling in a large group is never easy. There are days when I want to separate from the group completely because I’m so irritated. And there are days I am thankful to have company. There are days when we have a long bus ride and have to stop for lunch at a McDonald’s or a grocery store because we are in a rush. And there are days where we have the chance to find a nice authentic restaurant with great wine and food. There are days where there isn’t any wifi or service which prevents me from talking with my loved one back home. And there are days where my hostel has the best wifi imaginable. There are days where I feel annoyed, angry, and homesick. And there are days where I am overwhelmed with gratitude, happiness, and peace.

All of these feelings and experiences are normal for any traveler. Yet, the negative experiences are something that is never discussed or presented. It’s important to remember that nobody’s life is perfect. Everyone experiences a range of emotions even while traveling in a beautiful place. There is nothing to be ashamed of for feeling low sometimes. It’s also perfectly fine to admit that even though this trip has been incredible so far, it hasn’t always been fun. I believe it’s important to look at the bigger picture when I find myself feeling down. Yes I may feel homesick some days but I’m in New Zealand right now!! Which is a place I never imagined myself traveling to.

This is a picture of me in Queenstown with a beautiful view from the Skyline restaurant. What you didn’t know: the food was terrible!

This is a picture of me hiking on the Hooker Valley trail which was one of my favorite hikes. What you didn’t know: At this point in the trip I hadn’t been able to do laundry so the clothes I’m wearing were already dirty.

Photo Diary: Tongariro Alpine Trek

Published on December 5, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

Greetings from New Zealand! I’ve had trouble finding reliable wifi so unfortunately I haven’t been able to write a blog post. This past week has been incredible! I’ve done a lot of adventous activities. So far my favorite has been a 10 mile hike on the Tongariro Alpine Trek. The views from the trek were breath taking. I’ve never seen anything like it before, it felt like another world.