Alex TandeExplorer

For those who do not have their own kayaks, do not fear, there are different companies in the area that will rent kayaks and safety gear to you. They will also help you with route planning and weather conditions to ensure that you have the best trip possible. I used a company called Sea Kayak Adventures, they were fantastic to work with and very accommodating.I will begin by listing the overall...

This track is located just outside of Hanmer springs, and is the perfect afternoon or morning walk. Don't plan on this taking a whole day as the longest loop takes an about 90 minutes, if you are taking your time and enjoying it all. There are clear signs that guide you on this amble through the forest. We went in autumn and the colors were amazing. It is an flat, easy walk through the pine for...

There are dozens of places you can rent scooters all over the Philippines, all are very similarly priced, and pretty cheap. We did scooters/mopeds for 5 hours for 300 pesos, about $6 (USD). It is buy your own gas, so absolutely fill up your tank. Not only is it cheap, but it gives you far more range to explore without having to worry. There are not a lot of gas stations once you get outside Cor...

The very northern tip of the South Island in NZ lies one of the best beaches around. The hike into the beach is very straight forward, easy, and short. Only 1 kilometer through some pasture lands, over a couple fences (using steps) and you hit the wonderful sand taking you the rest of the way to the beach.The track starts at the end of Wharariki road, plenty of parking in a big car park. There ...

Round trip about 5 hours including stops to enjoy the views and take pictures, it was a perfect day hike in the full sun compared to the rest of the park. The track starts out by heading uphill, and it doesn’t really stop until you get to the saddle. The first hour of the track is all through beech forest, offering a beautiful wander amongst all the moss and the plentiful little streams and wat...

This is a brutal ascent and decent. I am not going to sugar coat this one. You do get the reward at the top, but you are working for it.Highway 6 between Blenheim and Nelson is the main road to reach this location. Just north of the Wairau river on hwy 6 is a road called Northbank road, take it! There should be signs directing you towards Mt. Richmond Forest Park. Follow this road until you re...

This hike is only doable if you are already on Stuart Island! There is no public transportation to Stuart Island, so you must already be there or have a plan to be there in order to complete this hike.I frequent this island during the summer months and it is one of my favorites. I always stay in Prevost Harbor, located on the north side of the Island. Leaving from Prevost, follow the general tr...

Great little hike to explore while in the Sol Duc area. I would strongly recommend doing this hike near sunset as the sun will stream through the trees and light everything up in a beautiful glow. The hike will take you to a cliff edge to walk along and get views of the Sol Duc river below.  Very easy little hike that does a full loop from car to cliff edge and back through the woods. I think ...

*Distance and elevation gain are negligible. it is more of a scramble than a hike* This is a great little spot that has just been opened to the public for the last three years (this was written March of 2019). It is managed by one of the local tribes, so you need to have their guides with you. We didn't make any sort of reservation, just popped in and did the hike. We had two people and got two...

The easiest way to get to Punga Cove to start this ride is parking in Picton and getting a water taxi for you and your bike out to Punga Cove. From there you will be able to pick up the track and start riding. At the end of the trip, after you reach Anakiwa, there is a water taxi there that can get you and your bike back to Picton to pick up your car! It is actually an awesome system that works...

442 acre park just outside of Madison is a perfect spot to escape for awhile. About a 20 minute drive from Madison makes it easily accessible even on a tight schedule. It provides a great place for lots of outdoor activities, year round.I love this place enough that I have been there many times and I will continue to go there in the future. I most commonly trail run through the park, starting a...

Super simple, super easy to get to. Just a cool little waterfall located just off the road. Surrounded by nothing but farm lands, it gives you a great spot to pull off and enjoy a beverage or enjoy a bite to eat. The water is a double waterfall, and the lower half gives you an option of actually walking behind the waterfall. 

This trail is an easy trail to hike to the end and back. With very little to no elevation gain, some comfy shoes is all you need. There is a great opportunity near the start of the trail to walk down onto the beach and get right next to the river. Shortly after that there is a suspension bridge that crosses the river. Sometimes there can be a bottleneck as it is suggested to keep the bridge tra...

The best way to describe the location is due east of Bellingham. After driving through gorgeous roads to reach Twin Lakes Road (fire service road 3065), you are treated to about a 4-mile drive up to the trailhead for Yellow Aster Butte (8.3 miles RT with 2850' of gain) and Tomyhoi Peak. The drive contains beautiful river views and waterfalls as it climbs its way up to the trailhead. It can get ...

*This is far more of an adrenaline rush than a casual day through a canyon. There is cliff jumping involved* You cannot enter this canyon without a guide, so find a company and make a reservation with them. I would plan a few days in advance as it seemed pretty popular. We booked with a company called Kawasan Canyoneering who offered pick up and drop off from our hotel which was super convenien...

To start with, there are quite a few stairs at the beginning going down, and then right at the end as you climb back up to the parking lot. Other than that, nothing to be concerned about in terms of difficulty.  This is a cool spot because you get a bit of variety. At the parking lot there is epic views over the jungle and out over the water. As you descend down to the river level you get to cr...

This adventure does give you a bit of flexibility. We hired a private boat for the day to take us around Coron Island and some great snorkeling spots. Grand total for the boat was about $110 (USD) or 5,400 pesos. The more people you get, the cheaper per person. They give you a list of spots that you can check out. We went to Twin Lagoon, Kayangan Lake, Atwayan Beach, Smith Coral Garden, and Sie...

There are dozens of places to dive around Coron. We did 3 days with 3 dives each day. We booked with a cool guy named Arnie with Coron Divers. There are lots of dive centers though. Each go to pretty much the same spots, just on different rotations. We did a few coral reef dives that I don't know the name of, but the highlights were certainly the ship wrecks. We dove East Tangat wreck, Morazan ...

The starting point for this adventure is anywhere in Renwick, New Zealand. We just parked on a side street off the beaten path where they did not have any parking restrictions. There is obviously a lot of variation of which path to follow while doing this bike tour. The route we did isn't necessarily the best, but it worked for us and we had a great time. Every cellar door has free tastings, an...

Copule clarifications. The first, I say Intermediate and advanced. The reason I say this is because getting into the canyon is pretty simple. Few rock hops and you will be in a little clearing. The further you go into the canyon the harder it gets. Very shortly into the canyon there are two waterfalls that you need to do a bit of rock climbing to get past. If you are unsure, please do not attem...

There are a few different options while exploring this track. The first is making your way all the way to the entrance of the caves. The second is making your way to where the trail splits, one way heading up towards the cave, and the other abruptly ends at a big river crossing. The third is to make your way through the cave and continue on past it. The third option is covered in a different ad...

Relatively short day hike that involves a few stairs and bridge crossing brings you to a cool spot called Dog Stream Waterfall at the end of the Waterfall Track. While the waterfall itself is cool, the hike itself is pretty great. Steady climb up to the 41 meter waterfall, offering some great views towards the tops. Along the way you are treated to great little streams and waterfalls along the ...

Whiskey Falls provides a great way to stretch the legs during a car trip. Or it provides a great day hike option if you are looking to explore the Nelson Lakes area. I had a day to explore and decided to cruise down Nelson Lakes and do a day hike.Whiskey Falls is located along the shore of Lake Rotoiti in St. Arnaud. St. Arnaud is located right on Highway 63, one route connecting the north of t...

From the car park, it is only about a 10 minute walk up to the look out point for Cape Farewell. While this is a cool view, it is not worth the drive to just turn around at that point. From the viewing platform, there is a track that goes both left and right, climbing along the ridge line and tops of the cliffs along the waters edge.I started going to the right first, climbing up the hills, alw...