Arthur's Pass, New Zealand

New Zealand is on every traveler’s bucket list and for good reason. For some, it’s just to get their LOTR on and explore Hobbiton (which we fully support) but for others, it means getting far away from everything and finding peace in the mountains. Lucky for those folks, New Zealand has no shorta...

Late September of last year, my Dad and I embarked on a week long road trip of New Zealand's south island. We departed Los Angeles shortly after midnight and after a short layover on Fiji, we arrived at an overcast Christchurch, NZ around 3:30 in the afternoon. Our first stop was to pick up our B...

If you’ve seen photos of New Zealand’s snow-crowned mountains, impossibly steep glacial valleys, and rolling golden hills, then the country is probably already on your travel to-do list. If you’re planning a visit, one look at this landscape will have you packing your backpacking gear in a hurry ...

It took a lot of planning. I've never planned so much for a trip than I did for New Zealand. Five weeks is an awkward time period where you almost have enough time to sufficiently visit both islands. But then you're afraid of missing out on must-do spots in each island. We carefully crafted an it...

When I was deciding where to study abroad I was trying to think of a place where I could go spend the majority of my time outside and I thought of the perfect place: New Zealand. Soon I was on a plane across the Pacific to my new home. As soon as I landed I knew I was going to love it.  If you lo...

There is no better feeling than summiting a mountain or propelling yourself through a wide body of water. It's almost therapeutic. The crunching sound of a foot landing on the earth. The light drip of water from a paddle’s blade as it skims the surface. Add the singular focus of moving towards a ...

It's very easy to get lost in the South West of New Zealand. The lush rain forest, the lack of reception and access to places by car is limited. While spending some time there a friend of ours shared a secret about a place few know exist.  The weather is usually pretty wet, but a small window of ...

As a sophomore in college, I had the opportunity to do a study abroad in New Zealand. It was through the Recreation Management Program, which was a dream come true for my adventurous spirit. I spent three months backpacking, surfing, rock climbing, kayaking and biking. I had a couple indoor class...

The pace is slow but the morning is fine. We weave around fallen trees, climb up muddy roots, sift through tall grass and crown fern to catch the occasional glimpse of clear blue sky and towering granite face. As this is one of Fiordland’s many hanging valleys, after the steep ascent beside wate...

1. Everyone knows each other? I was at the airport. People in line behind me at customs who were NOT together were asking each other how their trip was (so friendly). Then one of them said, “Yeah, I've seen you around town” and then they became friends. If that wasn’t enough, people were greeting...

When you decide that you are going to travel 20 hours on a plane and go pretty much as far as you can with your two year old son it must be worth it.Different from pretty much all the other trips we have done as a couple and a family of three, we had made some plans prior to arriving to New Zeala...

The biggest, baddest, scariest native land mammal to New Zealand, oftentimes found lurking in tree tops or raiding flora for insects to devour, is the peka-peka-tou-roa: the long-tailed bat. And that's why talking about the predators of New Zealand is, quite frankly, boring. This lack of intimida...

Rent a car and take off in any direction to find hidden gems and bucket list activities. New Zealand is bursting with beautiful landscapes from glaciers in the West, steep mountains and deep fiords in the South, volcanoes and geothermal activity in the North, and world class surf beaches in the E...

Frost sparkles in the half-light, incredibly jagged rock slabs lofted at precarious angles stand out in distant evening sun too remote to reach the valley floor, and the moss-draped forest gathers shadows over yellowing leaves. Cloud weaves and twists around mountain tops and below waterfalls – o...

SICKBOAT Creative in association with Fivecent Studios brings you an imaginative look into one of the core driving forces of life...travel.As we all know, travel is a great way to reset the mind...and when doing so, there are few better spots in the world to reset than in New Zealand. It's a tram...

Have you ever came across what some may refer to as a conflict of interest in regards to planning your epic family holiday destination?  Well I can tell you about our family experience and how we deal with it. Last year we went to New Zealand on our first long adventure with our son. We decided t...