New Zealand

Kaikoura – marine wildlife capital of New Zealand

Posted on Feb 19, 2015

Kaikoura – marine wildlife capital of New Zealand

Whales, dolphins, albatros, cray fish, fur seals, gennets, oyster catchers, you name it and you can find it here. Initially we were not planning to visit Kaikoura, as we suspected it to be a tourist trap. Because whales and dolphins can be found here year-round, there is a huge tourist industry with expensive boat trips, flights and even helicopter rides. But we had a few days spare, Kaikoura was on the route and we wanted to go back to the beach. So we decided to try it out and see for our selves what the place is really like. And luckily our initial assumptions were wrong. Yes it is...

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Rest and relaxation in Hanmer Springs

Posted on Feb 15, 2015

Rest and relaxation in Hanmer Springs

Hanmer Springs is famous for its hot water pools. The Maori were the first to discover the thermal springs, but they never established a permanent settlement. But when the springs were rediscovered by European settlers in 1859, the government started to develop the area and in 1889 the first official bathing pools were created and later on a sanctuarium and a hospital, as the natural thermal water possesses healing qualities, which together with the fresh mountain air and lots of sunshine helped to heal the sick and wounded. Nowadays it is one of the top 10 tourist destinations in New...

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Australia and New Zealand pictures

Posted on Feb 7, 2015

Australia and New Zealand pictures

We have been quiet on this blog for a while, as good internet connection is limited here in New Zealand. I am sitting now on a grass field outside the local library, as this is the key spot to get free wifi here in Hanmer Springs. Anyhow, I managed to upload the pictures from Australia and the first batch from New Zealand. You can find them here.

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Just landed our first housesit

Posted on Oct 23, 2014

Just landed our first housesit

We just finished our first interview for a housesit! A few days ago we came across an advert on MindMyHouse for a housesit in April 2015 in New Zealand. This was exactly what we were looking for, so we replied quickly. Luckily we got a positive response and we found out that the house owner was in fact from The Netherlands, so there was an instant click. We set-up a Skype interview to introduce us further. We were a bit nervous as we did not know what to expect and we were trying not to get our hopes up high, as we had experienced that it is not easy to find a housesit with a family. But...

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