Tag: Solo Travel

Snapshots of New Zealand

On By JessicaIn World TravelLeave a comment

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As I mentioned in my Snapshots of Wellington my main purpose for visiting New Zealand last month was to reunite with friends not to tour the country and although I left with most of the country left unseen the part of the country that I did see I feel I got to know really well.

I spent the majority of my trip with my friends and their 3 daughters down on the idyllic Pauatahanui Inlet, about 10 minutes from Porirua City and after five and a half years apart it was so special to see what life in New Zealand is like for them.

I got to go on the school run and collect groceries, to potter in the garden, visit their family and attend church with them. All very simply things, but very special things when done with friends.

I also got to stroll past many familiar sights that I had only seen in photographs; the beautiful beach huts of Paremata, the sweet church of St. Albans at Pauatahanui and the sea shell shore of Bottle Creek.

I even managed to squeeze in an exhibition at the Pataka Museum in Porirua, a movie at the most gorgeous art house cinema in Petone, as well as a drive up the coast to the Nga Manu Nature Reserve where I was delighted to get up close with a beautiful New Zealand parrot called the Kaka and see the famous nocturnal kiwi bird.

It feels somewhat unreal that I went all the way to the other side of the world – on my own! – to be with them. This trip was not something I had planned it was something that just kind of happened unexpectedly and I’m so grateful for it. The solo travel was good for me and I left New Zealand full of inspiration and conversations that will carry me through until we meet again.

Have you ever traveled abroad alone? Where did you go?

Snapshots of Wellington

On By JessicaIn World Travel6 Comments

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Last month I embarked on my first ever solo trip – all the way to New Zealand! Now this visit to New Zealand wasn’t your typical visit to New Zealand. Most people who go all the way to New Zealand have the common sense to take at least 3-4 weeks to properly explore the country, but I on the other hand went only for 9 nights!

You see the purpose of my trip was not to tour the country but to reunite with friends so I spent the majority of my trip with them down on the Pauatahanui Inlet (about 20 minutes from the capital city) but added on 2 nights in Wellington at the start of my trip so as to adjust to the timezone and do some sight seeing.

I only had 48 hours in Wellington but I managed to cram a lot into my visit, including:

In Wellington I stayed at the Travel Lodge by Plimmer Steps for a bargain price which provided me with a comfortable room and great location for exploring the city. It was just a 2 minute walk from Lambton Quay in the central business district (which provided me with ample souvenir shops and a Starbucks) and was only a 5 minute walk from the cable car and just a little more to the waterfront.

Wellington turned out to be a really walkable and friendly city and as a lone female traveler I felt incredibly self. Locals stopped to give me directions and help me read maps, taxi drives told me their family migration stories and bus drivers took the effort to make sure I got off at the right stop.

It’s also a really clean and arty city with quirky monuments and statues not only along the waterfront but throughout the city as well and it’s all framed by those rolling green hills.

I can see why it was voted the most liveable city in the world in 2018.  There are not many cities I visit that I feel I could happily live in but Wellington now makes it onto that list, along with Edinburgh.

Where was your last travel destination?