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There are only a handful of significant life events that prompt us to check in with ourselves and reevaluate our lifestyle or level of self care. Unfortunately many of these instances are triggered by trauma or significant change – loss of a loved one, a break up, or hitting a road block in our career or personal lives. At the end of my 3.5 year relationship I was forced to do just that: reconsider my geographic position, lifestyle choices, and the direction my life was taking both personally and professionally. I chanced upon Aro Ha on my recent visit to New Zealand, driving through the countryside between Queenstown and Glenorchy. It was one of those lightbulb  “aha!”  moments, when you rule out coincidence and start to put more faith in fate and let the universe show you a direction for once (being a rational virgo, I find it a rare but welcomed occurrence). The allure of a week-long yoga retreat had as many pros as it did cons for this caffeine-dependent digital...

As small as New Zealand is, I still feel like there are some towns and areas that the average tourist does not even think of visiting. Or, they think about it, but then opt to go somewhere else. Take Wanaka, for example. This small city located on New Zealand's South Island is an amazing place to plant yourself for a while. But most people either skim through it, or skip it entirely in favor of nearby Queenstown. Now, don't get me wrong — Queenstown is awesome and I love it a lot. But you should make room in your plans to visit Wanaka, too. Here are six of the many reasons you shouldn't skip Wanaka on a trip to New Zealand: Gorgeous location Located on the southern end of Lake Wanaka and within a short drive of Mount Aspiring National Park, Wanaka has some seriously amazing views to boast of. You can see snow-capped mountains from just about anywhere in town, find fields of lupins in the spring/summer, and get treated to fall colors in autumn.   I'll let these p...

For me, New Zealand is where it all began. It's where this whole love for (okay, obsession with) travel really was kickstarted, and I think it will always hold a very special place in my heart because of that. Plus, it's a pretty damn awesome country. And within that awesome country, Wellington is my favorite city. I lived there for 5 months in 2008, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. So today I decided to do a little on-the-ground look at Cube Street in Wellington, a spot spent many hours in during my time in New Zealand! You may know that Wellington is my favorite city in New Zealand, but what you might not know is that my favorite part of Wellington is the little stretch of shops, cafes, and bars along a brick road known as Cuba Street (or Cuba Mall for the pedestrian-only part). Cuba Street is full of LIFE . It's full of character. And, most of all, it's full of all the people who make up the great city of Wellington. From the businessmen to t...

Taranaki video guide – Lonely Planets #2 region in the world New Zealand Travel Guide | North Island NZ Published: January 2017 Every October, Lonely Planet releases their Best In Travel list of what is hot in travel for the year ahead. Back in November, I got to visit one of their top countries in the world and capture an epic travel video of Oman. With my recent move to New Zealand, I jumped at the chance to take over the Lonely Planet Snapchat account and explore their 2nd best region in the world, Taranaki. In all honesty, I had no idea what to expect from a place that bills itself as ‘a little bit out there’ and not many of my kiwi friends could fill me in either. Only 2% of international visitors make it out to Taranaki so I was excited to see what was on offer. I’ve mashed together some of my highlights and the Snapchat video which should give you a little insight into this Best In Travel destination. Follow me on You Tube Get T...

I always say that Wellington is my favorite New Zealand city. But then I get to Queenstown, and almost start second-guessing myself. Because Queenstown is pretty awesome. Sure, it's touristy (it is essentially a resort town, after all), but it’s gained its popularity and notoriety for good reason — it should definitely make it onto your New Zealand travel itinerary. So what makes Queenstown so great? Is it the scenery? The adrenaline-inducing adventure sports? The party hostels? The mish-mash of accents and nationalities? I think it’s a mixture of all these things that make Queenstown the vibrant, exciting city that it is. A quick history of Queenstown Queenstown was first settled in 1860 by William Gilbert Rees. Rees was looking for a place to establish a high country farm, and picked Queenstown’s current location. He only had peace and quiet for a couple of years, though, because gold was discovered in the nearby Arrow River in 1862, which led to an influx of men who wer...