Travelers who love taking photos will come home from New Zealand with some of their best-ever images. Here are three places you shouldn’t miss if you want to take photos worthy of framing and hanging – and maybe even selling.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Active Volcano Tops My Destination of the Year List
In the middle of a never-ending, steep, dismal scree slope, I paused to catch my breath. Just a few hundred feet more, I thought. That wouldn’t get me to the top. That would just get me to a collection of rocks where I hoped I could actually get some footing. I was burning tons of energy as my heart hammered and my legs burned. All for seemingly nothing, as I seemed to lose half the distance I’d gained with each step. I kept my eyes locked on the ground in front of me, because a glance in any other direction would reveal how far away I was from solid ground, how far I’d already climbed, and how far I still had to go – all before descending and hiking another eight miles or so.
Some people might want this day to end, and to never have to think about it again. But me … I think about climbing New Zealand’s Mt. Ngauruhoe every single day. There are three photos of it in my cubicle at work. It’s my Twitter page background. I would climb it every week if I could.
Mt. Ngauruhoe, and the Tongariro National Park surrounding it, is nothing less than completely bewitching, and they are the combined winner of my 2009 Destination of the Year Award.
I’ve given you practical tips for climbing Mt. Ngauruhoe in this blog before. I’ve fustigated National Geographic for bungling a story about Tongariro. But this time, I’m just offering a homage to a fantastic [...]
Wandering Justin’s Best of 2009
So, it has been a stellar year here at WanderingJustin.com. First, it has seen the creation of this here blog, rising from the ashes of my old No Crocs Allowed blog. So before I even go any further, I want to single out three other bloggers who really made this possible with technical advice: Stacy Holmstedt, The Blog Kitten and SpotCoolStuff.com. You are all awesome, and have been instrumental in the rise of WanderingJustin.com. In Stacy’s case, I’ve learned a bunch of HTML stuff that makes me a lot more useful at my day job. How cool is that? Thanks!
It’s been an excellent travel year for yours truly: New Zealand, Lake Tahoe, Boston, Washington, DC, San Diego … you’re doing alright when the dullest place is the nation’s capitol (and let me tell you, it is). Alright, let’s get on to the inaugural WanderingJustin.com Best of 2009 – just remember, I’m saving something for a post of its own: my Most Spectacular Place of the Year award.
Best Airline: Air New Zealand. Super-friendly and punctual. Part of the reason I want to visit New Zealand again is to enjoy a long-haul flight with its friendly staff – and see how it stacks up to Qantas, which I’d consider last year’s winner.
Best Bike Gadget: The Ergon GP-1 handlebar grip. This is simply the best $30 I ever spent on my bike. See my Associated Content review of the Ergon GP-1.
Best Hike: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing. From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., this [...]
Checking out Marmot’s Mica Rain Jacket
Earlier this year, I was staying at New Zealand’s Skotel. The next day, Sarah and I would take a crack at the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, with a side trip up Mt. Ngauruhoe. Let me tell you, we were on edge with excitement. But we still had a day to kill, so we took a fairly short hike on some of the trails leading out of Whakapapa Village. The day started off quite nice. But wouldn’t you know? Weather near Tongariro National Park can be unpredictable. We got soaked, and spent way too much time with hair dryers trying to get our gear warm and dry again.
Never again, I decided. I pointed myself toward REI when we returned. They have a pretty large selection, and the staff is usually pretty helpful. But really, I’m from Arizona. My area gets about 7 inches of rain a year. I barely even knew what to ask to figure out which rain jacket I needed. I could’ve spent anywhere from $60 to $150 on a rain jacket … I always like to be armed with some information before spending funds of any sort!
I really could have used some help like the video below. This post comes to you courtesy of WebTogs, an online outdoor clothing company.
I rather like the idea of a YouTube demo like this. It’s a tidy explanation of the Marmot Mica jacket’s features. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit this, but it also explains some of the various tabs, buttons and straps that [...]
New Zealand plans taking shape
Well, the plans for the New Zealand adventure are coming together nicely. I’ve booked a bunch of accommodations on the North Island; Sarah will handle most of the South Island plans.
We’re mostly booking smaller, locally owned hotels. They operate a bit differently than an international chain, where you visit the Web site, enter your dates, pick your room and you’re done. With the smaller places in New Zealand (and in Australia, Costa Rica and Belize, too), you often have to send an inquiry to the hotel with your dates. The staff then gets back to you to confirm, and that’s when you get down to the credit card number business. It takes a bit more time, but it’s worth it. So far, the New Zealand hotels have been super-fast and friendly.
One of the more interesting places we’re staying will be Woodlyn Park. We’ve reserved a room in the tail section of the airplane, which should be all sorts of cool. The New Zealand Department of Conservation was also exceptionally friendly and helpful in giving me the lowdown on how to get hut passes in the Tongariro area.
For me, hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing will be one of the key points of this trip. Obviously, the New Zealand government is really clued in about how to make a hike even better … throughout its parks, you’ll find huts that can range from barely a lean-to to fully heated and enclosed affairs. And they’re pretty inexpensive for a night. That frees up [...]
