Twice in a Lifetime

When I got back from Melbourne on Saturday, I had to fill out an arrivals card. For the first time, under ‘occupation’, I had to write ‘unemployed’. And under ‘length of visit to New Zealand’, I had to write ‘five days’. I had the stark realisation that there were tourists on my plane who would be here longer than me. […]

Kayaking Milford Sound (in Photos)

Visiting New Zealand without seeing Milford Sound is like buying a gelato and only eating the cone. It doesn’t matter how you see it, just find a way. Some people fly over, some people take a riverboat, some people hike the nearby Milford Track. But me? I wanted to get close to the water.

Queenstown Summer Road Trip: 10 Unmissable Activities

There’s no doubt about it: Queenstown is the crown jewel of New Zealand. In winter this picturesque town is blanketed in snow and packed full of skiers, but it’s just as breathtaking to visit in summer. And to truly see all that the area around Queenstown has to offer, you should hire a car.

Getting Back to Basics in Moloka’i

Tourism just isn’t part of the Moloka’i vocabulary, and that’s the way the locals want to keep it. As a result, the island attracts a different kind of visitor; one who doesn’t mind that the population is barely double my high school, that there’s only one place of accommodation, or that the occasional gecko may […]

The Imposing Cliffs of Kaua’i

Nothing prepared me for my first sight of the Kalaulau Valley. The green ribs of the Na Pali cliffs rose from the ocean with a reptilian magnificence. It’s easy to see why this dramatic stretch of coastline was chosen to represent Isla Nublar in Jurassic Park.

Trespassing to Dead Man’s Catwalk (in Photos)

In a dive bar in Waikiki, a surfer with waist-length dreadlocks struck up a conversation. Interested to get the local perspective, I asked him about his favourite view in Oahu. He told me that in one of the richest suburbs, there’s a jawdropping hike. You climb a mountain and at the summit is a concrete ‘catwalk’ of sorts, […]

Earthquake in Paradise

I’d fallen asleep in the early evening, reading my book. Darkness had claimed the room without me realising. Suddenly, I was forced awake by my bed shaking violently. In my traditional Tongan Fale, with coconut palm poles, I had no idea what to do.

Andrew Roams