This Easy/MUST DO New Zealand Hike is the Best of Them All

Day 2 of our camping adventure started off great with our morning photo walk at Tasman Lake (mentioned in the earlier post). After that all of our plans sort of fell apart. When we visited the Mt Cook Visitor’s Center to check in for the hike to Mueller Hut, we …

You Won’t Believe How Gorgeous This Lake Is…

The next stop on our little camping trip to Middle Earth was Tasman Glacier and Lake inside the Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand. At 27 km, the Tasman Glacier is the longest Glacier in New Zealand. The glacier is receding at an unprecedented 400-800m every year now leading  …

Intro Part 1: Planning a Trip to Middle Earth and Visa Shenanigans

Background So my uncle, cousin, and I have wanted to do a guys camping trip for the longest time. Our initial plan was to hit up Iceland back in July, but I was completed roughed up by my already busy travel schedule and my uncle was completely booked with work …

American Express Lounge Sydney: The Centurion’s Overcrowded Australian Cousin

I recently visited the AMEX lounge at Sydney Airport before and after my flights to New Zealand (more on that in the coming days). The lounge is located across from Gate 24 right after the McDonalds on the right. Since I had breezed through security and passport control, I had …

Review: Singapore Airlines Private Room (Private Not Special)

Singapore Airlines offers what many consider to be one of the most exclusive lounges in the world in Singapore’s Changi Airport. The lounge coined as the “Private Room” is only available to customers flying First Class on a Singapore Airlines aircraft.  In the past I had heard that lounge access …

Review: Qantas Economy CHC-MEL (The Best Short Haul Flight Ever)

How I booked the Flight I booked our flights between Christchurch and Melbourne using 10,000 Avios per passenger. Since the flying time only comes out to around 3 hours, I decided to just book economy and save myself 10k for another time.  British Airways has a distance based award chart, …

A Look at New Zealand’s Legendary Lake

The morning after our arrival in Franz Josef Glacier was supposed to be a ridiculously early start for me. I was planning on getting up well before dawn to head to Lake Matheson for a sunrise photography shoot. If you don’t already know about the location, you probably have already …

Crowne Plaza Christchurch & the Food Scene

We arrived in Christchurch after another long, but beautiful drive from Franz Josef Glacier through Arthur’s Pass National Park and Korowai Tussocklands Park. Combined with all the stops along the way, the standard 6 hour drive took more like 8 hours with all the stops. I chose the Crowne Plaza …