I started this blog to let everyone know what an amazing place New Zealand is, not only the famous and popular tourist attractions but also the destinations off the beaten track.

We usually have no idea how long it takes to get to a destination as we often say, “I wonder what’s down that road?” We usually go and have a look, sometimes towing a reasonably large toy hauler, towed by an aging but reliable Land Cruiser with two dogs. We have never been disappointed, and we never consider ourselves ‘lost’; it’s just somewhere we haven’t been before.

There are so many amazing places in New Zealand, not all of them on the main road.

Some of the posts are about places that will take you a while to get to, but the journey is often as good as the destination. Some of the posts are about places close to our home, short walks, and beaches around the Otago area. Most require a sense of adventure!

I hope this will inspire you to find these places and enjoy them as much as we do. We are privileged to live in such a wonderful country, and we make the most of it.

If you live in New Zealand and haven’t been to these spots yet, pack the caravan, camping gear, or just a picnic and go and have a look—you will be amazed.

If you aren’t lucky enough to live here but are traveling in NZ, make time to visit some of these amazing spots. There are some roads that are 4WD only, but most can be accessed by car. See the posts for any road conditions you should know about.

Don’t forget your camera, and remember—”take only memories (and photos), leave only footprints.”

Enjoy our wonderful country and have fun!

We have had four caravans over the last few years, starting with a small English caravan. It soon became obvious that unless we sold it and bought something sturdier, it would end up like the episode of Top Gear when the caravan chassis was the only thing left.

We then opted for an American toy hauler which was great! We had that a few years before selling it to help buy a small crib (batch, holiday cottage) in the Catlins within just over an hour of where we live. After a while, we needed to venture further afield so we got a small but sturdy pop-top camper, which we had lifted so we could take it off-road. Lots of fun, but we are planning to travel a lot more and not only in the summer, so we now have a Jayco Basestation which is great!

You can see a small white dot in the middle of the grass by the river – that’s our caravan – this is at Anatori,  the end of the road from the North of the west coast of the South Island.