New Zealand in March ‘16

Highlights of March

March was a month of hiking and celebration and ended like it began – with plenty of action.

The hike up to Pouakai hut on the ranges of Mt Taranaki, was my absolute favourite activity of this month

It was a gruelling two hour ascent of almost continuous stairs but we were rewarded with some of the most stunning views of the mountain I’ve ever seen. We continued on an extra 20 minutes past the hut to find the Pouakai Lake in the marshes, although we were pretty disappointed to find that it’s much smaller than it appears in pictures – around the size of a home swimming pool.

We also hiked (I think I have a new hobby) along the Whitecliffs in north Taranaki, from the beach to the farmland.

The heart of March was devoured in a beach frenzy of Paua hunting and hanging out with our dog Wolfe. Among the chill days were both our birthdays, which were rather quiet on the celebration front. Perhaps a sign we’re getting older.

Lowlights of March:

Personally, I'm unsure as to whether I’ll include a lowlights section in the next update. I know it’s common to include them in end of month summaries, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea to focus on the negatives. This time I think it says much about the direction of my travels and blog.

Financially, we’re only just okay, and I know it’s only for now but it’s still hard. My travels that once extended to Australia, Southeast Asia and South America, are now limited to NZ’s North Island. But we can’t all travel at every point in our lives, and there are years where we all have to stay home with other commitments. So in some ways it’s been a positive because I’ve seen more of my home region of Taranaki this year, than I have possibly my whole life combined.

What we’ll be doing in April:

Raglan beach town in the north is definitely on the cards, even if the weather is going south. April is usually pretty wet rather than cold, so weather permitting we’ll try to see more of the North Island, and the South Island as gorgeous as it is, will have to wait.

New on the blog:

A never ending project this blog is (although that’s what a hobby is…) I’ve tweaked the colour scheme from pink and turquoise to more natural tones of sky, grass and earth. Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think.

Most popular post this month:

Keeping costs down – catching kai moana in Aotearoa

I’m so happy you guys liked this one on paua hunting in NZ – a new experience for me too!

Other posts you may have missed:

Breaking up with travel – for anyone who may be stuck at home right now

Taranaki’s best day hikes for outdoorsy freaks – just as the title says

Liquid sunshine in Medellin, a city of contrasts – a story on one of Colombia’s most dangerous cities

First time travel fears – everything I wish I knew before I began backpacking

With lots of time this month, where should I go in next in the North Island?