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Adventures Backpacking

Milford Track, Day 1: Te Anau Downs to Clinton Hut

Ever since I did the Routeburn Track back in 2015, the Milford Track was very high on my list. Last year, I was lucky enough to score permits for this once in a life time backpacking trip. The Milford Track is a highly regulated Great Walk in New Zealand. Unlike other popular tracks, this one follows a strict schedule. Because of this, every hiker spends four days and thee nights on the trail. Read on to learn more about our first day from Te Anau Downs to Clinton Hut.

Paulina Dao March 14, 2019

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Adventures Hiking

Hiking Lake Matheson, New Zealand

The rain doesn’t stop on the West Coast of New Zealand. It pours and pours and pours. My trip onto the glacier was canceled due to inclement weather. Shoes were still still soaking wet. The giant bed in the hostel welcomed me with loving arms. My desire to lay around was very, very high. I thought about walking all the way out to Lake Matheson, but with the previous day’s soaking excursion still in mind, I wussed out and paid an old man a few dollars to drive me there and back.

Paulina Dao May 9, 2016

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Adventures

Cruising Milford Sound

After finishing up my kayaking trip with Rosco’s Milford Kayaks, I had all the time to kill in the world. Lack of a car made it very difficult to get out of Milford Sound and the weather was too incredibly nice to spend it lazying around Milford Sound Lodge. With the US dollar’s strength, I was livin’ large, so I booked the last cruise for the day in the sound with Mitre Peak Cruises.

Paulina Dao March 14, 2016

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Adventures Kayaking

Kayaking Milford Sound

Milford Sound is one of the must-see places in New Zealand, according to anyone who has ever heard of New Zealand. After coming off the Routeburn Track, I hopped on a bus to Milford Sound. The standard sound exploration is via boat cruise. I wanted something different; I wanted to work for my experience, so I booked a trip with Rosco’s Milford Kayaks for the Stirling Sunriser trip. I was going to kayak under a waterfall!

Paulina Dao February 29, 2016

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Adventures Backpacking

Day 3 on the Routeburn Track: Lake Mackenzie Hut to Divide Shelter

Gloom and doom settled upon the Lake Mackenzie Hut overnight. AJ and I woke up in our bunks to dreary skies and a slow, steady drizzle. We were on a time crunch to catch our bus to Milford Sound; breakfast was fast and we hit the track.

Paulina Dao January 27, 2016

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Adventures

New Zealand’s South Island Hostel Roundup

When I booked my New Zealand airfare, I kind of balked at the price. To compensate for being a lazy bum and paying extra for a nonstop flight, I decided to do everything else on the cheap and opted to stay in hostels. I’d heard great things about hostels and making all the friends. Somehow I managed to be really bad at doing the hostel thing and only really used the rooms to sleep and store my stuff, because activities. But here’s a roundup of the places I stayed at so you can pick your accommodations accordingly.

Paulina Dao December 11, 2015

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