thank you for sharing your thoughts & stunning photos, you are an inspiration – makes me want to travel more already!

Interesting that you should feel ambivalent about Wanaka – same here, been loosely based out of Wanaka for the last few years and there’s definitely a love-hate relationship with this town – it’s the most incredibly gossipy rats nest while at the same time the environment is stunningly beautiful.

Note that people do kayak in winter in NZ. I spent 6 months kayaking Fiordland last year (2017), and about half that time was during winter. I actually preferred winter to summer as winds were lighter (relatively speaking) and there were fewer sandflies.

Thanks for sharing your adventures Liz, keep on traveling and enjoy this incredible world!!! :)))

I actually found you … via a write up in my local paper in Melbourne. I love this post because it totally qualifies my thoughts. (Oh, and despite your young age you get it! It’s a bit like cleavage and fluffy cats on FB. Noooooooooooooooooo! It’s NOT all about you!!!!!!!!! And I don’t wan’t to see your breasts IN EVERY SHOT!!! I love your shots because they are real … that’s how I present on my personal FB account, in my veryitchyfeet.com videos and on our veryitchyfeet.com FB page … and that’s the way it’s going to stay!

Oh, and sorry for my crazy web page pic, just having one of those days when I chose it.

I wondered if you have ever had parents of teenagers ask you about your early experiences and thoughts about subjects like maturity and safety when it comes to allowing younger people interested in travelling alone and how their worry-wart parents can feel more comfortable with the idea of letting them “spread their wings”. How old were you when you travelled to foreign lands by yourself? Any insights on do’s and don’ts would be helpful. Sorry if I posted this message in the wrong message chain, just came across your website. Neat stuff!