The Interislander

Well, Andy and I have started our return journey...

After saying our heartfelt goodbyes around camp, we were a bit emotional as we got on our bus out of Nelson. The two hour ride brought us northeast to the small town of Picton where we would catch the inter island ferry back to Wellington on the North Island.

The decision to take the ferry back to the capital was two-fold. First of all, we didn't get to experience the ferry whilst traveling from the North to the South Island back in September and thought it would be a good way to see the Marlborough Sounds. Secondly, there were a couple things in Wellington that we missed the first time around (both of them "Lord of the Rings"-related... surprised?).
 
But as much as the ferry was a means to an end, it was actually quite an experience in itself. The four hour trip was like a mini-cruise, with a food court, bar, game area, recliner lounge, and on-board cinema. And sailing out from the Queen Charlotte Sound, the views on deck were just breathtaking.

Enjoy some of our photos below:

port in Picton

It was a bit sad leaving the South Island. We spent some time on-board reflecting on our time there and wondering if or when we would ever be back.

But we are now safely in Wellington. There was an earthquake here the day before we left and we were woken up by another smaller one on our first morning here, but rest assured, we are fine. We spent a couple nights in the city and rented a van to explore some of the surrounding areas as well. Tomorrow, we will be flying out to Sydney!

P.S. We've been running around like chickens with our heads cut off so it may be some time before we can organize our next post.

SOLD! Getting ready to head home.

As we finish packing our bags I figured I had a little bit of time to give you a quick update. We sold our car over the weekend! Now every time I walk out the door of our cabin it feels like something is missing. I guess we really are heading home soon (it still hasn't hit me).

(Click above for a larger image.)

The website is finished! You can check out the new site at www.maitaivalleymotorcamp.co.nz. Here are the 'wireframes' of before and after:

Before

After

After spending nine months here at the Maitai, it really has become a home away from home.

This weekend, we are headed to Wellington to cover a few bases we missed last time we were in town. After that we are off to Sydney, Australia for a few days before a grueling 18 hour flight back to Seattle. Stay tuned as we make our way home on the last leg of our journey!

Inspirational Travel Quotes

With finishing up the last project, selling the car, packing & cleaning, and planning our exit strategy (more on this later), I've somehow been able to find time to just sit and reflect on the past year we've spent here in New Zealand. I've been feeling incredibly blessed by the experience Andy and I have been able to share together as well as all the memories we've created.

I've also been feeling inspired.

So just to give you some juice for your next travel adventure (as well as our own future adventures!), I decided to put together a collection of some of my favorite travel quotes with pictures we've taken from all over New Zealand!

Hope you enjoy.

(P.S. More formal recap to come...)

 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~Mark Twain

 

“Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer.”

“Make voyages! Attempt them... there's nothing else.” ~Tennessee Williams

“Live,

Travel,

Adventure,

Bless,

And Don't be Sorry.”

~Jack Kerouac

  

“We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character.” ~Henry David Thoreau

“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” ~Lawrence Block

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends... The mind can never break off from the journey.” ~Pat Conroy

“It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves.” ~Andre Gide

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” ~Ernest Hemingway

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” ~Seneca

 “Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.” ~Dalai Lama

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar is taken for granted.” ~Bill Bryson

“One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” ~Henry Miller

“People don't take trips... trips take people.” ~John Steinbeck
 

 

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” ~Lao Tzu

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” ~Saint Augustine

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” ~Scott Cameron

“To travel is to live.” ~Hans Christian Anderson

 

My Travel Inspiration Blogroll

This blog might slow down for a bit as Andy and I scramble to finish up everything we need to do around here and to tie up some loose ends. So just to give you some interesting reading material, I thought I would share some of the blogs that I like to read! Hopefully they will inspire you, or at least give you an idea of where a lot of my travel inspiration comes from.

LandingStanding.com – I list this blog first because I've been following it the longest and most consistently. This is a blog written by a young married couple who decided to quit their jobs and take a year off to travel the world! I've been following them since 2011 through a lot of their planning stages as well as their travels around South America, Europe, Asia, and finally Australia. They have since returned to the states and are working to become location-independent. I love their philosophy on life, which is very common among backpackers: to live the life you want now, knowing that your time is finite.

(Fun fact: I discovered this blog while doing research for our insane 6-day Orlando theme park trip back in February 2012. They had some great tips on how to dominate Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, so if you're planning on heading that way, check them out!)

JackandJilltravel.com – Another blog about a young married couple, except that this one is primarily written by Jill. I love Jill's writing and sense of humor and if we were to meet in real life, I think we would get along just fine! She has been all over the place (I haven't read half of what her site has to offer), but I like that she can take even the most mundane things and make them interesting just by the way she writes.

Jasminewanders.com – She shares my name, my age, and my passion! When Jasmine first started her travels, the first place she went to was New Zealand on a working holiday. She has been all over the world since then and has now transitioned from nomad to expat, writing about life in Colombia.

One of her posts that got me thinking was: Who's In Control: You Or Your Possessions?

TheRoadForks.com – This blog is written by a married couple who traveled the world for 3+ years! They've been everywhere, including New Zealand, and their tips and insight have been very helpful. They recently had a baby so their blog has slowed down quite a bit, but there are still a lot of interesting reads to be found.

 

YoungAdventuress.com – Written by a, well, young adventuress! She is very open and honest on her blog and is quite the risk-taker. Another blogger who encourages her readers to live without regrets. She has been to a ton of different countries, but her next venture will be a year in New Zealand! With a shared interest in Lord of the Rings, I am really looking forward to following her adventures in “Middle Earth.”

Manvsdebt.com - Not really a “travel blog” per say, but I did discover this blog through the author's travels in New Zealand. Originally started by Baker, it followed his adventures with his wife and young daughter as they uprooted their lives to work in Australia. They ended up traveling around NZ and a bit of Thailand as well. What I love about this blog is that Baker makes his readers question the American Dream and the life path that we all find ourselves on (which he eventually made a documentary about). Alternatively, he encourages them to follow their own dreams, which may not include the house in the suburbs, the white picket fence, and the two brand-new cars. He writes a lot about living with a minimalist mindset (getting rid of your “stuff”) and expresses that we don't need as much as we think we do: as humans, we adapt to whatever living area we put ourselves in, whether that be a backpack, an rv, or a mansion. What I admire about him and his family is that they have the means to live more extravagantly, but even with a child, they choose to live in a one-bedroom apartment and own one car. He also mentions Dave Ramsey quite a bit, which Andy and I can relate to as we took the Financial Peace class together at our church. I could go on and on about this blog... There is a lot of great material here. Here are just a few articles that I found interesting:

            26 Life Lessons I learned in 26 Years of Living

            Renting: The New American Dream

            5 Things We Love About Being A One Car Family

So there you have it. If you find yourself looking for something to read, look no further!

I think what I love most about these blogs is that they push and motivate you to think outside the box and live an unconventional life. That could look like anything, depending on the individual. But the common theme is: stop making excuses and make it happen! Great stuff...