If you’ve been furiously Googling “Tasman Glacier heli hike Reddit” trying to find a thorough, first-person Tasman glacier heli hike review, you’re in the right place! I did a glacier heli hike in February and am spilling all the info you need to figure out if heli hiking in New Zealand is worth your precious […]

If you’re visiting New Zealand and are a dolphin lover (and seriously—who isn’t?) you may have heard that you can swim with the world’s smallest dolphin species off the South Island! But before you start furiously searching Reddit for, “swimming with dolphins in Akaroa, New Zealand? What’s the best time to see dolphins in Akaroa? […]

When my boyfriend and I started our road trip through New Zealand’s South Island in a 22-foot camper van, everyone—from the grizzled barista in a Wanaka café to the Swiss couple spending a year working at a local winery—told me Milford Sound was a must-see destination. I felt a tangle of excitement and disappointment; excitement, […]

When I was planning a two-month trip to New Zealand, I knew that many of my loose plans would involve zigzagging around the South Island looking for wildlife—fur seals on the coast, dolphins in the bays, and maybe even the elusive kiwi (the bird, not the fruit—though I sought out plenty of the fruits, too!). […]

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2025 Fact: Koalas are as sleepy, slow, and cuddly as you’ve imagined. And if you’ve ever dreamed of hanging out with them ethically, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia is probably #1 on your list of places to do it. It’s the world’s largest and oldest koala sanctuary, but there a few […]