It had been 2 weeks since Chris and I had bought our campervan and we’d somehow managed to spend all that time hanging around Adelaide. We caught up with a friend, did some couch surfing, and got away with freedom camping at different beaches. But we were both getting that impatient feeling and we wanted to explore and see more of this massive country. So as soon as our car inverter and Camps7 Book arrived in the post from Ebay, we were off.
Author: vickilarkin88
Guide To Becoming a Kiwi Ski Bum
It’s that time of year again. All the ski fields around New Zealand have opened up their online applications and people are 
frantically applying for that all important mountain position that will give them the chance to spend winter as a glorified ski bum. And why wouldn’t you? Free ski pass, free ski leasons, cheap seasonal rental, 50% off every other ski field in New Zealand, it makes a very expensive sport suddenly become very affordable. But the problem, like I said, is that everyone is applying. You’ve got backpackers, local Kiwis, people who are currently skiing in Europe or Canada and do back to back seasons, literally thousands of people. And don’t forget about all the returning staff. At Cardrona Alpine Resort in Wanaka they usually have as much as 70% returning staff each year, not leaving too many new positions.
I spent two winter seasons snowboarding in New Zealand and was lucky to get a job at Cardrona. The first season I applied it was a bit of a stressful process but I managed to get my foot in the door as a cleaner. Then when I returned for a second season I was guaranteed a job and able to work as a lift operator. Here’s what I learnt from the process: Continue reading
Exploring Samoa
Back in November 2013 Chris and I went on a 3 week holiday to Samoa. The first week we spent at Camp Samoa, an experience I’ll never forget. Continue reading
Playing With Marsupials
If there’s one thing I love about Australia it’s the wildlife. The animals are just so weird, random, and interesting, like nothing I’ve ever seen before! There’s colourful parrots, mobs of kangaroos, koalas in the trees and emus everywhere. And when I saw these animals in the wild for the first time the feeling of excitement I got made me feel like a big kid.
5 Backpacker Tips for Buying a Campervan in Aus
One of the best ways to see and travel a country is no doubt, by campervan. It’s hard to beat the amount of freedom you have this way. You can go where you want, when you want, and you don’t have to stick to anyone else’s schedule. Sometimes you end up going on detours you never considered taking, and get to see places that the people taking the east coast tour bus can only dream of. Sometimes you can be in bliss isolation, alone, sleeping in a hidden forest campsite. Or you may feel like part of a travelling campervan community, rocking up to a campsite to find about 20 people in campers of all shapes and sizes, taking the same journey. If you have the time to spare, and the money to get yourself going, then for me there’s no other way to travel a country like Australia.
I spent 2 years freedom camping my way around New Zealand and now I plan to do the same in Australia. But when you first arrive in a country, and one as expensive as Australia, buying a campervan as a backpacker can be a bit of a daunting experience. A couple of months ago I bought a 1999 Ford Econovan. Here’s a few tips I learnt from the experience: Continue reading
A Crowded New Years Eve in Sydney
If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s being caught up and pushed around by crowds of people feeling like you don’t even 
have the space to breathe. And yet there I was leaving my hotel room at 5.30 in the morning to see the Sydney New Years Eve 2013 fireworks. There were literally hundreds of vantage points throughout the city where you could watch the fireworks, and the most consistent advice I’d received from the Aussies was to choose somewhere further away, and less popular. Of course, being an overexcited tourist in Sydney for the first time, I went against all advice and chose Mrs Marcquaries point as my base. With views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, this was possibly one of the most popular free vantage points in the city, and had a maximum capacity of 17,000 people. Continue reading
Adelaide Couchsurfing
Due to lack of planning and last minute decisions Chris and I ended up in Adelaide with nowhere to stay and a few days to kill before going to Sydney for New Years. So we booked into the cheapest hostel we could find and handed over $28 each for an 8-bed dorm.
It wasn’t the worst hostel ever. There was free internet, a decent TV room, and a balcony terrace area. But the rooms were cramped, the air con didn’t work, and the hostel was home to a cliquey group of backpackers who were staying long term and working in Adelaide. They spent the night playing drinking games and dares out on the terrace.
At 1am I was awoken by voices outside my room. They were whispering loudly and giggling. Next thing the door burst open and a guy came running in with another guy behind him filming on his phone. They turned on the light and started shouting, jumping on the people sleeping in the bottom bunks, then ran out again, laughing.
As far as I was concerned that was enough, I couldn’t be bothered with idiots like that, it’s hard enough getting a good nights sleep in a hostel as it is! So I made use of the free internet and started frantically sending out couchsurfing requests. Continue reading
Christmas With the Deckerts
It was always the plan to stay with Aussie Nick and his family for Christmas. Nick is Chris’s old school friend and his mum is originally from Northern Ireland. When he was 11 his family moved back to Northern Ireland for a while, and then he came back again for a working holiday a few years ago. The two guys had gotten pretty close during that second visit and Chris had always said he would visit Nick in Adelaide, so now was his chance.
It just so happened that Nick was in Melbourne at a golf tournament two weeks before Christmas, so Chris and I were able to get a lift back to Adelaide with him. The 8 hour car journey wasn’t as bad as I thought, I slept most of it!
We finally arrived at his house in Normanville, a really nice beach town, to be welcomed by his mum, Jennifer, and dad, Ian. Straight off we were made to feel at home. We were given a beautiful room in their Bach, fed amazing food and there was always beer and champagne on hand. It was funny seeing the mixture of Northern Irish and Aussie in Jennifer. She’d moved out to Australia when she was about 10 but still had a funny twang to her accent and I felt very relaxed in her company. She’s very bubbly and talkative, and she loves champagne. Continue reading
Couchsurfing Through Melbourne
After spending 23 months in New Zealand it was time to move on. I’d always decided I’d go to Australia after New 
Zealand, even though I’ve never been overly excited by the idea. To be honest I’m more excited about the money I can save rather than the experience. That being said, when it came to it and I touched down in Melbourne, straight away I had a good feeling about the place.
I arrived late at night, 1am, but the city still had a bustling atmosphere to it, something that Auckland in New Zealand always lacked. With 4 million people the city is pretty huge; but the trams, buses and trains make it easy to get around. I instantly liked the feel of Melbourne. It’s full of parks, most of the streets are lined with trees, and the different building styles and architecture give the city a more historical feel. It seems there’s always something going on, whether it’s exhibitions, live music or outdoor cinema.
Couchsurfing
When you first arrive in a new country it’s easy to spend a lot of money, which can often lead to stress, which can stop you from just living in the ‘now’ and enjoying yourself. With this in mind I thought I’d give couchsurfing a go for the first time, a way to both save money and also meet locals. Continue reading
Samoa, It’s All About the People
If you travel all the way from the UK to New Zealand it seems silly not to take the chance to go to a South Pacific Island at 
the same time. After doing a bit of research I decided that Samoa seemed like a good option. The country’s two main islands appeared easy enough to travel around and the flights, although not cheap, are cheaper than Fiji.
Chris and I arrived into Apia, Samoa’s capital, at 9.30pm on a Tuesday night. As we stepped off the plane and were hit by hot humid air we smiled at each other. Finally some hot weather! We collected our bags and went out to the arrivals area expecting to be met by a Kiwi man, Dennis, who would drive us to his accommodation. However, Dennis was nowhere to be found and instead, there was a row of Samoan taxi drivers all fighting for our attention. Continue reading
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