So this is a bit of a mixed bag, with a diverse set of scenery. Instead of heading straight for Kyoto from Tokyo, we did a day long side trip to Nikko, an overnight stay in Hakone, another overnight stay in Matsumoto and a day long trip on the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route. While Tokyo is …
Japan – Tokyo
Our first stop on an epic journey through the highlights of Japan was the biggest city in the world. Lights, sushi, manga! Sprawling, frenetic, and endlessly fascinating, Japan’s capital is a city of contrasts. Shrines and gardens are pockets of calm between famously crowded streets and soaring office buildings. Mom-and-pop noodle houses share street space …
Speyer
Sometimes you don’t have to travel halfway across the globe to find something special. With the Doomsday Support Group we did our first annual geek weekend to Speyer in Germany. A town that might not immediately ring a bell but which features good food, a great hotel (shout out to Frank Rademaker for being the …
New Zealand – Rotorua
Steaming earth, roaring rivers and sky touching trees. All with a whiff of rotten eggs. That pretty much sums up the nice town of Rotorua. Attractions here are the most touristy of any that we’ve seen in New Zealand but as in most cases the best things are enjoyed for free if you put in …
New Zealand – Tongariro
[su_quote cite=”New Zealand Travel Log – Stijn van Drunen”]The alarm is early, it’s only 6:15 when we are awoken by it. Today is perhaps the day for us to attempt the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and I’m excited about it even though the weather isn’t looking perfect for it. Breakfast is served between 6:30 and 7:30 …
New Zealand – Wellington
Getting to Wellington wasn’t as easy for us as taking the planned ferry over the Cook Straits. The day we would leave for Wellington the biggest earthquake in years hit the Shaky Isles and devastated large parts of the infrastructure on the southern island as well as shaking up Wellington quite heavy. Ferries were cancelled and …
New Zealand – Golden Bay
On the top of the southern island of New Zealand is the Golden Bay. This wonderful piece of earth features cold water springs, waterfalls, desolate beaches and awe inspiring nature. From Motueka the SH60 takes a stomach-churning meander over Takaka Hill to Takaka in the Golden Bay area. At this point we’ve done a fair bit …
New Zealand – Glacier Country
One of the most spectacular things we’ve done in New Zealand was riding a helicopter up to the face of the Fox Glacier and doing a three hour hike over the river of ice. Roaring waterfalls on the side and dramatic rocks being slowly transported over the slowest moving highway in the world to the …
New Zealand – Queenstown & Haast
The motel in Queenstown advertised with “Dramatic Lake Views”. Not a word of that line was a lie, Lake Wakatipu offers stunning views with dramatic clouds swooping up and down the mountainsides any time of the day. The drive from Te Anau to Queenstown over the Devil’s Staircase already impresses but after spending the night …
New Zealand – Milford Sound
Milford Sound is the most well-known and most accessible of all the fiords in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, a World Heritage Area. Its 16 kilometre (14 nautical miles) length is lined by sheer rock faces that soar 1,200 metres or more from the water. At 1692 metres, the iconic Mitre Peak is a spectacular …