Comfort IN Discomfort

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. /Neale Donald Walsch/

To travel is to heal, develop and grow. Follow my journey and learn how to travel on

a budget, heal yourself and grow in the process.

Tunnel Beach Walkway. Dunedin | New Zealand

Tunnel Beach Walkway. Dunedin | New Zealand

On our way to Dunedin, we stopped by Tunnel Beach. It is a beach with sea-carved sandstone cliffs, rock arches and man-made tunnel. It is definitely best visited at low tide, so check the tide times before you come. Following the fenced track downhill we saw the rocky coastline. It is 2 km long, easy walk. At the end of the track we found the handcarved rock tunnel that gives Tunnel Beach it's name. In the 1870’s John Cargill, a son of Captain William Cargill, excavated a tun

Why we didn't finish the Famous Roy's Peak hike? | New Zealand.

Why we didn't finish the Famous Roy's Peak hike? | New Zealand.

Roy’s Peak is the most popular hike in Wanaka. It takes you to the Instagram famous Peak with a stunning views to Wanaka lake. Most people choose to start it long before the sunrise just to get the best spot in the line (and yes, there is mostly a queue), to get the famous photo. On one of our days off we decided to give it a go. We were really skeptical about this place as it is so overhyped and such a Must do. Mostly places like that don’t really live up to the hype. We sta

One day trip to Arrowtown. | New Zealand.

One day trip to Arrowtown. | New Zealand.

We really wanted to go somewhere new on or day off so we chose Arrowtown. It was close enough, to be able to spend there a whole day. Arrowtown is a living historic settlement with goldmining history. You can explore the gold mining sights along the Arrow river. You can tell right away that this town has a lot of history. The little cottages and stone buildings was just one of the proof. I would say that this is one of the most picturesque little miner towns in New Zealand.Th

Bannockburn. Our Second home and our kiwi family. | New Zealand.

Bannockburn. Our Second home and our kiwi family. | New Zealand.

Although we worked in Cromwell, we lived a bit further away – in Bannockburn- the heart of the desert. The Bannockburn region has a rich and interesting history, spanning from the goldrush days of the 1800s through to its current status as one of the countries premier wine growing regions. Its uniquely warm, dry climate earned it the name 'The heart of the desert', as climatic conditions and human activity have combined to strip the area of most of the original native vegetat

Glenorchy. | New Zealand

Glenorchy. | New Zealand

It was one of those days when we decided to do some exploring. So we picked Glenorchy as our destination. The road that took us there is a dead end road. That means that a lot of people skip this town as it is not on their way. Glenorchy is a small settlement at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu in the South Island region of Otago, New Zealand. Surrounded by magnificent snow-capped mountains, pristine lakes, old beech forests and at the edge of Mount Aspiring and Fiordland na

Queenstown. Where to park your car and where to eat? | New Zealand.

Queenstown. Where to park your car and where to eat? | New Zealand.

Queenstown is one of those cities almost everyone have heard of. We settled down in Crommwell, but whenever we had a chance we drove to Queenstown. It is truly a magnificiet, magic, beautiful place to be. The road that takes you there was as beautiful as the city itslef. It was always a pleasure to the eye. All the cliffs, river right next to the road, gorge, wineyards, meadows, mountains, and even bungy jumping place - that all you can see just driving towards Queenstown. Qu

Cromwell, Central Otago. | New Zealand

Cromwell, Central Otago. | New Zealand

After couple days in Wanaka we arrived in Cromwell. A destination that is central to everything. The town is between rugged mountains, the meeting of two rivers and the pristine waters of Lake Dunstan. Lake Dunstan is a good location for swimming, fishing, boating and water sports in summer. In winter, there are five skifields all within driving distances. It is also home to the famous Highland’s Motorsport Park, a popular visitor attraction with activities for the whole fami

Hike to Rob Roy Glacier. | Should You do it? | New Zealand

Hike to Rob Roy Glacier. | Should You do it? | New Zealand

An hour drive from Wanaka, there are another nice hike to do - Rob Roy Glacier hike. The hour drive to the car park where the hike starts is quite interesting itself. The last 30 km are unsealed. The last 10 km is a gravel road that is mostly good only in fine weather. It subject to washouts and flooded creeks that can be impassable. We were concerned that our minivan will not be able to pass the many streems that crosses the road. Unfortunately there were no rain for the las

Isthmus Peak.

Isthmus Peak.

While in Wanaka it's a must to do at least one to two hikes in the area. I would say even more, because here are so many. Most people choose Roys Peak, as it is one of the most popular ones. We decided to do Isthmus Peak track first. This hike also receives much less traffic than Roy’s Peak. Probably because it hasn’t become as insta famous. There are no queues for photos, and fewer people in general. It starts with nice walk through the meadow between the sheep, with some st

Wanaka.

Wanaka.

Next stop for us was Wanaka. But before we hit the town we decided to take one last chill day in the nature. We stoped by lake Paringa, which was very close to the highway. There was a lot of cute spots for camping and picturesque landscapes around the lake. We had no reception since leaving Fox Glacier, and this place was no exeption. No reception, no internet conection, just nature in its glory. It wasn't that bad, because we got to do other things, like cooking, reading a

Franz Josef Glacier. Roberts point track.

Franz Josef Glacier. Roberts point track.

After visiting Hokitika, getting my own greenstone (you can read about it HERE), and seeing some nice blue rivers and peacocks, we continued our journey along the West coast of South Island. We spent the night in a parking lot/camp ground in Franz Josef village. It wasn't the most pleasant place, but at least they had a kitchen and showers included in the price. We drove to the glacier parking lot in the next morning. Franz Josef Glacier is a ~11 km long temperate maritime gl

Hokitika. How to get your own Greenstone (Pounamu) | New Zealand

Hokitika. How to get your own Greenstone (Pounamu) | New Zealand

It was time to leave Arturs Pass and return to West coast. We decided not to go to Chrischurch just yet. There was so much to do and see in the West coast. We had to see Hokitika, and famous Glaciers. Hokitika is a small town in the West Coast region. As many other little towns Hokitika was found on gold mining in 1864, it was a centre of the West Coast Gold Rush. The major industries of greenstone (pounamu), gold, coal, and forestry have all dwindled over the last century, b

Avalanche Peak via Scotts track - why it's a must? | New Zealand. Arthurs Pass.

Avalanche Peak via Scotts track - why it's a must? | New Zealand. Arthurs Pass.

Have you ever done something that is really really challenging for you and you don't even know if you can really pull that off, but then you just do it. The after taste and the satisfaction feels so good. My first big accomplishment was in 12th grade when I was fighting for a scholarship and possibility to even go to university. There was an issue with my application and the jury never got it. I was rejected even before the interviews started. So it was the first time I didn'

Punakaiki Pancake rocks. | New Zealand

Punakaiki Pancake rocks. | New Zealand

The more we travelled around New Zealand the more it seemed like New Zealand has all the coolest rock formations. Starting with cliffs, and blowholes on the beach, pinnacles and rock that looks like elephant. So there's no wonder they even have Pancake Rocks or Punakaiki. And true to it's name, they really looks like piles of huge, rock pancakes. Before we reached the famous rocks, we made a pit stop at the beach, just to look for nice looking pebbles or even a greenstone. Of

St. Arnaud, lake Rotoiti and Mount Robert track.

St. Arnaud, lake Rotoiti and Mount Robert track.

A lot of travellers choose to go straight to the West Coast after arriving in South Island. It is understandable, because of it's undenieable beauty. But there is one place off this route I would suggest everyone to visit. We had some extra time, so we decided to see Lake Rotoiti (and Yes, there is a lake with the same name in North Island as well). St Arnaud is a small alpine village, so there are not much to do. But it is the perfect base from which to explore the forest an

Nelson, Abel Tasman National Park, Farewell spit | Our Experience.

Nelson, Abel Tasman National Park, Farewell spit | Our Experience.

Our first stop after Picton was Nelson. It is actualy the oldest city in the South Island and the second-oldest settled city in New Zealand. Nelson is known for its artsy vibes and art festivals. We could feel the relaxing and crafty vibes in the city as we walked around. It is also very close to Richmond. Actually one starts where another one ends. We didn't explore the city much, but if you are interested in things to do there check out this post HERE. One thing we did, whi

Wellington - the city of Wind.

Wellington - the city of Wind.

In my previous post I mentioned how undefined and unclear our plans were after leaving New Plymouth. We were happy to stop by Hastings and Napier, but unsuccessful to find a job there. Our savings came closer to zero, so we had to find something. Weather really got worse and worse every day. Rain was pouring, everything was grey and gloomy. Our mood was as close to zero as our bank accounts, so we decided to go to Wellington and catch a ferry the next day, to finally go to So

Hamilton - close to everything!

Hamilton - close to everything!

After our wonderful vacation in Australia it was time to return to New Zealand. We flew in Auckland and in next day packed our things and left. Our road trip started with a stop in Hamilton. As locals say – there is nothing to do in this city, but it’s quite close to everything that might interest people (Hobiton, Waitomo caves etc.). For a moment it felt true, until we decided to stop by a car Classic Museum. Aldis was in Heaven and even I didn’t mind to hang in there. I bel

When freedom reach your mind! Northland.

When freedom reach your mind! Northland.

Auckland is nice, but don't stay there too long. A week is more than enough, maybe two if you want to discover more museums or do other tourist atractions. For us two weeks were too long. As we got our paper works done, we started to look for a job. For us it wasn't that easy. We used most popular backpacker sites with a lot of vacancies for people like us. But nobody responded. Many of them required to have a car. Also, we knew that with our heavy bags we will not get anywhe

Where goes the time. Auckland.

Where goes the time. Auckland.

There is a funny thing about being in New Zealand. It has been two weeks since we arrived, but time feels much longer and at the same time shorter. Longer because there is a feeling that I live one day more than once because when a day is passed here, it just starts in my country and everyone is waking up. So that's when I can chat with friends and see the updates. Then it feels like a long time has passed since the last chat, even if it was just yesterday. It's short becaus

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