We woke up to pouring rain. Normally that would have dampened the mood, but we were still glowing from the day before. Penguin number thirteen, the Fiordland crested, had delivered in spectacular fashion. Now the focus shifted. The entire trip had been built around Snow Hill. But first, we had to find a Humboldt penguin […]
Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge From Fox Glacier, it was a short drive to Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge. We traveled here for one reason. The Fiordland crested penguin. We had booked a garden view room and were assigned Room #10, which overlooked the river and felt like an unexpected upgrade. The lodge had this warm, slightly […]
Crossing to the West Coast If you aren’t familiar with South Island geography, Akaroa sits on the east coast. Our next destination, Lake Moeraki, is on the west coast. And in between? A rather inconvenient mountain range. This stretch became one of the most memorable parts of our South Island wildlife road trip experience. Google […]
Why Our 10-Week Antarctica Trip Started at an Airport Hotel Ever wondered who stays at airport hotels, other than people who’ve missed a flight? It’s now us. Our trip to Akaroa, New Zealand for wildlife experiences on the Banks Peninsula, started the night before. We live about two hours from the airport. For a 9am […]
Isn’t This Trip Over Yet? After completing the side-quest to Newfoundland, we had to get back to the west coast of Canada for our return flight to Australia. Amazingly, we found a points-booking on Westjet via Calgary. The only problem is that it required a stopover in Calgary. Because of availability, the stopover could be […]
Just fifteen minutes from Elliston sits another excellent puffin location on the Bonavista Peninsula: the cliffs surrounding Cape Bonavista Lighthouse. While Elliston often gets the spotlight as Newfoundland’s best land-based puffin site, Bonavista quietly delivers fewer people and epic close encounters. The lighthouse itself dates to 1843 and stands on dramatic cliffs that jut into […]
After leaving St. John’s, the first stretch north on the Trans-Canada Highway was smooth and easy. We found it slightly ironic, as just weeks earlier we had stood at the western end of the same highway in Tofino. Once we turned onto the Bonavista Peninsula, the potholes slowed us down and the landscape began to […]
From Churchill to St. John’s Our trip to Churchill ended back at Winnipeg Airport. Our Calm Air charter flight arrived at the main airport terminal, which was very convenient. With Andy’s infamous buzzing Waterpik safely left behind with the concierge, our luggage came out quickly. After a night at the Grand Royal, right across from […]
More Summer Adventures in Churchill Before leaving Churchill, we packed in a few more experiences. We spent one morning kayaking with the beluga. After suiting up in farmer-john style wetsuits and life jackets, we boarded two-person kayaks. Tip: paddle backwards for a better view, as the whales seem to follow. The weather was perfect, […]
A Rainy Morning and a Change of Plans Because of the beluga stop on the way back from Fireweed Island, we did not return to the lodge until close to 10 p.m. Our schedule originally had us kayaking the next morning, but with the late night and stormy weather forecast, the plan was switched to […]