Tutukaka Coast

Oh, the joys of having not just your own room but a luxury hotel room on your travels! I was upgraded on arrival to a $169/night room with a view of the marina which was a nice surprise (and worth almost double what I'd actually paid for, sweet as).* Throw in a 32" plasma with Sky TV, a monster DVD collection and a king size bed and there you have it - a very happy Jen who didn't leave the room until 4pm the next day. What, would you?

Bay of Islands - a slice of paradise?

'Oh wow, you're staying with us for quite a while!'

Translation: 'What the heck are you going to do here for that long, you crazy fool?'

Action: Slash stay by half. And I'm glad I did because there's not an awful lot going on in Paihia, the little beach town where most people base themselves to explore the Bay of Islands. Day 1 of 2 was thrown into disarray by my third and final attempt to swim with dolphins - turns out they'd cancelled the morning trip and not bothered to tell me, and when I got onto the boat for the arvo session they told us there's only a 50% chance of swimming with dolphins normally, and because the swell was so big (6ft waves) there was practically no chance. Ruuubbish. I got outta there, got a full refund (woohoo) and did a couple of walks instead, one 6km return coastal trail to Opua:

Windy windy Wellington

Well, I can certainly say that Wellington lived up to its name; I gave up caring what I looked like about five minutes in and accepted the fact that I would have to embrace a series of eccentric hair styles or be prepared to empty a can of hairspray in 48 hours. As I knew before I'd even arrived - despite peoples' glowing reviews - I found Wellington fairly underwhelming. I feel like it may be one of those places you have to live in to love, but as a visitor I only had 1.5 days and I struggled to fill the hours.

Beautiful Picton

'3 days? What are you going to do for 3 days in Picton?'

This coming from a Kiwi, I started to question my decision to dedicate 3 of my 31 days in New Zealand to Picton, a small town at the top of the South Island which most people use as a convenient one night stopover before catching the ferry to Wellington.

I needn't have worried; in fact, as soon as I'd dumped my stuff at the hostel and headed out to explore, I knew I'd easily be able to fill my three days. The scenery waiting for me at the waterfront was gorgeous:

Kaikoura: seal pups, whale fails and some bloody nice landscapes

After a very chilly first night in a below par hostel (it's colder inside than out, the room is very cramped & one of my roommates is definitely 50+ and currently doing some knitting...) I headed straight for the info centre to get my whale watching and dolphin swim booked, only to find that everything had been cancelled because the wind had turned the sea into a churning body of froth and mighty waves. However, despite the ferocious gale force winds the skies were blue and the sun was shining, so I took myself on the Peninsula Walk and spent the next 3.5 hours happily strolling by the sea, struggling to stay upright on the blustery cliff tops and being thoroughly entertained by playful seal pups.

24 hours in quake-stricken Christchurch

When booking my bus to Kaikoura back in Queenstown I had the option of leaving mandatory stopover Christchurch at 8am or 4pm the next day. I like to give everywhere a chance so went for the 4pm departure...and now understand the look that crossed other travellers' faces when I mentioned I was staying there for a whole 24 hours. '20 minutes is too much' someone jokingly warned, but seriously I didn't need more than three hours and that included getting food.

What's cracking in Queenstown?

Aside from locking myself out of my suitcase for an entire morning and an ill-timed bout of traveller's sickness, Queenstown has been relatively drama free - but absolutely action-packed. With air, water and land adventures, it's been an epic way to kickstart my New Zealand travels. So what's crack-a-lacking?

Photo diary: My year in travelling highlights

Today marks a very special milestone in my life - today, I have been travelling for exactly a year. I can't quite believe it; even my mum said that out of everyone I grew up with I was the last person she expected to jump on a plane, leave England behind and embark on a solo exploration of the world. And yet, one year on here I am in Australia with 7 months left on my working holiday visa, happy memories from time spent in 15 different countries and a truckload of places still on my travel wish list. Things may not have got off to the best start - I got so sunburnt on day 1 of my travels in Ecuador that my skin was bright red for two weeks - but since then I've learnt a lot about how to travel, making the most of the lifestyle and, most importantly, about myself. 

Here are 52 highlights for the 52 weeks I've been on the road: 

South America (April/May 2014)

1* Spotting and photographing a toucan at the last possible opportunity. We'd seen a few during our wildlife safaris in the Pantanal (an area of swampland the size of France!) but they were generally hidden behind branches and always flew off long before we managed to snap even the quickest of photos. I was losing hope of getting a decent view of this seemingly elusive bird when, on our way out of Iguassu Falls (the last place on our itinerary toucans call home) our driver casually pointed one out - and carried on driving! Following a panicked 'can you stop can you stop can you stop' I managed to scramble out of the car, slowly move into position and get the view and shot I'd been waiting for.

2* Standing alone in the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia surrounded by blinding white, feeling simultaneously absolutely insignificant and all-powerful. As someone who asks for the Planet Earth DVDs for their birthday, I've always been in awe of the natural world, but this experience was one of the first to really bring it home.

3* Watching the thick cloud clear in an instant and reveal Machu Picchu shining under beautifully clear skies. It was one of those moments where you're utterly transfixed - I just sat staring for ten minutes before I felt I was able to get up and start exploring. 

4* Underwater experiences in the Galápagos Islands: getting the fright of my life when a gigantic sea turtle came into view during a snorkelling sesh, swimming with sea lion cubs and paddling with infant black tip sharks.

5* Finding the absolutely stunning natural saltwater pool in Trindade, near Paraty. Shallow water shimmering in the afternoon sun, curious blue and yellow fish drawn to you like a magnet, flat rocks perfect for sun baking, ocean on one side and jungle on the other = one of the best and most relaxing day trips I've experienced.

6* Swimming in the warm tropical waters off Paraty during a caipirinha booze cruise, strolling along hidden beaches and scrambling up slippery rocks to feed minuscule fluffy monkeys pieces of apple.

7* The breathtaking nighttime view of Rio from Sugarloaf. There's something about a city when it's fallen under the spell of darkness; the twinkle of brightly lit homes and an otherworldly sense of beauty that holds your gaze even when the sinking sun brings about a dramatic change in temperature. Standing on top of Signal Hill in Cape Town watching the sun set over the ocean and the city was worth the freezing cold, and New York is equally stunning at night. Times Square is so well lit that it feels like the middle of the day, even at midnight, plus all the stores are open until 1am.

The States (May/June 2014)

8* Feeling completely relaxed and at one with the world in a gorgeously warm outdoor hot tub gazing up at a pitch black sky lit up with countless bright white stars in the Eastern Sierras. 

9* Being absolutely mesmerised by the beauty and colours of Horseshoe Bend - why this was only a half an hour stop en route I'll never know.

10* Yosemite National Park. All of it - the waterfalls gushing down from great heights in a powerful rage, the mirror-effect lakes, the lovely beaches framed by towering mountains, the lush greenery and clean air that came as a relief after two weeks spent in desert-like landscapes...everything was just epic. Clambering onto and crawling through fallen sequoias was a definite highlight.

11* Getting mashed at my first ever rodeo and barn dance. Who knew watching crazy fools getting thrown off angry-ass horses could be so much fun?

12* Going horseback riding through the Wild West and chowing down on an amazing homemade meal at cowboy camp 

13* Shedding my flip cup and dirty Jenga v-plates in the cowboy camp party barn 

14* Rocking up to a VIP pool party in Vegas for free where we watched Zedd do a DJ set. Being stone cold sober and having one of the best nights of my life

15* Chatting to the locals in New York - probably the friendliest bunch of people I've met. 

16* Sipping fancy cocktails and socialising at a swanky rooftop bar in NYC wearing a fluffy red dressing gown. Watching the Empire State Building glitter in the background made it well worth the cold

17* Strolling across Brooklyn Bridge. I can't explain why I enjoyed this so much but it's a memory that stands out whenever I think back to New York.

Europe (July/August 2014)

18* Sitting on the sidewalk watching a lightning storm rage over St Mark's Square in Venice. There was no thunder, 'just' what felt like hundreds of purple flashes per minute.

19* Blogging down the side streets & on the main path by the canals and open water in Venice soaking up the beauty of my surroundings. I remember finally understanding the role this incredible floating city played in the creation of literary masterpieces dreamed up by the Romantic poets.

20* Similarly, blogging in the afternoon sun on Champs de Mars with the Eiffel Tower as a rather spectacular backdrop. Talk about inspiration! I crafted the blog post I'm most proud of during my time in Paris; you can read it here. 

21* The sense of achievement after finally finding the old railway line that runs around the city, La Petite Ceinture; and the solitude and padlocked gates giving it a forbidden air that only made me want to explore more.  

22* Breezing straight through the Barcelona night clubs we'd queued to get into and making a beeline for the beach - and staying there until 6am

23* Meeting Lakk. Funny how you meet someone for a couple of days in a random city then end up hanging out with them every weekend when you happen to move to their home city #Barcabesties #babutz 

24* Making the taxi driver take a late night detour and stop for 10 minutes at the Sagrada Familia en route to the airport because it's one of my favourite buildings in the world - and because it features in a scene in an Almodovar movie that I love and moves me to tears every time. 

Africa (August/September 2014)

25* Watching in awe as a giraffe stepped out right in front of our boat on my first ever African safari. It was so close I could hardly breathe; plus I'd got the shock of my life as it had been surprisingly well camouflaged in the bushes 

26* Feeling like I was on a movie set with so many species of exotic animal everywhere I looked 

27* Eating beautifully cooked dinners around the campfire while herds of zebra walked past or foraged in nearby bushes for food

28* Frozen in a bizarre mix of wonder and terror as a territorial white rhino charged straight towards our window in the truck (luckily it was all bravado and it didn't come too close)

29* Spotting an elusive leopard and watching it drag its kill up a nearby tree

30* Watching as a huge elephant lumbered straight in-between our safari truck and another. Getting closer than I ever thought possible to these animals in the wild (until I got to Asia)

31* Being lulled to sleep by the sounds of elephants in the distance and waking up to a pack of lions frolicking in the grass (a safe distance away) and tales of hyenas, giraffes & lions gracing our camp site during the night

32* The ocean views and beautiful houses at Clifton on a very long walk back from Camp's Bay back to my hostel in Cape Town (Atlantic Point)

33* Drinking the AP bar dry of wine #somethingsneverchange 

34* Meeting Matty. Tacos. Strawberry daiquiris. Pancakes. Camp's Bay. Waterfront. KFC. Game of Thrones. Duvet days. Grilled cheese. Coastal walks. Laughter, happiness, love. A month I will never forget :)  

35* Demolishing the best pizza I've ever tasted in my life at Meloncino 

36* Getting an amazing bird's eye view of a whale on the cliff tops at Cape Point as it surfaced

37* Watching Southern Right whales breach just off the coast in chilly Hermanus, drinking hot chocolate and all snuggled up in fluffy blankets 

38* Being wowed rather than terrified by four metre long great white sharks breaching in the middle of the ocean 

39* Braai night at AP - melt in your mouth steak and dangerously delicious toasted cheese sandwiches. Good food, good company, stupid amounts of ping pong...Wednesday nights were the biz.

40* Soaking up the view from the top of Lion's Head. Only remembering my fear of heights once I'd reached the top (duh) and having to scale back down ladders, foot holds and slippery paths with shaky legs and a dizzy head. Perhaps not a highlight in itself but a proud accomplishment given the circumstances!

41* Meeting the friendliest, most wonderful people at AP. I'm lucky to call lots of places my second home but this really, truly is. I would love to go back one day.

South East Asia (October/November 2014)

42* Watching hundreds of glowing orange lanterns float into the night sky at the Yi Peng festival in Chiang Mai. The festival had been on my wish list for years, and it was nothing short of magical to finally be there in person, and release my own lantern.

43* Spending a day with rescued elephants in Chiang Mai. Feeding, bathing and getting to know these enormous yet incredibly docile animals remains one of my best experiences to date - if you ever go to Thailand's northern provinces I would 100% recommend spending time at the Elephant Retirement Park.

44* Spotting endangered 'pink' dolphins, or Chinese white dolphins, in Hong Kong. Learning that while they (and Amazon river dolphins) appear pink they are actually white; the pink colour comes from blood rushing to the surface following exertion such as swimming, breaching etc.

45* Strolling along the waterfront promenade in Hong Kong. Simple pleasures are sometimes the greatest 

Australia (November - April 2014/2015)

46* Going on a day trip down the Great Ocean Road - soaking up the views of secluded beaches, the shimmering deep blue ocean and spotting koalas in the wild for the first time

47* Signing for the Weston Street house. WHAT a house - awesome housemates, epic house parties and the best location with pubs & bars on one side and Italian/Lebanese restaurants on the other 

48* The beach! Being close (ish) enough to the beach to spend a day there at the weekends and go on some beautiful coastal walks, my second favourite thing to do after whale watching :)

49* Walking in Princes Park, the local park just around the corner from my house. This may not sound like much, but with palm trees, exotic birdlife and the opportunity to make the most of the weather, the park reminds me that I'm 16,000 km away from home whenever I'm feeling settled and restless.

50* Living in the city. There's no going back to country bumpkin living after this; with beaches, parks, street art, laneways, hidden bars, rooftops and avocado brunch recipes to boot, Melbourne is a great place to live.

51* The sun coming out for a trip to Bondi after two days of torrential rain

52* Booking my flights to New Zealand! With NZ, the east coast of Aus and possibly Fiji or Bali on the cards over the next couple of months, I can't wait to make new memories during my second year of travel.