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New Zealand – rainy Cape Reinga, the Sahara, and the World’s Prettiest Toilet
Cape Reinga is the place where, according to Māori tradition, spirits begin their journey to the afterlife. Route 1 takes you here, ending at the northernmost lighthouse in New Zealand. It’s also the spot where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. And yes, the road here really felt like it led straight to edge of the world —accompanied by sheets of rain and gusty wind. There was nothing happening on the road, zero civilisation around, and out of boredom, I found myself dancing to the rhythm of the windshield wipers. The track seemed endless, twisting along a narrow strip of land like a miniature peninsula—kind of like the Hel…
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New Zealand, Dunedin – Scottish vibes and extreme streets
At first glance, Dunedin looks like a very serious city. Gothic, austere architecture, grand cathedrals, and a railway station that looks more like a palace with luxurious chambers. But beneath that façade lies a vibrant city, pulsing with the energy of students from the University of Otago – New Zealand’s oldest university. You can see it in the city’s nooks and backstreets, where interesting street art and colourful murals are hidden behind the stately buildings. Although today Dunedin seems to be relatively calm, in the 19th century it was the richest and most populous city in the whole New Zealand. The Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s brought people from…
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New Zealand, Kaikoura – a post about dreams coming true
Time for a post about dreams coming true. Hard to believe, but New Zealand for me was never the goal itself. In fact, this dream was born eight years earlier, in Hawaii. Quite by accident, during one of the boat trips, I found out that I had been this close to seeing whales.Well, not exactly close — more like a seven-mile step away, because I should have planned my trip six months later. That dream was promptly added to my bucket list and filed away in a drawer labelled “long-term”. Until the day tickets to New Zealand landed in my inbox. And then it was clear: now or never. I started…
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Zanzibar – 10 most beautiful beaches
After visiting the mainland of Tanzania, I decided to go to Zanzibar. My plan was in no way original, hundreds of tourists do that. Zanzibar seems to be a natural choice for rest after a safari tour or climbing Kilimanjaro. It was the end of the year, so the peak of the season, I knew what awaited me there. The thought of hundreds of tourists made me feel sick. My expectations weren’t high, I just wanted to look around the island in peace. Zanzibar surprised me positively. You probably know that feeling when you leave the hotel and suddenly all the charm is gone. Usually, places outside tourist zones don’t…
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Na Pali from the air – a story of two flights
How did it happen that I landed on board of a helicopter to watch the wonderful Na Pali cliffs, actually on board of two helicopters? The larger part of the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i is not available from land due to inaccessible mountains. That’s why a helicopter trip is the best option to see the whole island. When you look at photos from Hawaii, you can get the impression that there’s always a great sunny weather. However, the location of the archipelago in the middle of the ocean and the mountainous terrain make a specific climate that is characterised by high rainfall and moderate temperatures. A large amount of precipitation…
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Algarve – the best beaches in Portugal
The ocean and beaches are an integral element of Portuguese life. The ocean is an inherent part of the history of Portugal and the era of great geographical discoveries, fado music or the exquisite cuisine of the country. Portuguese attachment to the ocean is reflected even in everyday sayings. The Portuguese equivalent of ” it’s not my cup of tea” is: ” não é a minha praia”- what means it’s not my beach. By the way, it is hard to be surprised by this, after all, the length of Portugal’s coastline amouts to over 800 kilometers. However, some part of it, reaching 160 kilometers, is unique. It’s Algarve region –…
