BEHIND THE WEBSITE

I’m Petrina

A New Zealand travel writer helping independent travellers experience Aotearoa like a local

Writer, photographer, traveller, dreamer

I grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand. My childhood was spent running around barefoot, riding horses through the bush, swimming in the river and calling it a shower. Now I’m grown up, not much has changed. Maybe one day I’ll have a serious job that requires shoes. For now, I carve out a living writing about my passion for van life, hiking, surfing, and generally living life outdoors.

Adventure makes me feel alive

I have spent an unreasonable amount of time travelling. After graduating with a degree in linguistics, I got on a plane to Chile and didn’t go home for more than two years. That set the tone for most of my twenties; travel, run out of money and go back to New Zealand, save up just enough to get by on a shoestring, travel for as long as possible. Rinse and repeat.

In Ethiopia, I fed hyenas from my hand and looked into the maw of an active volcano. In the DRC, I sat with silver-backed gorillas. In Colombia, I lived in a town on the Caribbean coast and spent weekends beach hopping. In Albania, I managed to get fired from a hostel job for which I wasn’t being paid; completely broke, I hitchhiked my way up the coast, sleeping on beaches and building fires out of driftwood. I hiked from the ice cap to the coast in Greenland, a 10 day journey which might be the best thing I have ever done.

I’m old enough to remember travelling before the age of smartphones, relying on beat up copies of Lonely Planet and my own ability to always find somewhere to sleep no matter what hour of day or night I rolled into a town. Now in my thirties, it has been a while since I stayed in a hostel with bed bugs for a few dollars a night. But, I still like a bit of grit, a bit of uncertainty. Leaving a little room for the unexpected to happen.

I like to do things a little differently

For a while there, I did have what looked like a normal career. I landed a job in a marketing agency, which led to me working for Jucy Rentals, which led to me working for Tourism New Zealand. Dream jobs for someone who loves travel. The pandemic helped to keep me in place for a while. I gave the 9-5 a go.

But, borders opened up again, travel beckoned, and away I went. For a while, I was freelancing from digital nomad hot spots like Indonesia, Mexico, and Portugal – somehow landing bylines in newspapers and magazines like The Guardian, National Geographic, and Conde Nast Traveler.

But, I got tired of that too.

Glossy travel magazines are mostly interested in polished, high end travel. No editors wanted my stories about long hikes, and where to find the best coffee.

I wanted more freedom to write what I want. So, I started to do just that, sharing my best local tips and advice with people coming to New Zealand from all over the world.

My aim is to write field notes from the road; a handbook that travellers like you can use to craft your own adventures

Everything I write about New Zealand is based on my own travels around the country, the many weeks at a time on the road looking for adventure. I don’t write about everywhere for everyone. Which means I might not write the most comprehensive New Zealand guides, because I am only one person; but I hope I can write the most trustworthy. .

That’s a commitment I take seriously. I refuse to use AI, I pay for almost everything myself and I only recommend activities, hotels, and experiences I have personally vetted.

I only recommend places and experiences I love, and that I think my readers will also enjoy. Where possible, I like to highlight woman-owned, Maori-owned, or otherwise locally/independently owned businesses, or those committed to sustainability and community.