west coast nz Archives • the girl with the map tattoo

big road trip: week five

Posted on 23.January.20175.November.2017 by sarah

A month ago, I packed up my life in Dunedin and headed out on one last big road trip across New Zealand. Here is week five! ** dates of travel: 4-12 Dec 2016 As I write this (Thursday), the last few days have been horribly rainy. I’m on the West Coast – which is notorious…

new zealand: a year in review

Posted on 16.January.201729.March.2017 by sarah

It seems like only yesterday that I landed at Wellington airport, a bright eyed traveller with dreams bigger than Stewart Island, ready for a year in New Zealand. I was picked up by my new flatmate, and his dog, and thus began a new life in a new city, a new country, over halfway around…

one day in westport, new zealand

Posted on 21.December.20164.February.2017 by sarah

There are 26 Westports in the world, but only one in the Southern Hemisphere. This lucky town is a tiny surf spot on the (where else?) West Coast of New Zealand, two hours or so north of Greymouth and almost at the end of the road. I dropped in for two days and stayed for…

Hello! I’m Sarah, the Girl With the Map Tattoo. I’m a travel advisor specialising in adventure and foodie travel.

I believe in going to the end of the road, in experiencing the unknown in order to realise the known. I’ve travelled to nearly 40 countries and lived in 3. Between May 2022 and May 2023, I visited all 7 continents! My bucket list gets longer each day, with Mongolia, Patagonia, Tibet, and Japan at the top. (More realistically, I really want to visit Vancouver, Montreal, and Malta.)

The coolest place I’ve been? Face to face with penguins in Antarctica.

Most surreal wildlife experience? Walking with elephants in Thailand’s Golden Triangle *or* watching two cheetah slip out of the bush and walk in front of our jeep *or* having a male lion walk not ten feet in front of me and my guide *or* watching a baby polar bear play wrestle with his mama on the Arctic ice *or* ….

Best meal I’ve ever had? A tiny Italian trattoria in Livorno.

Favourite historical site? Jarlshof, in the Shetland Islands

Some of my most favourite places in the world are New Zealand, Australia, and Scotland, although I’ve never met a place I didn’t like.

Want to learn more about my job? Head over to Paper, Ink, & Passports to learn more about why you should be using a travel advisor. Happy to have you along for my adventure — let’s go!