Stoked for SaturdayWaitomo is the centre of the universe for glow worms in New Zealand. With cave, boat and black water rafting tours, there are plenty of glow worm adventures. This time-lapse video was a made as a follow-up to our previous glowworm video "Glowworms in Motion" (http://bit.ly/GlowwormsInMotion) which won the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year - Timelapse award. We shot this one mainly for the love of spending time underground beneath the twinkling lights of glow worm galaxies. We initially thought the 60 hours spent in caves to make the first video would satisfy us but as we are finding out there is something addictive about underground photography. The more difficult the better. This one took 30 hours underground and over 3000 pictures were taken in that time. We hope you enjoy it!
To have an epic glowworm adventure yourself, head on over to http://bit.ly/DiscoverWaitomo and check out all the cool options.
Special thanks to Jenna for having the patience to spend hours underground with me and also Ilya Inov for subbing in for Jenna at one point to get the last sequences. Ilya may have actually enjoyed his 16 hours underground more than me. He posts his photography work here: http://bit.ly/Ilya_Flickr
Also, a shout out to Mr. Glowworm Cave (Logan Doull) for making sure we didn't get lost underground and protecting us from the eels ;)
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
Waitomos Lights - Avatar in Real Life - 4kStoked for Saturday2016-03-15 | Waitomo is the centre of the universe for glow worms in New Zealand. With cave, boat and black water rafting tours, there are plenty of glow worm adventures. This time-lapse video was a made as a follow-up to our previous glowworm video "Glowworms in Motion" (http://bit.ly/GlowwormsInMotion) which won the New Zealand Geographic Photographer of the Year - Timelapse award. We shot this one mainly for the love of spending time underground beneath the twinkling lights of glow worm galaxies. We initially thought the 60 hours spent in caves to make the first video would satisfy us but as we are finding out there is something addictive about underground photography. The more difficult the better. This one took 30 hours underground and over 3000 pictures were taken in that time. We hope you enjoy it!
To have an epic glowworm adventure yourself, head on over to http://bit.ly/DiscoverWaitomo and check out all the cool options.
Special thanks to Jenna for having the patience to spend hours underground with me and also Ilya Inov for subbing in for Jenna at one point to get the last sequences. Ilya may have actually enjoyed his 16 hours underground more than me. He posts his photography work here: http://bit.ly/Ilya_Flickr
Also, a shout out to Mr. Glowworm Cave (Logan Doull) for making sure we didn't get lost underground and protecting us from the eels ;)
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comNZ Mountain Madness - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 58Stoked for Saturday2023-06-25 | Mountaineering in New Zealand is one of the highlights of our lives. There are no words to express the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment in summiting a remote and untamed mountain. It is pure type 2 fun! Filming these trips proved very challenging given the physical demands of climbing and the risks involved. This is a compilation of some of the trips we were able to capture of video of. Jenna and I expect to show this to our kids one day and say...."see, mom and dad are cool, and slightly badass" :)
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comJumbo Circuit, Mt Holdsworth - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 57Stoked for Saturday2022-08-05 | Close to Wellington Jumbo Circuit and Mt Holdsworth is one of the best multiday hikes you can do. Powell Hut in the Tararua mountains is spectacular and the ridgeline walk is stunning. There's also a cool goblin forest and great varied terrain along the tramp. Read more about this hike here: stokedforsaturday.com/2015/04/jumbo-circuit-track
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comIjen Volcano, Temples and Snorkelling - Epic Indonesia - Ep. 3Stoked for Saturday2021-12-27 | Our Indonesia trip was capped off by the otherworldly Ijen Blue Flame volcano on Java, temples near Ubud and snorkeling on the north shore of Bali. The blue flame in particular was a very unique experience as you have to make the trek up in the night in order to see the flame. Locals still mine the sulfur that condenses from the gases that are released from the volcano.
As for the snokeling I can't say I would recommend it as we saw just as much plastic as fish. If you go try sourcing a company that is reinvesting some of your tourism dollars into environmental or clean-up efforts. Mt Rinjani has a simlar waste problem. Make part of your tourism dollars go towards solutions instead of contributing to the problem. Choose responsible tour companies.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comPandemic Proof HouseStoked for Saturday2021-10-13 | We converted a typical family home into a pandemic-proof house that anyone would love to spend quarantine or lockdown in.
After "settling down" with a couple young kids we knew we wouldn't be able to get out as much to do some of the activities we love. So we decided to bring the adventure home by adding a mountain bike track, climbing gym, and a multi-sport court to our backyard. These additions to our home become more valued during the pandemic when we were forced to spend even more time at home.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.com350ft Backyard Forest LugeStoked for Saturday2021-02-28 | Snaking through the trees we built a 350ft long Luge track from the front of our property to the back. We iced it with a watering can and built the walls high enough to avoid ejecting the kids into the trees. Our 2 and 3 year old loved it and so did their friends...Hard to say who enjoyed it more between the kids and the adults ;)
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comMonkey Forest - Epic Indonesia - Ep.2Stoked for Saturday2020-12-29 | The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud, Indonesia is right in the heart of this charming tourist-friendly city. It's amazing to see these playful and curious animals jumping and running around. Ubud is also a great hub city to base yourself for adventures to volcanoes and other cool day trips in Bali.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comMount Rinjani - Epic Indonesia - Ep. 1Stoked for Saturday2018-01-22 | Mount Rinjani, one of Indonesia's best volcanoes which can be hiked in two days. Located on the island of Lombok, and with a volcano inside a lake, inside a volcano you won’t find many like it. Many people travel to Indonesia to experience Bali, however this was #1 of my list of things to do while in Indonesia and has been on my bucket list for 10 years. It was extra special to be able to meet my family and complete the hike with them!
If you plan on going to Mount Rinjani beware of the outfitter that you choose. Many of them pollute the environment on the mountain. Choose a responsible tour company that leaves no trace. We recommend Rudy Trekker who we chose for our trip: rudytrekker.com
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comRob Roy Glacier & Roys Peak - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 56Stoked for Saturday2017-06-18 | Wanaka has no shortage of awesomeness and Rob Roy Glacier & Roy’s Peak are definitely high on the list. Both hikes are relatively easy and very accessible. With New Zealand and Wanaka’s booming popularity you will find a lot of people fighting for parking at Roy’s Peak though. Try and do it in off-hours. Rob Roy Glacier is in Mt Aspiring National Park and is a bit of a drive. Make sure to pack a lunch so you can wait for chunks of glacier to brake off and come tumbling down the cliff.
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comLongest Proposal Ever (she said yes) - Adventure Proposal - Ep. 6Stoked for Saturday2017-04-20 | A three month long adventure proposal come to a conclusion. Jenna completes the treasure hunt to find her engagement ring buried at the beach and the elaborate scavenger hunt ends. Jenna really pushed herself in this final stage surfing in larger waves than she normally would (and swallowing a lot more water than she was comfortable with). But she made it to the end and found her treasure ;)
Music: Sam Sorensen Music – Best day of the life (audiojungle.net) Smartmusicbusiness – Reborn folk hip hop (audiojungle.net)
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comFruit Golf (Ignore the Rules) - Adventure Proposal - Ep. 5Stoked for Saturday2017-03-04 | Part 5 of The Adventure Proposal is all about ignoring the rules of golf and playing with fruit instead of golf balls. Find out which type of fruit works best and see if we can avoid trouble. Jenna is getting closer to finding the treasure (the engagement ring) with only one more location on the treasure map left.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comThe Best Things In Life Are Free - Adventure Proposal - Ep. 4Stoked for Saturday2017-01-30 | The marriage proposal treasure hunting continues - underwater. Jenna finds a pirate treasure chest in the sea while diving for paua and crayfish/ rock lobster. The best part of this adventure is that everything was free! She has now found 10 of 16 treasure chests and has only two locations left on the treasure map.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comFacing Her Fears - Adventure Proposal - Ep. 3Stoked for Saturday2016-12-29 | A rock climbing proposal in New Zealand. This was the most intense part of the adventure proposal with Jenna reaching the edge of her climbing abilities. There were a few intense moments, some blood and swearing. But by the end Jenna had a smile on her face and found the next key in her search for the engagement ring ;)
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comThe Adventure Proposal - Ep. 2 - Never Grow UpStoked for Saturday2016-11-23 | Riding a ZORB down a waterfall / rockslide will go down in our minds as one of the most outrageous things we did in New Zealand. When combined with the Skyline Luge, Blokarts and Drift Trikes this part of the adventure proposal was a big time favorite.
These activities are all part of what we call the "triangle of awesome" in the North Island which is made up of three locations, Rotorua, Papamoa and Gisborne. Big thank you to the amazing "never grow up" businesses that made this video possible: Skyline Luge: http://bit.ly/lugerotorua ZORB: http://bit.ly/rotoruazorb Blokart Recreation Park: http://bit.ly/blokartdrifttrike
MUSIC: To get a copy of the awesome music in this video check out:
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comThe Adventure Proposal - Ep. 1 - The Treasure MapStoked for Saturday2016-10-17 | The first part of a 3-month long adventure marriage proposal starting with Jenna finding a treasure map on top of a mountain. The map had five special locations throughout New Zealand which Jenna needed to visit on her way to finding the engagement ring. I wanted to come up with best proposal ever and this is the story.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comThe Adventure Proposal TrailerStoked for Saturday2016-09-20 | An amazing proposal for an incredible girl. This is story of the 3 month long treasure hunt / scavenger hunt proposal where I asked Jenna to marry me. After finding a treasure map on top of a mountain she found herself on an adventure across New Zealand unlocking treasure boxes on her way to finding the engagement ring. To read Jenna's blog about her Adventure Proposal click here: http://www.stokedforsaturday.com/2016/09/the-adventure-proposal
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comCentennial Hut - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 55Stoked for Saturday2016-07-26 | Centennial Hut is an alpine hut in New Zealand above Franz Josef glacier. We first became enchanted by this hut when we saw a picture of it at the Banff Film Festival hosted by the New Zealand Alpine Club. Having just finished a high alpine skills course ourselves where we climbed neighbouring 2,900m peak Mt Walter we decided to try and bag our first 3,000m peak, The Minarets, which is located a few kilometres from Centennial Hut. Unfortunately the recent run of incredibly hot weather had opened up a large number of crevasses on the face. We set a boot track the day before and headed off at 3:30am to make an attempt anyway. A pair of more experienced climbers had set off ahead of us and we watching them zig-zagging across the face to avoid the crevasses. We learned that the upper crevasses were impassible so the four of us retreated and climbed up Frechay Col instead for some views.
Centennial Hut requires a helicopter to get there and this video would not have been possible without the support of The Helicopter Line! To get to Centennial Hut yourself check them out at: http://www.helicopter.co.nz
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comBest of Virginia BeachStoked for Saturday2016-06-03 | A long weekend adventure to activity packed Virginia Beach introduced us to some amazing beaches and indoor skydiving (a first for us). Activities in order of appearance are: False Cape State Park, IFly Virginia Beach, Back Bay Kayaking, Fat Tire Biking, Skyzone Trampoline Park, Cape Henry Lighthouse, Virginia Beach Aquarium, Virginia Beach Boardwalk and Pier. To see more go to: http://bit.ly/VisitVABeach
This video was made possible in partnership with Travel Mindset and Visit Virginia Beach
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comQueenstown Weekend Road Trip - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 54Stoked for Saturday2016-05-01 | Queenstown has no shortage of extreme and nature activities. While bungy jumping and sky diving may be the most well known there is an endless list of cool activities. This video highlights a weekend in Queenstown heli snowshoeing, flyboarding, jet packing and jet boating! Links below to the these adventures:
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comSunrise Hut - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 52Stoked for Saturday2016-02-17 | Sunrise Hut is in a Ruahine mountain range of the North Island. The location is known for it's beautiful sunrises. We walked past the hut with a plan to climb one of the mountains in the background which was foiled when gale force winds rolled in and ruin our plan. It was still an amazing weekend at one of the most beautiful (and easily accessible) huts we've been to.
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comBehind the Adventure - How to make cool travel videosStoked for Saturday2016-01-18 | Making cool travel videos isn't always easy. For us it involves carrying a lot equipment around. Stabilization with a glidecam, aerials with a drone and some fancy motorized time-lapse gear are the tools we rely on to capture our adventures.
We put together this video because many subscribers requested it. We hope you enjoy it and if you have any specific questions make sure to leave them in the comments below and we will answer :)
The blog has our full gear list with links but here are some of the major items:
For licensing or business inquiries email info@stokedforsaturday.comNew Zealand Ice Luge - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 51Stoked for Saturday2015-10-20 | You won't hear about the Naseby Ice Luge in any New Zealand guidebook. That's unfortunate because it deserves to be on everyone's winter to-do-list!!!! We narrowly missed the 2014 season but just managed to catch the end of the 2015 season. The track exists because it was a passion project by the owner and there is a group of hardcore luge junkies who are happy to teach you how to master the sleds. If you're keen for some Luge madness check them out here: http://www.lugenz.com
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comThe Stoked For Saturday LifestyleStoked for Saturday2015-09-28 | A compilation to get you 'Stoked For Saturday'! :) YouTube Channel Trailer
Stoked for Saturday Links: Blog: http://www.stokedforsaturday.com Instagram: instagram.com/stokedforsaturday Facebook: facebook.com/stokedforsaturday Twitter: twitter.com/Stoked4Saturday Snapchat: @stoked4saturdayPoor Knights Islands in 4K - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 50Stoked for Saturday2015-09-21 | Poor Knights Islands are New Zealand's best known scuba diving site. The place is literally crawling with marine life. We swam through a cave with fish streaming through it and saw lots of different species along with some eels and stingrays! We did this trip with Dive Tutukaka and they were awesome. Check them out here: http://diving.co.nz
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comTasman Peninsula Kayaking - Wild Tasmania - Ep. 3Stoked for Saturday2015-08-30 | Kayaking the Tasman Peninsula was quickly added to our Tasmania tour list after we saw pictures of the Totem Pole and Candlestick (0:30) that somehow manages to not fall over into the ocean. We didn't realize it until after we got back and looked at our drone footage but there was actually a rock climber making their way up the rock, crazy!
We did this trip with Roaring40s Kayaking. Check their trips out here: http://www.roaring40skayaking.com.au/
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comWineglass Bay - Wild Tasmania Ep. 2Stoked for Saturday2015-08-10 | Wineglass Bay is a very special horseshoe shaped beach in Freycinet National Park in Tasmania. This was one of the most beautiful beaches we've seen and because you must hike into it there are very few people on it. We also hiked to the top of Mt Amos and Mt Graham on either side of Wineglass Bay. Both were incredible hikes that were well worth it!
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comGlowworms in Motion - A Time-lapse of NZs Glowworm Caves in 4KStoked for Saturday2015-07-08 | A Time-lapse of New Zealand’s Glowworm caves as they have never been seen before. Filming this involved sleeping in caves for multiple days in complete darkness with just the sounds of the cave to keep us company (and the occasional eel). Read the full story of how we pulled this off on our blog: http://bit.ly/GlowwormTimeLapse
UPDATE: This video won New Zealand Geographic's 2015 Photographer of the Year award in the Time-lapse category
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
We had hoped to summit Mt Kitchener but when we got to the top of what we thought was the summit we realized it was a false summit. Getting to the real summit could have required us to go back down and around which would have taken us too long given the time of day. We’ll just have to get it next time!
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comMount Tarawera - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 47Stoked for Saturday2015-06-03 | Mount Tarawera in Rotorua is best known for its 1886 eruption killing 120 people. Today a colourful crater remains that you can hike including a 400m long scree run. This is one of Rotorua’s best kept secrets! All our gear in this video is part of Kathmandu's new Winter 15 line. #EmbraceTheCold
Mount Tarawera can only be accessed through a company with the proper permission. We hiked it with friends at Kaitiaki Adventures. Check out their trip here: http://www.kaitiaki.co.nz/mt-tarawera.php
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comCradle Mountain - Wild Tasmania - Ep. 1Stoked for Saturday2015-05-03 | Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, one of the coolest looking mountains out there and an amazing climb. We hiked in the first afternoon to stay at the Scott Kilver hut and back tracked the second day around the mountain to the Overland Track to do the summit on our way out. Hanson's peak was our favorite view point (aside from the summit of course).
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comVolvo Ocean Racing - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 46Stoked for Saturday2015-04-13 | The Volvo Ocean Race is a race around the world and regarded by sailors as the ultimate sailing competition. We had the opportunity to join Team Alvimedica for some short racing in Auckland harbour! If you want to check out the race to go http://bit.ly/1LNXnaQ
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comCape Brett Track - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 45Stoked for Saturday2015-04-05 | If you are in Auckland or Bay of Islands area don’t miss Cape Brett Track. It’s about a 7 hour walk to the point and is well worth it. The Cape is a photographer’s dream location with lots of epic scenery. We had friends tell us how awesome this tramp was and they weren’t kidding ;)
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
Music: Tristan Snider - 2 Layers Tim Mcmorris – Cinematic Movie Trailer (audiojungle.net)
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comBlokarts on the Beach - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 44Stoked for Saturday2015-03-15 | Another cool New Zealand invention, blokarts, which we got to race around the beach! We did this in beautiful Ahipara in Northland. If you're up there check out Ahipara Adventure Centre to try them for yourself: http://www.ahiparaadventure.co.nz
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comExtreme Sandboarding New Zealand - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 43Stoked for Saturday2015-02-19 | Te Paki and Ahipara. Two of the most epic sandboard locations in New Zealand! Sandboarding in Northland was a crazy highlight of our NZ Christmas adventure! It's addictive so be prepared and make sure you find some sick as jumps to shred, so awesome! I miss it just writing this description....If you go to the Ahipara dune hook yourself up with to some slick sandboards from the Ahipara Adventure Centre, they made sure we had some quick ones, thanks Robin!
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comFlying a Stunt Plane - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 42Stoked for Saturday2015-01-31 | Why fly a normal plane when you can fly a STUNT plane? Only in New Zealand! Jenna was super pumped to do this (as you can tell in the video) and it turned out to be incredible. I'm pretty sure flying a plane in real life might actually be easier than in video games... Thanks to Vincent and Alison at U-Fly Extreme in Motueka for an amazing time. Check them out here: http://www.uflyextreme.co.nz
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comAbel Tasman Canyons - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 41Stoked for Saturday2015-01-10 | Jumping, flipping, sliding and zip-lining through Abel Tasman Canyons! Abel Tasman is famous for its beaches but what many people don’t know are that is has wicked canyons also. This was a full day adventure with Abel Tasman Canyons (http://www.abeltasmancanyons.co.nz) on the Torrent river. We had no idea what to expect as we had never done any canyoning before but this trip packed in some cool variety the whole way (boat ride, trek through the forest, climbs, slides, jumps, zip lines, abseils and a cool tidal crossing - at high tide). The guides and group of canyoners on this trip were all incredible. Our only problem now is that we have to add yet another thing (canyoning) to our list of activities we want to do more of! :)
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
Music: Tristan Snider - 2 Layers Tim McMorris – On Top Of The World (audiojungle.com)
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comThe Best of New Zealands Great WalksStoked for Saturday2014-12-16 | When we arrived New Zealand and didn’t know what a Great Walk was, but after finishing our first one we set ourselves a goal to complete all 9. One year later we had accomplished our goal and can proudly say we have walked all 9 of some of the finest multi-day walks in in the world.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comHeaphy Track, Great Walk 9 of 9 - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 40Stoked for Saturday2014-11-25 | The Heaphy Track Great Walk, the longest of New Zealand's Great Walks can be done by bike or on foot. Part of the Kahurangi National Park next to the Tasman Sea on the west coast this walk is very diverse with changing landscapes every day. We saw giant Powelliphanta land snails and lots of curious Wekas! This was our 9th Great Walk, completing out goal to finish all 9 of them. Thanks to Interislander for helping get across the Cook Straight in order to get to this track! Book your ferry crossing here: interislander.co.nz
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comWeekend in Wanaka - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 39Stoked for Saturday2014-11-06 | An action packed weekend in Lake Wanaka. We rocked up Isthmus Peak for sweet as views, skied at Snow Farm and jumped into the Hawea Wave - a standing wave in the Hawea river. We’ll be visiting Wanaka again real soon! Thanks to Carla at Lake Wanaka Tourism for helping recommend activities, Snow Farm for hosting us and Chris and Bex at Wanaka Kayaks for letting us borrow their personal equipment (including the sawed-off surfboard with duct tape) and giving us some tips about the Hawea Wave, what a cool place, we love New Zealand!!! Lake Wanaka: http://www.lakewanaka.co.nz
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
Music: Tristan Snider - 2 Layers StudioMonkey - Americana Pie (audiojungle.com)
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comSkiing & Snowboarding at Treble Cone - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 38Stoked for Saturday2014-10-12 | Skiing and Snowboarding at one of New Zealand's best mountains, Treble Cone! We rented skis and a snowboard and hit the slopes for the first time in NZ. We couldn't have asked for a better day (unless we had gotten some powder). Treble Cone resort is in Wanaka and is New Zealand's largest ski field also with the highest vertical of the South Island ski fields.
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
Music: Tristan Snider - 2 Layers Reaktor Productions - Can't Slow Down (Provided by Premiumbeat.com)
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comRoboshark - Shark meets Machine - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 37Stoked for Saturday2014-09-23 | Shark meets machine at Hydro Attack, Queenstown, New Zealand. This robotic shark machine (aka Roboshark) is a combination of jet ski and submarine. Dive under the water, launch into the air, spin and roll! The creator, Seabreacher even has robotic dolphin and whale models which look awesome. Jenna and I first noticed the shark when we were flyboarding in Queenstown and immediately added it to our list epic Queenstown must dos. The coolest part was definitely diving and watching the water rush over the glass dome above you.
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comWorlds Highest Cliff Jump, New Zealand - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 36Stoked for Saturday2014-09-20 | Shotover Canyon Swing, the World's Highest Cliff Jump is an insane Rope Swing in Queenstown New Zealand. This place is full of crazy adrenaline pumped awesomeness, a totally epic experience! We jumped 5 times each which isn't anywhere close to the 70 jumps styles they have, so much fun! And yes, if you want to ride a tricycle into a 109m Canyon, you can do that!!! We did this with our good friends Brent and Kristina. You can thank Kristina for making the video a little more interesting with her mini freak-out. She loved it in the end and you will too even if you think it's too scary :) http://www.canyonswing.co.nz
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comFlyboard Queenstown - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 35Stoked for Saturday2014-09-01 | Flyboard like a superhero in Queenstown, New Zealand! Flyboarding was an adrenaline packed adventure that felt unreal. Cruising through the air and dolphin diving under the water was a crazy experience. Highly recommended to anyone travelling to Queenstown. We loved it so much we did it three times! If you're a fan of comic books you will love this! If you're not a fan of comic books you will still love it! It's just pure crazy awesomeness!
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comRakiura Track, Great Walk 8 of 9 - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 34Stoked for Saturday2014-08-10 | Rakiura Track Great Walk on Stewart Island, New Zealand. This is at the very bottom of New Zealand and combines beautiful forest and beach scenery. Stewart Island is also said to be one of the best places to see a Kiwi bird in the wild. We looked every night but didn't spot one, but we did come within a metre of a Morepork (owl). It was camera shy and flew away before we could get get it on video. This episode features music from a very talented up and coming artist, Hein Cooper. Check out his stuff here: http://www.facebook.com/heincoopermusic
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comZORB Rotorua, New Zealand - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 33Stoked for Saturday2014-07-19 | ZORB, Zorbing, Sphereing, all names for rolling down a hill in an inflatable ball! New Zealand inventions are the best! These giant balls are insanely fun and a must do in Rotorua, New Zealand (http://zorb.com/world/rotorua/). This has been on our bucket list for some time and was an amazing experience. Ride it dry, wet or with a bodyboard, they've got all kinds of weird names for each type, Zorbit, Zydro, and Zurf,. Our friends from Canada, Brent and Kristina joined us for this one, it was awesome to share such a wacky and ridiculously cool adventure with them.
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comMilford Sound, New Zealand - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 32Stoked for Saturday2014-07-06 | Milford Sound is a New Zealand icon. We visited by boat twice and kayak once and each time was just as amazing as the last. The rain turns on all the beautiful waterfalls and on a clear day you can view the tops of the towering mountains. Don't miss Milford Sound and Fiordland in general, it's just awesome! We did both cruises with Southern Discoveries and even met up with some of their employees on the Milford Track (http://www.southerndiscoveries.co.nz/). The kayak trip went all the way to the Tasman Sea at the mouth of Milford Sound and was with Rosco's Milford Kayaks.
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
Music: Tristan Snider - 2 Layers - Kevin MacLeod - Virtutes Instrumenti (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comKayaking Doubtful Sound with Dolphins - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 31Stoked for Saturday2014-06-26 | Doubtful Sound, New Zealand by Kayak! An unexpected 30 minute dolphin encounter may have been one of the coolest experiences of our lives. We camped 2 nights in Crocked arm, climbed through the bush to waterfalls and took in the insane scenery! During the 3 days we only saw one boat and one other group of kayakers. We were truly isolated! Amazing experience! Thanks to Sea Kayak Fiordland and our awesome guides Sim & Nicola!
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comRouteburn Track, Great Walk 7 of 9 - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 30Stoked for Saturday2014-06-08 | New Zealand's Routeburn Track definitely earns its Great Walk classification. This tramp straddles Mt Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park. We did this trek over 3 days and had amazing weather on the second day when we climbed Conical Hill (2:03) for a panoramic view. We swam in Lake MacKenzie, which was freezing, but felt great after a long second day. Don't miss this tramp, it's experiences like this that make us love New Zealand! We were also lucky enough to complete this track with my parents, a very special experience, they rocked it at age 60!
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
Music: Tristan Snider - 2 Layers Nicolas Major - Neptune (Provided by Premiumbeat.com)
For business inquiries and licensing email info@stokedforsaturday.comTongariro Alpine Crossing - Living a Kiwi Life - Ep. 29Stoked for Saturday2014-05-24 | The Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand is incredible! We made it even better with a summit of Mount Ngaurahoe (Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings) and ventured onto the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk to stay one night at the Oturere hut (a few kms off the Alpine Crossing track) turning the Crossing into a 2-day walk and maximizing our adventure. If you have gear to stay overnight this is an amazing option to consider. The section between the Alpine Crossing and the Oturere hut is one of the coolest parts of the Tongariro Northern Circuit (because it looks like Mordor). Not to be taken lightly the Alpine Crossing is long at 19.4km and is a lot of up and down. Bring lots of water! Add 3 hours if you plan to tackle Mount Doom, which we highly recommend :)
Major props to my parents for tackling this walk just after turning 60. I'm so proud of you guys! Also joining us was Liz Carlson from the popular travel blog Young Adventuress. She stepped out of her comfort zone and really owned this one! Check out her blog here: http://youngadventuress.com
About the Series: Living a Kiwi Life is about a Canadian couple (me and Jenna) who have lived in Canada all our lives and made the decision to move to New Zealand having never gone there before. We quit our jobs, sold our houses and cars and left everything we knew to explore an unknown.
Music: Tristan Snider - 2 Layers Tenacious Orchestra - Rise of a Hero (Provided by Premiumbeat.com)