A couple of years ago Lisa Jansen ditched the 9-5 lifestyle in favour of living in a self-contained campervan and travelling around Aotearoa. She tells us about why she chose the roadie life and shares some of her favourite daytrip spots.
Lisa Jansen with her campervan Photo: Supplied
Here's Lisa's recommendations:
South Island
I haven't spent a whole lot of time on the South Island and am looking forward to head down for a few months in late February or early March. I'm looking for recommendations for places to visit so would love to hear from the listeners what their favourite spots are [you can drop Lisa a line via her blog!].
From what I've seen so far, the Catlins, south of Dunedin, really stood out. I love the whole area, especially Nugget Point. There was so much wildlife there when I visited, it was just amazing. And the scenic drive alone is worth the trip. I think if you live anywhere close, that's definitely worth a day trip.
Bottom North Island: Cape Palliser
I recently visited Cape Palliser for the first time and really loved it. If you live in the Wellington Region or Wairarapa, that's a great day trip. You can walk to the Putangirua Pinnacles and then visit the lighthouse. There is also a great cafe and shop on the way called The Land Girl Cafe which is worth a stop (especially if you like coffee).
Middle North Island: Waihi Beach & Bowentown
This little beach town in the northern Bay of Plenty would make a great day trip. There are a few nice walks at the northern end of Waihi beach as well as up the hill in Bowentown which offers amazing views over to Matakana Island and The Mount. There are several cafes and restaurants in the little down center and also a few boutique shops to browse through. And of course a beautiful, long white sandy beach!
Auckland: Awhitu Peninsula
There are so many great options around Auckland. Maybe one of the less well-known day-trip destinations is Awhitu Peninsula, also called Manukau Heads. Stop at the remote west coast beach called Hamilton's Gap and explore Awhitu Regional park before heading up the Manukau Heads Lighthouse. It's a really remote and beautiful part of Auckland. You can easily forget you're technically still in the city.
Northland
I feel like I need to include at least one recommendation that's not right by the ocean so my day trip top for Northland are the Kai Iwi Lakes. On the west coast North of Dargaville, they are incredibly
And here's Lisa's blog Life Done Differently.
