It takes a lot to get me to return to a place I’ve already traveled to, and to return a third time puts Utah in a very select group of places. Yet this state has some of the most incredible rock features I’ve yet to see finer examples of.

I am now back in the United States. I first left North Carolina on June 13, 2025 and returned on June 7, 2026. In one year I have: · Seen a volcano eruption · Bungee jumped · Backpacked all 11 Great Walks, plus five other world-class multi-day hikes · Visited all 13 national parks in New Zealand And so much more!

When I first planned my trip to New Zealand, I had zero intention of visiting Tasmania. I met my fair share of Aussies who told me that I should check it out. Figuring that it would never be more convenient than now, I happily appended it to the end of my stint on the far end of the world.

The Great Walks were not the only multi-day hikes I’ve done during my time in New Zealand. The scope of my adventures was bound to expand to include lesser known, but just as spectacular hikes. I ended up including 5 other big trails into my plans, and I rank them here.

When I originally began looking into spending time in New Zealand, I knew I wanted to focus on exploring all the natural beauty the country was known for, especially in terms of trails. At the time, I had only heard of the Milford Track, but as I began to do research, I discovered that it was just one of 11 Great Walks New Zealand had to offer. Naturally, I expanded my goal to accomplish all of them.

In the short time since my last blog regarding the birds of New Zealand, I have managed to come across several more fascinating species I'd like to share. Many of these, I thankfully got to share with my parents, who both came to visit me for a couple weeks this past month.

As a way to share some of the other things I’ve done during the last few months in New Zealand, I decided to post some of my favorite day hikes. I tend to favor tougher, longer hikes, as they are usually a little quieter and a little more rewarding, but, as you shall see, all of these were photo-worthy.

Another year, another rounding up of literature. While during the first half of the year, my reading fell off, upon my arrival in New Zealand, it picked back up, and I found 5 books that stood apart.

New Zealand, being such a remote place, only has two species of land mammal, both being kinds of bats. This led to incredible biodiversity and proliferation of birds in the country, up to the point of human settlement in the 13th century. New Zealanders (or kiwis, as they are often called) nowadays show a great love and fascination for their avian compatriots.

I went bungee jumping for the first time in my life. I had been skydiving once before, as I’ve mentioned previously, but that was something I had always wanted to do. I cannot say the same about bungee jumping.

The best stories can inspire one’s real life decisions, often for the better.

There are some people who know exactly where they belong. For better or worse, I am not one of those people.

I have been asked by a number of people what I’m doing in New Zealand. In many ways, the same questions that are posed to me about my travel can also be applied to my writing.

The Auckland Art Gallery I am an avid museum-goer. Next to travel and hands-on experience, it’s one of the best ways to learn. They are more interactive than reading a simple textbook. But there is another level that I hadn’t considered until recently, and that is the role of storytelling in museums. It’s easy to allow a cliché term to lose its value, such as “a picture is worth a thousand words.” I tend to appreciate paintings and photos in museums more, however, when there

I consider myself to be very lucky, in the grand scheme of things.

It has been a quiet year in terms of posting on this blog. I have been working on two books at once, went on another adventure abroad, and adopted a new pet, all while continuing my work as a software developer. It has been a great year, and the books I've read have reflected that. My favorite books I've read this year 5. The Things They Carried I had actually read two of the chapters of this book back in my Junior year of high school. I remember vividly talking in my America

As much as I am a movie buff, I have never been tempted to write a movie review until this past week, when I saw ‘Bobi Wine: The People’s...

Another year of reading, another blog summing up my favorites. This time, my top 5 were fairly easy to choose compared to last year. These stood clearly out of the pack, excelling in both language and entertainment. 5. The Guide I feel very lucky to have discovered this book by R.K. Narayan, having never heard anyone else mention this book or author before, which is a shame. It is a great, short picaresque novel that follows a swindler who gets mistaken as a holy man, and peo

I just returned from a 2-week stint in Iceland. Typically, I do not vacation for rest and relaxation. While I can appreciate the need for...

Today’s the day! I am now officially an author. How does it feel? It’s actually a little difficult to say. As thrilled as I am, there’s a...