sarah yamanaka

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Back in Rotorua: Skyline Rotorua & talk about Aliens

Skyline Rotorua
October 06, 2016 by Sarah in New Zealand, new zealand travel, Solo Travel, road trip

I returned to Rotorua for a couple of days to experience a few activities that included Skyline Rotorua, as well as just to relax.

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October 06, 2016 /Sarah
solo travel, new zealand solo travel, new zealand travel, new zealand travel stories, skyline rotorua, rotorua, sarahonthe808.com
New Zealand, new zealand travel, Solo Travel, road trip
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Day #6: Driving to Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park
February 17, 2014 by Sarah in New Zealand, new zealand travel, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel

The goal today is to make the approximately three-hour drive from Rotorua to the park with a short break in Taupo. I head out of Rotorua on Highway 5 then hook up onto Highway 1 at Waikarei. Since road trips are my favorite mode of travel, I'm looking forward to this long drive and seeing more of the North Island.

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February 17, 2014 /Sarah
new zealand solo travel, new zealand travel, new zealand travel experience, tongariro national park, sarahonthe808.com
New Zealand, new zealand travel, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel
2 Comments

Day #5: Rotorua's Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest

Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest
January 12, 2014 by Sarah in New Zealand, new zealand travel, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel

Tokorangi Forest, known as The Redwoods, is part of the greater Whakarewarewa Forest that encompasses a total of 13,993 acres, home to native and exotic trees, and sits adjacent to the Blue and Green Lakes that can be included in a daylong hike. For a small fee, you can purchase a map illustrating the routes available at The Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre. For shorter walks, there are six walking tracks that begin just outside the visitor centre marked by sign posts with each track indicated by a different color.

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January 12, 2014 /Sarah
whakarewarewa redwood forest, new zealand travel, new zealand solo travel, rotorua, sarahonthe808.com
New Zealand, new zealand travel, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel
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Day #4: Waimangu Volcanic Valley

Waimangu Volcanic Valley
December 01, 2013 by Sarah in New Zealand, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel, new zealand travel

Geothermal activities are the draw at Rotorua with its geysers, mud pools and steaming lakes that stem from the Rotorua caldera on which the town sits—it's literally a hotbed of activity. What other place has a steaming pond in the middle of town? And so going thermal is where I start.

As soon as I stumble across the website for Waimangu Volcanic Valley while researching local attractions, I have to put it on my list.

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December 01, 2013 /Sarah
new zealand travel, new zealand solo travel, new zealand travel experience, waimangu volcanic valley, sarahonthe808.com
New Zealand, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel, new zealand travel
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Day #1: Solo Travel in New Zealand

October 21, 2013 by Sarah in New Zealand, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel

Good morning New Zealand! I'm thrilled! I feel a zing from head to toe. I'm ready for my adventure! It's a beautiful day too, isn't it? Chilly air, blue skies. Absolutely perfect.

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October 21, 2013 /Sarah
new zealand trip planning, new zealand solo travel, female solo travel, sarahonthe808.com
New Zealand, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel
5 Comments

A Thought about Solo Travel...

September 30, 2013 by Sarah in New Zealand, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel

 

I'm sitting on a spacious bed, comfortable and toasty warm in my motel room at Discovery Lodge in Tongariro National Park typing this on my laptop. All feels right with the world. It had rained earlier, even pelted a bit of slush because the air was so cold. But now, the clouds, though still floating above, have broken up to reveal patches of lovely blue sky and the warm rays of a setting sun. The surrounding scenery, formerly cloaked in a blue hue, is now a warm autumny orange.

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September 30, 2013 /Sarah
solo travel, new zealand solo travel, sarahonthe808.com
New Zealand, North Island New Zealand, Solo Travel
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First Blog Ever—from New Zealand!

September 30, 2013 by Sarah in New Zealand, Solo Travel

Rotorua is actually the second stop on my two-week New Zealand adventure. It's now mid-August, which is their winter, and great for me! Well, not that I'm into winter sports or anything, but the factors that fell in my favor included the lowest airfare I'd ever seen for a roundtrip here—as in half of what it normally is!—lower prices for accommodations (though still average when compared to U.S. accommodations), less crowds at the attractions and just less congestion on the roads than during their high summer season.

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September 30, 2013 /Sarah
new zealand travel experience, new zealand solo travel, sarahonthe808.com
New Zealand, Solo Travel
4 Comments

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