Read about who’s behind New Zealand Travel Insider and what’s the purpose of newzealandtravelinsider.com.
Who is the New Zealand Travel Insider?
Some people know me as a software developer and (technical) writer, while others know me as a landscape photographer. I’m all of those things and more… I’m a sister, orphan, citizen of the world, nature lover, hiker, runner, cyclist, and have a “thing” for mountains – so much so that I graduated from university as a Geophysicist.
I’m the author of the articles published on New Zealand Travel Insider, the copyright holder of all of the photographs and videos (in which the newzealandtravelinsider.com URL appears) on this web site, and the person who has designed and maintains the web site.
I’m not a Kiwi (New Zealander), although I’ve very much been “contaminated” with the Kiwi way of living and speaking.
I’m Dutch by birth and speak 5 languages of which Caribbean English is my first. I was born on a tropical island in the Caribbean (so on the American continent) and lived there for half of my life. Then I moved to the Netherlands (Europe) to study and work, and stayed there for the second half of my life. Then I moved to New Zealand to spend what I’m hoping is the last third of my life.
In summary, I’ve lived on 3 continents, have been moving East all of my life, but hope that New Zealand is my final destination.
My reasons for moving to New Zealand are simple: The country is uncrowded, gorgeous where nature and landscapes are concerned, the people are wonderful, and it is an English-speaking country.
New Zealand is the country I wanted to visit since I was 12 years old after seeing a photograph of Mount Cook, and after 3 years of “thinking about it” and traveling alone to New Zealand several times, I decided to make it my home.
While I used to travel around the world a lot, I don’t do that anymore, because I got tired of the long-haul flights. These days, I often stay in New Zealand and travel around the country by airplane (my flights are no longer than 2 hours) and by car, go on long solo hikes on known and unknown trails, and in general enjoy what New Zealand has got to offer.
I’m not a backpacker and I don’t do camping or tramping (multi-day hikes), which is why you won’t find information on those topics on my web site. I’m an independent traveler who enjoys going on long drives, staying in New Zealand hotels or motels, and who does day hikes (any walk shorter than 12 hours). The latter are the topics I focus on writing about here on New Zealand Travel Insider.
The purpose of New Zealand Travel Insider
New Zealand Travel Insider started as a way for me to share my own travel experiences with you and to share the love I have for New Zealand with the world.
The goal of New Zealand Travel Insider is not only to educate you on New Zealand’s travel opportunities, but also to entertain you, provide you with up-to-date information, and most importantly help you make decisions about your own trip to New Zealand if you’re planning to come here.
Unlike other New Zealand travel web sites, New Zealand Travel Insider has a personal touch, that is, New Zealand Travel Insider articles are based on my own personal experience while traveling in New Zealand and/or on research I’ve done, the New Zealand videos are homemade (I don’t use professional equipment to make my videos), and the New Zealand pictures have all been taken by yours truly while traveling the country (I do use professional photo gear to shoot photos and occasionally let myself go with my point-and-shoot digital camera). You can say that I sample New Zealand and then tell and show you what you can expect.
I hope you enjoy my web site and welcome any comments and/or personal experiences you may have before or after you’ve visited this marvelous piece of Earth called New Zealand. And if you like the web site, I encourage you to invite your family and friends to also come and have a look.
And if you want to connect with me, you can follow @nztravelinsider on Twitter, subscribe to my NZTravelInsider YouTube channel, or subscribe to my website via RSS or email.