About Briar
Briar Jensen is a Sydney-based freelance travel writer. Her blog covers travel tips, reviews, insights and inspiration, travel accessories and gadgets.
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Love this sculpture called Waitukei, by Lyonel Grant in the Government Gardens @rotoruanz depicting the melding of Maori and European cultures. The male and female figures took over two years to craft from bronze. @purenewzealand @escapesnaps #rotoruanzMud volcanoes, sulphur pools, boiling water, bubbling mud and spitting lakes @hellsgatenz in @rotoruanz has it all. It’s not surprising it is named #hellsgate and it’s important to stay on the path. However, you can experience the ‘health-giving’ mud and healing waters at their Mud Spa. #rotoruanz #geothermal #astw_inc @escapesnapsWhen you fly to White Island, New Zealand with @volcanicairnz for an extra $100 you can include a stop on Mt Tarawera too. This mountain was split open in the 1886 eruption, leaving gaping wounds in the harsh, dry mountain top. Barren and beautiful, it is pretty windy up there! @rotoruanz #rotoruanz #mttaraweraWhite Island, off shore from New Zealand’s North Island, is an active volcano (apparently there were 183 earthquakes recorded in a 24 hour period last week) that you can visit by air or sea. Today I flew out to #whiteislandnz from #rotoruanz with @volcanicairnz in a helicopter. We landed on the island and spent about an hour wandering around the stark sulphur encrusted landscape and steaming crater lake. What an incredible trip, and remarkable topography. #activevolcano @rotoruanz @purenewzealand @escapesnaps #astw_incZip lining guides have a knack of pushing your boundaries. Here I am before the gorgeous girls at @rotoruacanopytours had me plunging backwards off this platform to zip backwards through the forest! (I look way calmer than I felt.) What I love about this tour is the conservation aspect. Between zipping through the trees they teach you about the forest and the native birds, along with their pest eradication program. An exhilarating and educational few hours. @escapesnaps @rotoruanz @purenewzealandWhat is this? Looks a bit like a flying saucer from a Sci-fi movie. But it is one of many art installations st @treewalknz in #rotoruanz Nightlights light up the redwoods for a magical experience in the forest after dark. If you don’t like heights, it’s a good time to visit, as you can’t see how high the suspended walkways are above the ground! @rotoruanz @escapesnaps #treewalknz- My Tweets
Category Archives: Travel Accessories & Gadgets
Pack It! Part 2 – Five tips for buying travel packing cells
So after reading Part 1 Five reasons to use packing cells you’ve finally seen the light and decided to purchase some packing cells? Congratulations! But how do you choose the ideal packing cells (or packing cubes)? We all travel with different gear, … Continue reading
Pack it! Part 1 – Five reasons to use travel packing cells
Packing cells have changed my life. That’s a big statement, I know. But they have made my travelling life so much easier I wonder how I ever travelled without them. I just wish I had cottoned on to packing cells … Continue reading
10 Travel-themed homewares
Just because you are stuck at home, doesn’t mean you can’t dream about travelling. Part of the joy of travel is reminiscing about past adventures and planning new exploits. So surround yourself with travel memorabilia as a reminder of holidays past … Continue reading
10 World Map themed travel accessories
Getting stressed at work? Rather be travelling the globe than stuck in the office? Then you could do with an Earth Stressball. Simply squeeze and relax says the tagline, but you could also just fondle it and dream of where … Continue reading
Product Review: hipS-sister waistband for travel
Sometimes it is the simplest designs that are the most versatile and stylish, like the hipS-sister waistband. Awkward name, awesome product. Looking for somewhere to put your hotel room key when you go out for a morning jog? Want to take … Continue reading
Christmas gifts for a cause – it’s like giving twice
I often pick up small items when travelling to put aside for Christmas gifts, and always look to support local crafts people, whether it’s from a roadside stall or dedicated artisans’ market. But this year, while purchasing some stunning carvings … Continue reading
Posted in Travel, Travel Accessories & Gadgets, Travel Gifts
Tagged Books, care gifts, handmade gifts, homewares
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Product Review: Lightweight seat pad for hiking (no more wet bum)
It’s no fun hiking with a wet butt, and while my bum might look big from behind, the padding is in all the wrong places when it comes to perching on a rocky ledge, which is why I’m in love … Continue reading
