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 News & Events
New Zealand promotes Cycling Trails with Megan Gale
Two of my most memorable trips to New Zealand included cycling; one on the relaxing Otago Central Rail Trail outside Dunedin, the other on a hair-raising mountain bike trail through the Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest, Rotorua. The Otago Central Rail Trail, … Continue reading
Event: Sydney Tomato Festival Royal Botanic Garden
Love tomatoes? Then mark the Sydney Tomato Festival in your diary for this weekend 20-21st February 2016 – to be held at The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. I didn’t realise Sydney had a Tomato Festival, so I’m disappointed to know I’ve … Continue reading
Bottoms up to Kakadu Bird Week 14-21 October 2015
A bums-up salute from magpie geese greeted us at Mamukala Wetlands last month as they scrabbled to stretch their necks to the bottom of the billabong in search of juicy bulbs. It was a comic display and one that was … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, bird watching, birds, Kakadu Bird Week, Travel News & Events
Tagged Australia, Kakadu, national parks, Northern Territory, travel
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The Big Lap – Pictorial guide to driving around Australia
Planning on driving around Australia? Want to hit the open road or the road less travelled? Or perhaps you just enjoy looking at stunning images of Australia’s diverse landscape, from the burnt orange outback to the pounding aquamarine surf? Then … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Australia, Road Trips, Travel, Travel News, Travel News & Events
Tagged Australia, Big Lap, driving guide, driving holidays, Lee Atkinson, photographic book, road trip, the big lap
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Cruise Critic launches Australian site
Whether a cruise virgin or a seasoned cruiser, when it comes to planning a cruise you want specific, accurate, relevant information and advice. Which is why it’s great news that US giant Cruise Critic has launched an Australian site. Cruise Critic was … Continue reading
Posted in Australia, Travel, Travel News, Travel News & Events
Tagged Australia, cruise critic, cruising, cruising website
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Connect with nature during Parks Week 9-15 March
The piercing call of whip birds penetrating the bush, the scuttle of an echidna fossicking in the undergrowth, the damp smell of leaf litter and the subtle fragrance of wildflowers. Fossils exposed in the desert, Aboriginal rock art by the sea, crabs scampering among … Continue reading
