New Zealand

Freelance Travel & Lifestyle Writer

"While I wait for the bartender at Dukes I ponder the big question: would I rather be Miss Moneypenny or a Bond girl? It's easy to meditate on such things at Duke's Hotel."

~Bar Bash Washington Flyer

"The ancient city’s main square sits just behind the one-time convent (now a sleek, restored, boutique hotel), the silence is so ponderous one might think the entire staff and every guest has taken a vow of silence."

~Cognition and Reflection - Organic Spa Magazine

"In bygone days hungry wolves skulked along the newly built Nevsky Prospekt like rapacious adversaries from a children's story."

~St. Petersburg: City of Dreams Mariner

"The crowd cheers. And, a royal band emits a euphonious serenade. I dismount the immense beast by ladder, snuggle my elephant’s crusty, swishing trunk and accept a well-deserved flute of champagne from a nattily clad waiter."

~Yoga Overlooking the Taj Mahal - San Antonio Magazine

"We’ve exchanged our car for a boat and we’re heading across rollicking seas to Skellig Michael—an immense rocket of stone that explodes amid water straight toward the sky. Just visible on its face are steps that we know lead to the remains of a centuries-old monastic settlement high above the ocean."

~Irish Indulgence, The Ring of Kerry -- CAA Magazine - Canadian Automobile Association

"A sudden herd of reindeer crosses our path like a truck running a red light."

~ Chasing The Northern Lights in Norway, Dallas Morning News

"We follow a path abundant with draped, fading prayer flags that flap in the cool wind like colorful bird's wings. Pine trees scent the chilly air, and the faraway rhythm of rural villagers at work sounds like nature's solemn hymn."

~Taking the richer road less traveled in China Austin American Statesman

"I see an oceanscape turbulent with blues. They mottle the water like smudges, bits of sapphire, jade and rich turquoise splayed out in a frenzy of Van Gogh-like brushstrokes."

~Next Stop Paradise, Austin Monthly

"Being with him in the the room where he paints . . . is like being a string on Itzhak Perlman's violin or a pot in Thomas Keller's kitchen."

~Beyond The Tango, Toronto Star

"Brussels is as textured as the tapestries that put it on the Medieval map."

~Brussels Sprouts Anew, National Geographic Traveler

"The city of Lucerne nestles the water--scattering around its edges and up the mountain like a slowly spreading spill."

~Swiss Treat Washington Flyer

"Huts made from cow pies look like gingerbread houses—some are being repaired by women so concentrated in their tasks they resemble painters fretting over a canvas."

~India in Style Virtuoso Traveler

About Hotel Guanahnai: “[Its} as if Paris put on flip flops, but still donned a little black dress.”

~As quoted in Cigar Aficionado

"Villages with colorfully painted houses seemed torn from the pages of a storybook. You’ll want to linger in them, as we do, for scones or a pint of beer. Even the narrow undulating roads, lined with hedgerows and flower-flecked meadows thrills."

~Irish Indulgence, The Ring of Kerry -- CAA Magazine - Canadian Automobile Association

"Like a pointer finger, a rainbow as thick as a column, illuminates the sky above Castello di Vicarello."

~Magical Maremma, Toronto Star

Close encounters on New Zealand’s North Island

June 8, 2015 by becca

Published in the Austin American-Statesman June 7, 2015 online link

Filed Under: Featured Articles Tagged With: adventure, animals, luxury, New Zealand

Pacific Pinot: Wine tasting on New Zealand’s South Island

April 21, 2015 by becca

Published in San Antonio Magazine May 2015

Filed Under: Featured Articles Tagged With: New Zealand, south pacific, wine, winery

Hobbit Habitat: Explore New Zealand

January 17, 2015 by becca

Published in Austin Monthly February, 2015

Filed Under: Featured Articles Tagged With: adventure, farm, Luxury Travel, New Zealand

Matauri Bay, New Zealand

December 9, 2014 by becca

Stay: The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs Eat: The Lodge Do: Golf at one of the world’s top rated golf courses Cavort: The Pink Beach See: Farm Tour Hike: The myriad cliff-side trails Fly: Fiji Airways

Filed Under: Track Me Tagged With: Luxury Travel, New Zealand, resort

Queenstown, New Zealand

December 6, 2014 by becca

Stay: Matakauri Lodge Eat: Dine with a view at a variety of dining spaces at the lake side lodge, including the Library Eat: Fergburger Drink: The Bunker Imbibe: Wine taste at Peregrine Vineyards and Amisfield Do: Bungy Jump at AJ Hackett Bungy, where it all began (if you dare) Fly: Fiji Airways

Filed Under: Track Me Tagged With: Luxury Travel, New Zealand, resort

Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

December 3, 2014 by becca

Stay: The Farm at Cape Kidnappers Eat: The Lodge Play: Golf at one of the world’s top-rated courses. Do: Kiwi Discovery Experience: See Kiwi birds in their native habitat Do: Hawke’s Bay is famous for its vineyards and wineries. Try Elephant Hill Estate Winery and Mission Hill Estate Winery Fly: Fiji Airways

Filed Under: Track Me Tagged With: Luxury Travel, New Zealand, resort

Lake Life: Lakeside Vacation Destinations

July 1, 2014 by becca

Published in Virtuoso Traveler June, 2014

Filed Under: Featured Articles Tagged With: Banff, Bolivia, Canada, India, italy, Lake Austin, Lake Como, Lake Louise, Lake Pichola, Lake Titicaca, Lake Wakatipu, lakes, Lombardy, New Zealand, Peru, Texas

Quote Rotator

Close encounters on New Zealand’s North Island

Pacific Pinot: Wine tasting on New Zealand’s South Island

Hobbit Habitat: Explore New Zealand

Matauri Bay, New Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand

Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

Lake Life: Lakeside Vacation Destinations

Follow Me On Social Media

Recently Published

Quote Rotator

Close encounters on New Zealand’s North Island

Pacific Pinot: Wine tasting on New Zealand’s South Island

Hobbit Habitat: Explore New Zealand

Matauri Bay, New Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand

Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

Lake Life: Lakeside Vacation Destinations

Follow Me On Social Media

Recently Published

What I’m Writing About