The Birds

The Kiwi

Kia ora! I’m Beatrice.

I was born and bred in the beautiful lands of Aotearoa New Zealand and have always felt at home in nature among green forests and birdsong.

Active, exciting and off-the-beaten-track exploring is what I’m into when it comes to travel. Every now and then you might find me reading a book on the beach, but generally I’ll be jumping at the opportunity to get out into the wild, searching for a new experience or discovering a new place.

Initially I put together this blog to document our travels around Europe when I took a year off medical school studies in 2018. This experience has had a huge influence on guiding the person I am today, and I am so glad I wrote about these memories to look back on. Since this time we have still been travelling as much as we can while still keeping regular jobs (despite being poorly documented here). Currently our only vehicle is a small travel van for the long journeys and we get everywhere else on a two-wheeled bicycle – a new passion that’s developed since the initial trip!

We think this blog needs a little revitalisation, so it’s time for these birds to get on two wheels for some bike packing adventures!

The Rooster

Bonjour ! I’m Elric.

I was born in a lovely French nest, amongst castles, forests and rivers in Dordogne.

I love outdoor sports (from hiking & cycling to surfing), and to see new things ALL THE TIME. Thus, travelling around has always been a big part of my life.

After 3 years of working in sport communication I realized I needed to experience the world, not just see it. I left for one year around the globe but got trapped in wonderful New Zealand with an even more wonderful kiwi! So now we are travelling the world together!

The Wheels

… Watch this space for our bike packing set ups!

The old road-tripping wagons…

Foxy

Our foxy Toyota Voxy is a bit rough around the edges but she does an incredible job sustaining adventurous lives. With the boards on the roof, the bikes on the back, the bed in the middle and the self-contained sticker on the window she has taken us on spontaneous trips all over Aotearoa. She is the vehicle of dreams, I don’t known why anyone would want anything more.

Olaf

Olaf had been in Elric’s life for a good 12 years before finding his true ‘Olafian’ identity. Being a German make a German name only seemed right. Being an Opel, Olaf seemed to fit nicely (that and the fact he became a snowman in the Alps like Olaf in the movie Frozen). Olaf took us off the beaten track all around Europe in 2018.

Sheepie

Born in 1992 she’s had an exciting beginning as a tour vehicle of sheep farms in Akaroa, New Zealand. She was refurbished by a French couple into a self-contained travel van and became Elric’s home soon after he first arrived in New Zealand and took us on some epic travels.