Author: Alison and Matt

Respectable teachers by day, mad travelers by night, Alison and Matt spend every chance they can get going on far-flung adventures to experience the very best of Mother Nature and document it on their blog, Take a Hike Photography.

Albania, Here We Come!

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Matt, June 2017
Slam, bang! It’s one trip to the next, and another classic Take a Hike Photography summer adventure is underway. I’ve been touring ancient sites in Greece and Rome for the last two weeks with 25 high school students. Alison just finished school two days ago, when she jumped on a plane and landed in Rome yesterday. I spent today hoofing it through the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica, while Alison made her way to the hotel from the airport to drop off her bags and get sorted.

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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

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Summer is upon us, and we are all set for another season full of fun adventures. As I write this, Matt is driving a group of high school students to an organic farm in the mountains of West Virginia for a service trip, and I am finishing tidying up our house for our summer renters who will be here in just a few hours. I still have one more week until school is out, so I am staying with one of our dear college friends for the next week. And then we are free!

So, where are we headed this year? (more…)

Road Trippin’ New Zealand’s Southern Scenic Coast

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With our final few days in New Zealand, we decide to explore the nooks and crannies of two of the South Island’s lesser visited areas, the Catlins Coast and the Otago Peninsula. Located in the southeast corner of the South Island, these two areas are known for dramatic coastlines, gorgeous waterfalls, and amazing wildlife encounters. Here are some of the highlights of the places we visited on our 3.5-day roadtrip up the Southern scenic coast from Bluff to Christchurch. (more…)

Rakiura Track, Day 3: North Arm Hut to Oban

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Screen Shot 2018-05-22 at 10.49.16 PMWe are among the last to leave the hut this morning. We bid farewell to the six ladies we met on Day One and the family of nine we hung out with yesterday as they take off from the hut. Before leaving for good, we grab the camera and visit the bay again to see if anything exciting has arrived over night. We spot two kingfishers (mating!) and the heron again, but all are too far for photos, so our visit is fairly short. We head back up to the hut to grab our things and hit the trail. (more…)

Rakiura Track, Day 1: Oban to Port William Hut

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We wake up in Invercargill at 5:30 am to finish packing and eat a quick breakfast. Our ferry out of Bluff isn’t until 9:30, but we are hoping we can squeeze in a little time to photograph the tui birds that are hanging out at the B&B’s feeders. We are headed to Stewart Island, New Zealand’s “third island,” where we hear that there are far more birds than people. Sounds like our kind of place! (more…)

Ringing in the New Year, New Zealand Style!

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After finishing the Kepler Track, we have a day and a half to drive from Te Anau down to Bluff, the southern most town on the South Island where will catch a ferry to Stewart Island, the location of our last Great Walk, the Rakiura Track. Our end destination today is the tiny town of Tuatepere which we picked as a midpoint between Te Anau and Invercargill (just north of Bluff). (more…)