Lapped by warm azure waters, fringed with vibrant coral reefs and cloaked in the emerald green of the tropics, Fiji was a paradise seeker's dream come true, especially after constantly being on the go in cold countries. It's sun-soaked, white-sand beaches and resorts are bliss but only a slice of the country's allure. We made no plans for Fiji till we were welcomed by locals encouraging us to travel out to the tropical islands as the mainland, Viti Levu had...

Looking forward to head back to civilisation, from 'imperfection' it only took 4 hours to get to Brisbane by air. Yet our shortest flight, Andre still managed to have a couple of drinks before meeting Aman's first cuz, Jatinder awaiting our arrival at the airport. Despite the pair never met before, I can safely say Aman wasn't too amused with Andre's choice of timing for 'alcohol consumption'. Slightly intoxicated from the mile-high club, we arrived to find...

After leaving the girls asleep early one morning, I reached the ferry down to the South island to a place called Nelson and stayed there for the night. I made some friends down there and partied with them in the evening, even though I had to wake up very early again the next morning. I got the bus to a place, then a van to a small village called Takaka. The village was in the middle of nowhere and I managed to sleep in a hammock outside as the place was full. ...

Another one of our 8am rises, we suffered no memorable hangovers to mark our last night of North Island. With an option of flying or sailing to the South, we took a 3-hour ferry over the Cook Strait with a smaller group, leaving the Johnston bus behind. With André's absence, we finally reached the South Island's Picton, the gateway to Marlborough Sounds, where a green Kiwi bus awaited our arrival. Heading out via the scenic Marlborough Valley with its li...

Unlike Lord of the Rings, New Zealand is real - this is not Middle Earth, so forget the fictional comparisons and we confronted the country's magnificent geography as well as its ever envolving Maori culture, on its own authentic terms and of course not to forget the adrenalin pumping activities. After a memorable flight from Santiago to Auckland with many digital film clips that we cracked up over impersonations of our friends back home, we landed in Auckla...