It was our pleasure to award Freya with one of our independent travel grants at the beginning of the year and to catch up with how her adventures are unfolding. Being able to see this be brought to life via her Instagram page, I hope you all enjoy reading her travel blog as much as we have!

‘I am five months into my first solo backpacking trip and looking back, it all feels like a bit of a blur.

On the 16th of January, I flew into Auckland, and was warmly looked after by my dad’s side of the family – a welcomed place to get over my jet lag after 34 hours of travel. They shared stories of my grandparents, and anecdotes from my dad’s childhood in CapeTown.

After a week with them, I headed down to Rotorua on an Intercity bus, happily bumping into a university friend, Hannah. We explored the beautiful Waiotapu geothermal pools, and then hitch-hiked the 40 minute drive home with David, a retired IT guy in his 70s, who told us the wonderfully long-winded story of how he met his wife. Rotorua was especially special due to its strong ties to M?ori culture. I visited the M?ori village where we were guided through M?ori culture, music, language, and food. We were lucky enough to taste food from a traditional H?ng? – a M?ori method of cooking where food is cooked under hot rocks in a pit oven, called an emu, giving the food a lovely smokey flavour.

From Rotorua, I headed to stunning Lake Taupo, and then on to the groovy Wellington. From Wellington, I flew to Christchurch to begin my two weeks travelling with Kiwi Experience. Kiwi Experience is an accessible way to explore New Zealand, especially as a first-time solo traveller, due to the flexibility of their pass options, the ease in which you can meet other backpackers, and the help they provide in booking hostels and activities. On the Kiwi Bus, I had the pleasure of visiting Kaikoura (home of swimming with dolphins and whale watching); Nelson (infamous Sunday market, and a lovely long cycle path along the coast, where I may or may not have punctured my bike tyre 10 minutes into the journey, not noticed, and had to be rescued by some kind locals).

From Nelson, I skipped on to Abel Tasman, the highlight of my whole New Zealand itinerary. Picture stunning turquoise water, sandy beaches, plenty of gorgeous hikes, and in our case, dazzling sunshine. I opted for the eight-hour kayak and saw lots of lovely seals. From Abel Tasman we went to Westport (cool little surf town), Mahinapua (costume party night!), and then on to Franz Josef – where a glacier meets the rainforest. My skydive unfortunately got cancelled here due to the weather, but the quad biking which replaced it certainly did not disappoint!

Onwards to Wanaka (lovely small hiking town), Queenstown (a gorgeous town surrounded by mountains with a lake bang in the centre, and the spot where most choose to try out bungee jumping- myself included). Then, off to Milford Sound (a tour through a breathtaking fiord with incomparable waterfalls), Mount Cook (tallest mountain in New Zealand, by beautiful Lake H?wea), and Lake Tekapo (best stars in New Zealand), which concluded my New Zealand explorations on the Kiwi bus.

It was now time to return to Queenstown where I’d be living for the next two months! Prior to arriving, I organised a bar job which helpfully came with staff accommodation. This gave me a strong base, financial support and good friends. As it only covered my accommodation costs, I sought out a second job and stumbled upon my absolute dream job: working in a bead shop! I spent my days helping customers make their own jewellery, and creating whimsical items to sell in the shop. It was heaven on earth, and I had an angel for a boss. Living in Queenstown meant working in The Bead Shop during the day, the bar some nights, and then everywhere in between was spent indulging in the breathtaking outdoors. Days off involved swimming holes, skydiving, biking the wineries, art events, picnics by the lake, and the true highlight – an overnight hike on the Routeburn Track. After two months, Queenstown had started to feel like home, and it was especially hard to leave and say some tough goodbyes. As tempting as it was to stay, I knew that if I didn’t leave then (already a month later than I had planned), I wouldn’t get to see as much of Australia as I’d like.

I booked my flights, and I was off! Melbourne had been on my bucket list for a long time, and it did not disappoint. It has New York-esque skyscrapers, far-stretching parks, a quirky music and fashion scene, and my favourite – an abundance of cheap international eats.

After a week exploring the incredibly fun city, I took an overnight bus to Sydney. I was warmly welcomed by family friends, and university friends, Lucy and Charlie, who took me camping up north to Myall Lakes National Park. Boasting sand dunes, expansive beaches, tea tree lakes, and of course, my first Australian pie, it was a cool local experience to start my Australian East Coast trip with. Back in Sydney, I had a fabulous time wandering around Bondi Beach and Manly; feeling like I was in a movie when I passed the Opera House on the ferry at sunset.

From Sydney, I took an overnight bus up to Byron Bay, where I stayed in a colourful true hippie-style hostel. Making friends in my ten-bed yurt, I joined them at a festival in the forest, and danced in the thick mud. After a week – and a few extra days of putting off my departure – I drove up to Brisbane with my lovely new French friend Laure. I stayed at my friend from university, Charlie’s, house. This week acted as a much-needed decompress after some fast-paced travel and many hostel bunkbeds; and I spent the week enjoying my access to a nice clean kitchen, and my own space. Australia Zoo was another bucket list moment, although Robert Irwin unfortunately did not make an appearance.

After Brisbane, I headed up to Noosa. Unfortunately my time in this pretty seaside town was not as glorious as it could have been, as it relentlessly chucked it down with rain. To make the best of a less than ideal situation, I joined new friends for many a discounted beer at the hostel bar, where we met some interesting Australian locals. Noosa acted as a springboard to get to K’gari, a quintessential Australian East Coast trip backpacker’s destination. It involves spending three days on a beautiful island, with 25 new people; driving around in 4×4’s; swimming in stunning lakes; camping, and avoiding dingoes. It was my birthday whilst I was here, and we had a wonderful day exploring, with the night ending in a cake-filled food fight and beers on the beach.

After K’gari – and a day in the Noosa Everglades -, I took my longest bus ride of the trip. 17.5 hours up to Airlie Beach, another gorgeous seaside town which acted as a springboard for a tour. The famous Whitsundays! I spent two nights on a boat with 20 new people; snorkelling, swimming, and getting to know each other. As fun as it was, we again didn’t get exactly ideal weather, and found ourselves snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef in torrential rain, kept afloat by woggles.

Next up was Magnetic Island, home of many koalas and rock wallabies. I lucked out with a hostel dorm facing out onto the sea, with its own balcony! I hired a moped and zoomed round the island, enjoying the much awaited sunshine.

It was already time for my final stop on the East Coast – Cairns. From here, I explored the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation, and scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef. However, the most poignant part of my stay was my time spent in the most infamous backpacker’s hostel in Australia – Gilligan’s. Sticky, loud, and terrifyingly similar to university halls, it was all going swimmingly until my dorm room flooded and we had to speedily stuff all our belongings into our backpacks and evacuate. Safe to say, in the Uber on the way to Cairns airport, I felt a little more broken than when I’d arrived in Melbourne, and just about ready to leave.

After another week in Melbourne, I met up with my good friends from New Zealand – Grace, Josh, and Jorin, and we did the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. We soared past stunning cliffs and beaches, camped, and reconnected. It was a wonderful end to my Australian travels.

After Adelaide, I returned to Melbourne for one last impromptu week, and tomorrow I head off to Thailand to meet my sister, Ella! I will spend three weeks there and then a solo month in Vietnam, before finally heading home to begin studying Fashion Design in London.’

Please see further information about our travel grants and how to apply here: https://thehaileyburysociety.org/charitable-status/travel-grants-for-haileyburians/