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Califonzycation

Just a Swiss traveler with a sometime candid eye

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Peregrinating around the world, one step at a time...

“On ne voyage pas pour se garnir d’exotisme et d’anecdotes comme un sapin de Noël, mais pour que la route vous plume, vous rince, vous essore, vous rende comme ces serviettes élimées par les lessives qu’on vous tend avec un éclat de savon dans les bordels” (Nicolas Bouvier).

Travel Stories

I’d very much like to modestly share my travel stories, my encounters and my ways to see the world through my (camera) lenses.

Countries

Cities

Continents

blog posts

Recent Travels

You will find, below, my latest contributions. Feel free to browse my portfolio with the help of the main menu too.

Gourmet Getaway in Alsace and the Vosges

Gourmet Getaway in Alsace and the Vosges

City, Europe, France, Places

We're back with another chapter in our road books, and this time, we’re taking you on a getaway to Alsace and the...

End of the road and reflection on 2 months in New Zealand

End of the road and reflection on 2 months in New Zealand

Landscape, New Zealand, Night, Oceania, Places, Sea and Beaches, Sunset & Sunrise

If you've been reading this blog for a while and are familiar with the structure, you'll know that I always like to...

Last bit of traveling on the North Island (part 2)

Last bit of traveling on the North Island (part 2)

Landscape, New Zealand, Oceania, Places

Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn... As expected, the weather changed during the night and the clouds in the...

Portrait Gallery

Some of the great people I’ve met along the way…

califonzycation

World traveler, amateur photographer, motorbike rider, passionate about sports and new technologies.

🇳🇿This is where it ends…for now 🤙🏽

🇳🇿This is where it ends…for now 🤙🏽

In this final post I take the time to reflect on these two amazing months spent in the antipodes, so far away from my family/loved ones...yet so close to another part of my family.

It's unimaginable that I was able to discover such amazing places, sometimes strangely similar to what I had experienced in other countries, especially my own, but often so out of this world!

If you are interested, click on the link in the bio to get the full story and some of my travel tips, should you ever decide to go there.

Long story short: you SHOULD!

Otherwise, as always, thanks for stopping by.

And I’ll see you soon for a belated reporting on another great adventure I also had in 2024, some hefty backpacking in the Balkans.

But I doubt if I’ll manage to do that before 2025 😉

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

And I will leave you with a quote from the late Jacques Brel:

« I wish you endless dreams and the furious desire to make some of them come true. »

That’s all folks!

📷: Link in bio for the full story
📍Piha, North Island, NZ
📅 April 2024
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#newzealand #northisland #piha
#mercerloopwalk #endlesshorizons
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #fujinon18135 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

👨🏽‍🚀Ending the road trip on a slightly

👨🏽‍🚀Ending the road trip on a slightly different planet 🪐

The experience wasn't enough of a change of scenery as it was.

So I had to make a little detour and ended the adventure, where I felt like I was on another planet.

📷: Link in bio for the full story
📍Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, North Island, NZ
📅 April 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #northisland
#waiotaputhermalwonderland
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #fujinon18135 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🎒 The hike to Pouakai Tarns 🇳🇿 Sometimes

🎒 The hike to Pouakai Tarns 🇳🇿

Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn

However, the journey remains the destination, and the road/path to get there was worth it... definitely!

📷: Link in bio for the full story
📍Egmont National Park, North Island, NZ
📅 April 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #northisland
#mttaranaki #egmont #nationalpark
#pouakai #tarns #hike #trail
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #fujinon18135 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🚐 Indulging one last road trip on the North Isl

🚐 Indulging one last road trip on the North Island 🇳🇿

As my time in New Zealand was slowly coming to an end, I was excited to go on one last road trip around the North Island.

Clearly determined to make the most of every moment and tick off the last items on my bucket list!

So I hope you'll enjoy the ride as much as I did!

📷: Link in bio for the full story
📍Three Sisters and Elephant Rock, Taranaki Coast, North Island, NZ
📅 April 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #northisland
#threesisters #elephantrock
#northtaranaki #taranaki
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #fujinon18135 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🚐 Exploring the South Island: star gazing at La

🚐 Exploring the South Island: star gazing at Lake Tekapo 🇳🇿

We end our South Island adventure at Lake Tekapo with some star gazing from the top of the Mt John Observatory.

Another great one for the memory book

For tips on how to avoid the hefty fees, have a look at the dedicated blog post.

📷: Link in bio
📍Wanaka, Lake Pukaki, Lake Tekapo, South Island, NZ
📅 March 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #southisland
#laketekapo #mtjohnobservatory
#stargazing #milkyway
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #fujinon18135 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🚐 Exploring the South Island: the road to Lake

🚐 Exploring the South Island: the road to Lake Tekapo🇳🇿

Also high on my bucket list, Lake Tekapo was the destination for my next leg.

And as they say, sometimes the journey is the reward.

Being so focused on the preconceived expectations of what Lake Tekapo would be, with [spoiler alert] some star gazing in the pipeline, I was clearly unprepared for the journey itself.

And what a kick in the teeth it would be.

I started the drive in a very dusty and fiery kind of environment, with yellowish colours dominating.

And I ended up in a completely different world, at Lake Pulaski, where the blue of the water blended perfectly with the colour of the sky and the grass.

What a pleasure...

Head to the link in bio to see more pictures

📷: Link in bio for the full report 😉
📍Wanaka, Lake Pukaki, Lake Tekapo, South Island, NZ
📅 March 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #southisland
#wanaka #lakepukaki #laketekapo #lindispass
#omarama #claycliffs
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #fujinon18135 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🚐 Exploring the South Island: cruising along La

🚐 Exploring the South Island: cruising along Lake Wanaka 🇳🇿

Deciding to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city in preparation for the big fair, I actively searched the guidebook for things to see and do in the Wanaka area.

The decision was made to follow Lake Wanaka to Makarora and then on to the Blue Pools, a sort of water retention area in the Makarora River that forms natural pools of translucent water.

In the end it turned out that the bridges to the Blue Pools were closed, so it was impossible to see them.

Unfortunately, this information wasn't shown on Google Maps. A problem I encountered many times in 2024 on various trips.

So don't put too much faith in it.

But in the end, the trip was clearly worth it. And as I had more time on the way back, I was able to stop and take even more photos of Lake Wanaka.

The light had changed during the afternoon so it felt like I was in a different place.

So here is what my eyes and camera had produced that day 😉

📷: Link in bio for the full report 😉
📍Wanaka, Makarora, Blue Pools, South Island, NZ
📅 March 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #southisland
#wanaka #wanakatree #makarora #bluepools
#wanakalake #fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #fujinon18135 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography #cruizador
#raglanroast #aeropresscoffee
@raglanroast @siggswitzerland

🚐 Exploring the Southern Island: the road to Wa

🚐 Exploring the Southern Island: the road to Wanaka 🇳🇿

I decided to cut my stay in Queenstown short and not spend another night. Nothing personal, just the vibe didn't match the energy of the moment.

I also felt I had seen enough of the city.

So after driving all the way to Paradise, I decided to drive to Wanaka and spend at least two nights in the smaller town.

Future will tell me that I will end up during one of the busiest weekends of the year, the Wanaka A&P Show.

But it will be worth it, I swear 😉

In the meantime, here are some snapshots of the Crown Range Rd, which connects Queenstown to Wanaka via Cardrona.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. And I got a little treat from Mother Nature.

📷: Link in bio for the full report 😉
📍Crown Range Rd, South Island, NZ
📅 March 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #southisland
#wanaka #adventure
#tipsandtricks
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🚐 Exploring the South Island: Queenstown to Gle

🚐 Exploring the South Island: Queenstown to Glenorchy 🇳🇿

With a noble intention, I'm rushing to publish all my NZ adventures before the end of 2024 🙂

So here is the first instalment of my South Island adventures.

This will be a multi-part series. We will

* Touch base in Queenstown
* Drive to Glenorchy and head to Wanaka
* Drive all the way to Makarora/Blue Pools, along Lake Wanaka
* End in Lake Tekapo for some star gazing

Hope you like it!

So let's get started, shall we?

📷: Link in bio for the full report 😉
📍Queenstown to Glenorchy, South Island, NZ
📅 March 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #southisland
#queenstown #wakatipu #glenorchy
#roadtrip #adventure
#streetphotography #tipsandtricks
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🚐Road tripping on the Coromandel Peninsula (II/

🚐Road tripping on the Coromandel Peninsula (II/II)🇳🇿

From Dusk to Dawn

Star gazing on the beach with a cold one and waking up before dawn to enjoy the sunrise in a natural pool filled with hot spring water.

Probably the highlights of this road trip

📷: Link in bio for the full report 😉
📍Coromandel Peninsula, NZ
📅 March 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #coromandel #peninsula
#hotwaterbeach #rotorua #vanlife #adventure
#cathedralcove #matarangi #thames #whitianga
#streetphotography #tipsandtricks
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🚐Road tripping on the Coromandel Peninsula (I/I

🚐Road tripping on the Coromandel Peninsula (I/II)🇳🇿

Remembering a 4days/3nights roadtrip with my cousin, living the van life

And discovering New Zealand’s natural wonders: roaming sequoia forests, soaking in natural hot spring, star gazing at night and just enjoying nature’s gifts.

What a blessing!

Hope you’ll like those few highlights and head to the link in bio to get all my tips and tricks should you also visit this amazing region.

One love

📷: Link in bio for the full report 😉
📍Coromandel Peninsula, NZ
📅 March 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #coromandel #peninsula
#hotwaterbeach #rotorua #vanlife #adventure
#lategram #instafeetdaily
#cathedralcove #matarangi #thames #whitianga
#streetphotography #tipsandtricks
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography

🏙️ Life in big(er) Kiwi Cities (IV/IV)🇳🇿

Last post of this curated series.

And big first, namely the 1st time time-traveling in my life

I started the journey in a motel in the middle of a provincial town, which seemed stuck in the 80s.

Then, wondering through the city, and as I turned a corner, I found myself in the midst of Prohibition.

From there, the ride continued.
Suddenly, I passed the steampunk HQ, an anachronism between Victorian England and a dystopian future.

And even further on, I enter a Victorian Precinct, where I might have very well bumped into one of the Shelby brothers from Peaky Blinders.

So Oamaru, you were definitely surprising, and in a very refreshing way.

Thank you for that! I will be back probably some day 🙂

📷: Link in bio for the full report 😉
📍Oamaru, NZ
📅 March 2024
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#roadtrip #newzealand #oamaru
#timetravel #prohibition #peakyblinders #shelbybrothers
#steampunk #steampunkhq
#streetphotography #tipsandtricks
#fujifilm #fujinon35mm #fujifilmxt5
#fujinon1024 #iphonephotography
#travelgram #travelphotography
@waitaki_nz

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