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A normal girl living her biggest, messiest dreams.

Get to know me

As seen on

These are my unfiltered adventures, musings and stories.
I talk about birds, coffee and overcoming personal fears too much.

60
ish countries
7
continents
10
odd years
Find me on or or I'll email you!

My recent adventures

A summer’s day amongst the vineyards of North Canterbury

Show me the Reisling!

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25 photos that will inspire you to visit the Nelson Tasman

Like we even need photos to inspire us to visit the home of the Abel Tasman?

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Sleeping in Milford Sound will change your life

Seriously, this is our pick for one of the best New Zealand experiences

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More adventures from the blog

My favorite stories

All the mean, nasty and godawful hateful things people say to me online

Guys, why do people troll on the internet? Why are blogger hate comments ...
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Solo and single in the most romantic place in the world

How glossy and polished is the travel industry today? Well, I suppose it's ...
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A broken robot: the face of a burnout

My whole life I’ve always been told that my face reads like an ...
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More inspirational stories

Where I screwed up big time

That one time I crashed a scooter in Bali

A week ago I found myself upside down in a ditch full of ...
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Getting Naked in Istanbul

**Warning this post borders on the TMI, but I thought it was too ...
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This might be my funniest story of all time

Guys, the funniest thing happened to me the other day. Now, I know I ...
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More confessions
World Map
Roads through Iceland
Iceland
New Zealand Road Trip Part 1
New Zealand Road Trip Part 2
Australia
Spain
Canada
Finland

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Join me on Instagram @YoungAdventuress

youngadventuress

Mother of plants @node.nz 🌿 Nature frother & #birdnerd 🐧 Friend of kākāpō and the girl with the whales 🐳 let’s help save them here ⬇️

Liz Carlson☀️Young Adventuress
Buller’s mollymawks are one of the more abundant Buller’s mollymawks are one of the more abundant small albatrosses occurring around coastal areas of New Zealand, especially around the South Island. Big and beautiful, their flight is perfect, gliding behind boats and along the sea, their wings just touching the crest of waves as they dip up and down. We’re so lucky to have birds like this, and to see them in the wild is something pretty special. We saw heaps around Rakiura with @gravityfishingnz last year 🐟 but if commercial fishing continues the way it’s going, the generations after me might not get to experience them 😭 . It’s never been more important to ask questions, to push people. I think a lot about where my food comes from and the ethics of the supply chain. Many albatross and seabirds die as bycatch from commercial long-lines and fishing trawlers. In 2021 this is unacceptable. In our “pure clean” New Zealand, this definitely shouldn’t be acceptable. . All through lockdown I watched big empty deep sea trawlers bopping around in the Lyttelton Harbor. If only they could have stayed there. Instead the government gave special exemptions to hundreds of foreign workers to come in, many who had COVID-19, to be able to come in and man these vessels, a job that kiwis *supposedly* can’t do. And to work for Sanford and Sealord too WHO COINCIDENTALLY WERE JUST FOUND GUILTY OF TRAWLING MARINE RESERVES AROUND STEWART ISLAND - home of albatross and many of our more special species 🤯 Hey auntie @jacindaardern how come you let this happen and yet law abiding people like me can’t go overseas to a parents funeral? Ugh, I can’t even. Over and out. ✌🏻
⭐️ NODE GIVEAWAY! ⭐️ I can’t believe it ⭐️ NODE GIVEAWAY! ⭐️ I can’t believe it but it’s been exactly six months since I officially opened the doors of @node.nz my stylish houseplant space in Lyttelton. What a wild and magical ride it’s been so far. To say thank you, I’m giving away one of my favorite must-have products - this stunning @mother.life.official PlantSpectrum16, a sleek and modern grow light that will keep your houseplant children bright and thriving 🪴 Thank you again for joining me on this journey and the constant support, good luck! 🙂 ・ To enter, simply: ☺︎ Like this photo 👍🏻 ☺︎ Be following @mother.life.official @node.nz & @youngadventuress ☺︎ Tag one friend in one comment below (each friend tagged in a new comment counts as a new entry 👯‍) Include your fave green emojis in your comment 🌵🌿🍃🌴 . This giveaway is open to anyone in New Zealand who loves houseplants. 🙌🏻 Competition closes on Sunday the 7th of March at midnight & one winner will be announced on this post on the next. Good luck! #nodenz #plantspectrum
Gone but not forgotten 🐳 I will remember. Often Gone but not forgotten 🐳 I will remember. Often the hardest things to look at are the most important. . @projectjonahnz #savewhales #projectjonah #21
Two years ago I stood helpless, alone on a remote Two years ago I stood helpless, alone on a remote beach on Stewart Island as 149 stranded pilot whales slowly died in front of me, a horror forever imprinted in my memory. Two days ago, I stood in the shallow waters of Farewell Spit, surrounded by dozens of @projectjonahnz medics and @docgovtnz workers as we worked to refloat a stranded pod of 49 whales. 28 survived thanks to us. . Whales are some of the most magnificent creatures we have on this planet. To see them struggle in the surf, burnt in the sun, torn from the sand is just unnatural. You only have to make eye contact with them once, hear their cries, to understand how special they are. . It’s not a rare thing for this to happen. Whales strand frequently here and Project Jonah need all the help they can get to help these beautiful creatures. For example the pontoons to refloat these guys cost $10K each, it would be amazing if we had dozens of them everywhere in NZ to help with strandings. Consider joining me and donating these incredible guys who look at our precious taonga 🐳 link in my bio to donate. . Thank you @barekiwi for being such a legend in sharing these pictures with me and for being such a great leader along with @lou.hawkes and Daren who are the beating heart of @projectjonahnz and for @docgovtnz for the support and experience. And to the local iwi for their karakia and strength. What a family!
Into the big blue 🌊 . With over 25 beaches and Into the big blue 🌊 . With over 25 beaches and dozens and dozens of kilometers of coastline, when you visit Dunedin you gotta visit the sea. When I think of @dunedinnz my mind immediately sees blue. Turquoise, navy, cerulean, and even sapphire on a good day, the sea here shines in a rainbow of blues that make me smile. And you’re never very far from it. Make sure you’ve got a set of wheels so you can hit the road and explore all of the hidden seaside spots in New Zealand’s coolest little South Island city 😎 . #dunedin #dunners #dunedinnz #newzealand #nzmustdo
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Who is Young Adventuress?

Hi, I'm Liz, and I got my first taste for traveling when I was 16 years old. On my own, 12 years and 50 something countries later, my wanderlust has only grown and the list of countries I want to visit longer. After living in Spain for the past few years and returning home for a stint, I then quit my job and moved to New Zealand and I've been here ever since. Follow my misadventures as I wander, eat, and photograph my way around the world

Get Inspired

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  • A peek inside NODE – responsible coziness with Revival Rugs
  • Let me introduce you to NODE
  • From foster care to living abroad: the power of wanting more

Featured Stories

  • My big issue with fear and travel
  • The best hate I got in 2015
  • The Story of the Kākāpō + Giveaway
  • Why Experience Still Matters

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