We’re just humble kiwi folk sharing our love of NZ
Travel Well exists to share our experiences, knowledge, passion and love of our homeland with you, so you can create your own beautiful experiences and grow NZ in your heart too.
It’s as simple as that.
NZ deserves to be travelled well, and you deserve to travel well. That's why we are creating unique travel goods to keep you well-informed, well-prepared, and tapping into the endless well of excitement, adventure and possibility that is on offer here in NZ.
We absolutely love it and we’re living our dreams too, filling up our own buckets of well-being along the way.
So, kia ora, welcome!
We are stoked you are here! Buy a map, enjoy the journey with us.
- Nick, Cy and Aaron
A little bit more about us:
Nick
I’m an adventurer based in the top of the South Island, a one time sea kayak guide, boat skipper, ski patroller, canyon guide, paramedic, I’ve spent much of my life helping people navigate magical places, and sometimes tricky situations thoughout NZ. The Travel Well for me is an outlet to continue that spirit of guiding.
-Nick
Details:
Nick grew up in Canterbury and lives in the Motueka Valley, Nelson Tasman
note: interview in progress
www.rankers.co.nz
Cymen
Details:
Grew up in Wollongong and Greater Wellington area, Abel Tasman, Gizzy Gisborne till now (still growing up)
AKA:
‘Cricky’
Interests:
I have serious love for my family. I also love nature and adventure in nature, very much.
Favourite quotes:
‘The universe will reward you for taking risks on its behalf’
Shakti Gawain
Why the Travel Well?
When I travel, I transcend into a different person. Sounds a bit weird but it’s true. For me, Travel Well celebrates that magic that can’t always be articulated.
Preferred NZ travel mode:
Steer waaaay clear of the AI + Google algorithm. It’s a lesser known beast of crowded same-ness. Please take my word for that as I’m speaking to many travellers that are being tricked by the shiny skin of AI itineraries.
The answer is to dig deeper and find the source.
5 Favourite NZ places:
Sorry, but these questions were dreamed up by Aaron and I have too many places to easily answer it, but see the next question for an overview.
Travel Well dreams for the future:
Finding places of quiet and calm that feed my soul
Favourite NZ plant:
This is hard to answer as I’m a tree hugger. My mates give me shit about that. I really need a top 5 for this question (C’mon Aaron). But I’ll choose the Rata as it starts as this innocuous little vine. Then ends up taking over its unsuspecting host, to become this wonderful forest canopy umbrella, overlooking all, Tane Mahuta styles.
Any unique talents or hidden skills:
I love the underdog and that’s how I sit with business. It legally allows me, the underdog, to compete with the big boys, and have fun at the same time. I’m somehow quite good at it and I love it.
Favourite NZ creature:
Karearea - NZ Falcon. Maybe it’s cos I have quite a beak myself.
Can often be heard saying:
Hopefully I’m laughing as then I’m in a good space
NZ travel wisdom:
‘Escape the Algorithm’
(actually he can be often heard saying this)
Favourite NZ season:
Spring. New growth.
Favourite NZ music:
I saw Supergroove, Troy Kingi and King Kapisi at the Dunno’s Town Hall last year and was quite taken by them all. What a concert. Love the chill vibes of LAB and Hori Shaw - East Coast 35 yeeeeaaar - and is A Hori Buzz the best name for an artist ever? (RIP A Hori Buzz, went too soon)
Favourite mode of transport:
Surfboard
Aaron
“ I'm a creative based in Northland and have been hand-crafting maps and creating place-related artwork for the last 15 years. I love making stuff with my hands and am I'm really interested in sense of place and the connections people have with places, and I'm always creating new ways to help people deepen their understanding and connections to places.
A.I is a trip for the graphic artist, i’ve been one of those for 25 years as well, it’s replacing / replaced the entire creative industry… and yet there is something beautiful in it as well, that’s in the realisation people instinctively have when they acknowledge how much they actually value, and miss the human touch, creativity and imperfecton etc.
I see travelling as a fundamental human calling that lies within us all… and I think when we are travelling we have a real opportunity to be truly present and live the best versions of our selves, tapping into our own very sense of Self, free from distractions of daily home life. Which in turn helps us when we return to our daily lives.
For me the Travel Well is an outlet to share my passion for maps, art, sharing knowledge and just getting quality stuff out there into the world for people to use and enjoy… so we can make more cool, useful and interesting stuff. It’s a beautiful cycle.
So thank you for being a part of our journey! ”
- Aaron
Details:
Aaron grew up in Otago (down south) and Whangārei (up north) and lives in Northland
AKA:
Azza, API
Interests:
Rocks,
music,
trails,
running,
surfing,
skateboarding,
plants,
fishing,
swims,
native bush,
rivers,
photography,
travel,
art,
design,
pyramids etc,
meditation,
fossicking,
art,
camping,
making stuff.
Favourite quotes:
‘What you seek is seeking you’
- Rumi
’A great thirst is a great joy, when quenched in time’
- Edward Abbey
Why the Travel Well?
I really believe the Travel Well symbolises opportunity and freedom. An opportunity to work with talented friends, an opportunity to share my skills and knowledge, an opportunity to help fellow travellers and adventurous souls, an opportunity to practice what we preach, an opportunity to make the world a tiny bit better, an opportunity to connect and help people, and the freedom to follow my passions and enjoy life’s journey.
Preferred NZ travel mode:
Research then intuitive - following thy nose and the weather, open to and encouraging unplanned possibilities and randomness (in retro, NZ made caravan)
5 Favourite NZ places:
Exploring, Faaaaaar north , 90 mile beach
Fishing, swimming, Hen and Chicken Islands
Rock-hounding, Coromandel Peninsula
Surfing, Makorori, Tairāwhiti
Relaxing, Aotea Gt Barrier Island
Travel Well dreams for the future:
To me, success is simple: travelling well is living well. I'm a born traveller, and Travel Well exists because we want to help more people do exactly that, by creating stuff that actually make the journey better. The more people we can reach, the more meaningful stuff I get to help create and be a part of. A sustainable cycle of goodness we can all enjoy being a part of.
Favourite NZ plant:
Kawakawa - beautiful to look at, smell, touch and also taste in a tea, medicinal balms, magical - sorry mānuka, kauri and pōhutukawa.
Any unique talents or hidden skills:
Hmmmmm..,um I pretty good at connecting dots as I go along, I guess. My brain holds a lot of very random, very diverse and very occasionally, useful information.
Favourite NZ creature:
Takāpu - Australasian Gannet - preferably gliding along an unbroken swell line
Can often be heard saying:
Something about ‘vibes’
NZ travel wisdom:
’It’s always sunny in a hot pool’ - API
Favourite NZ season:
Autumn. The water is still warm, settled weather, plenty of swell for surfing, the fish are still biting and the sense of impending winter makes me appreciate the moment more I think.
Favourite NZ music:
Friend’s band and Taranaki’s finest, theSlacks also Avantedale Bowling Club (notable mentions: Troy Kingi, Shapeshifter, Flight of the Conchords, Shihad, Salmonella Dub, Che Fu, Herbs, Head Like a Hole, the Phoenix Foundation, the ‘Dunedin sound’ bands, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Front Lawn and BLERTA)
Favourite mode of transport:
Skateboard
You can follow the humble:
journey of a map-maker @bbmapsnz
‘Little Blue’
No great humble online travel store would be complete without a pet mascot. ‘Little Blue’ is a very proud kiwi though is actually a penguin. A small but mighty addition to the Travel Well team. Little Blue really sets the vibe and cuts through the noise to deliver wonderful nuggets of wisdom and feel goodness.
The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the smallest species of penguin in the world, and originates from New Zealand... It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its blue feathers, and is also known by its Māori name kororā.- Wikipedia
Little Blue’s glossary of terms:
Too right! - I concur, agree with your sentiments, 100%
Good as gold mate! - No problems / worries at all, everything is sorted my dear friend
You beauty! - Excellent, great news
Good onya mate! - Well done to you my dear friend
Wazzup boss! - A warm and respectful greeting / rhetorical question. How is life treating you my friend, it’s nice to see you.
