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- A country with 23.6 million sheep!
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Kia Ora from Waipu, New Zealand!
A Country With 23.6 Million Sheep!
Hey my fellow adventurers!
I hope you’ve had a good week. :)
I’m currently in the beautifully green and slightly windy country of New Zealand, where the menus proudly offer “fush & chups” (the phonetic spelling), and there are apparently 4 sheep for every person (down from 22 per person in the 80’s!), totalling 23.6 million sheep!
I haven’t actually seen any sheep yet, so this pic is courtesy of Canva!
We’re currently en route to the Bay of Islands with a 3 night stopover in a small coastal town called Waipu, due to the joys of house sitting.
However, Waipu isn’t just any old small town! It turns out Waipu’s history is far more gripping than its population sign (1,350) might suggest.
Back in the 1800s, a fire-and-brimstone Scottish preacher named Norman McLeod decided that Scotland was going downhill faster than a sheep on a rainy hillside. So he convinced a bunch of his followers to uproot their lives and head to Nova Scotia.
That’s 3,800 miles from home to an unforgiving Canadian wilderness—because apparently, when life gives you misery in Scotland, you double down on cold and rocky landscapes.
But after decades of back-breaking work, McLeod decided Canada wasn’t quite the utopia he’d envisioned either. So, why not head to New Zealand? Just a cheeky 11,000 miles away this time.
After months of sailing across the Atlantic, around the southern tip of South America, and across the vast Pacific Ocean, they arrived in Waipu in 1854 and thought, “Yes, this will do nicely.”
Here, McLeod’s followers established a new community. They worked tirelessly to clear the land, build homes, and plant crops, creating the foundations of what would become one of New Zealand’s most notable Scottish settlements.
These days the McLeod legacy lives on, not just in the McLeod Pizza Barn & Brewery (😋), but in the Waipu Scottish Migration Museum, the enduring Scottish identity of the town, and events like the Waipu Highland Games, one of the longest-running in the Southern Hemisphere.
In fact, on asking directions, the very first Kiwi we spoke to in the town answered in a broad Scottish accent! 🏴
I love discovering cultural stories like this and it’s at the core of why I travel. To learn interesting facts about this world we live in and broaden my mind!
So, if you ever find yourself heading to the Bay of Islands and need a pitstop, don’t overlook Waipu. Take the detour, visit the museum, and thank Norman McLeod for making the kind of wild life decisions that gave this town its story.
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P.S. There’s also a fab coastal hike down to an area called Pancake Rocks, which are incredible limestone formations layered like stacks of pancakes, formed over millions of years by the compression of marine fossils, sand, and mud. Well worth the stunning walk!
Have a great week!
30 DAY SIDE HUSTLE CHALLENGE
The 30 Day Side Hustle Challenge is going strong and you can still join for FREE at any time. Right now we’re walking through how to create, launch and promote a product online, whether digital, physical or a service of some kind.
It’s a 30 day email course supported by the group where you can come and ask questions/get feedback on your progress.
Feel free to join up at anytime!
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TRAVEL TRIVIA
What is the deepest ocean trench in the world?
This oceanic trench plunges to a depth of nearly 11,000 metres (36,000 feet), making it the deepest point on Earth. It’s a place so remote that only a handful of manned expeditions have reached its depths.
Can you name this trench?
To find out the correct answer, select your preferred option below |
That’s All Folks!
That’s it from me this week.
Make sure to come and join the 50+ Nomad group to connect with fellow travelling nomads, or join my new Side Hustles for 50+ Nomads free group if you want to get a side hustle off the ground this year.
Have an amazing week and as always get out there and make it happen!
Looking for more resources to thrive as a 50+ nomad?
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My Facebook group is all about travel, destinations, bucket lists, and connecting with other nomads. If you simply want to meet like-minded people, join the group here.
My blog covers it all - destinations, nomad tips, making money on the go, slow travel, and my own personal travel stories. You can dive in here.
My Substack is more about the mindset and processes behind it all - getting out of your own way, staying productive on the road, and building the habits that support a nomadic lifestyle. Subscribe here.
And my new 30 Day Side Hustle Challenges are for action-takers who want to turn their ideas into income, with the goal of earning $1,000+/month to fund their travels. Sign up here for the current email challenge, accompanied by a supportive community dedicated to making it happen.
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