Hi, we are Sagar and Ami. We are Indian-born and raised, turned Kiwi, travelling New Zealand in our motorhome. We named him Mr. Beast.
New Zealand has been our home for more than 10 years now. We’ve explored it as broke uni students, and we’ve explored it on six-figure incomes.
Everything on this blog comes from our own experience. Where we haven’t managed to experience something ourselves, we’ve done thorough research, and in some cases got there through content creation gigs.
What started as one year of full-time travel has turned into a full-time hustle to make this lifestyle work for both of us.
We quit our jobs in March 2024 and bought a one-way ticket to Hanoi, simply because it was the cheapest flight out of Auckland. From there we spent 1.5 years backpacking across Asia and Eastern Europe on $160 NZD a day, and we absolutely loved it.
But there was an obvious challenge: we were running out of the money we’d saved. So we had one option left, go back to New Zealand and figure out what was next.
The Plan: Explore New Zealand in a Van
We came back to New Zealand in August 2025 and moved into a van, Wander Bee. This was the only way to stretch our money for six months. But it also gave us time to explore New Zealand while we figured out whether we could build something around this lifestyle.
We spent those six months making our way across the South Island in her: Abel Tasman, Otago, Canterbury, Mackenzie, the Catlins. We did the popular hikes, stayed at freedom camping sites, DOC campsites and holiday parks, and ticked off proper bucket list experiences along the way, a heli hike on Franz Josef and the TranzAlpine. The only problem was, our van was so tiny we couldn’t stand up or move around inside her.
We loved vanlife and exploring New Zealand in our van, but our goal was to make this lifestyle sustainable and build a business around content creation, and that needs more than Wander Bee could give us: room to move, work and eat, and basic facilities like a toilet.
So we made one of the biggest decisions of our lives and sold our home, the one we’d bought back in 2019 when we still had full-time jobs. We’re so convinced of this lifestyle that we’re going all in. Part of the money went into an $80K motorhome we named Mr. Beast, and the rest into building this business properly. We’ve been living and working from him full-time since April 2026.
Why We Started This Blog
We landed our first gig in our very first month, a photography job for a wine company, and we took it as a sign to give this everything we had.
So we kept pitching. We created content around New Zealand, shared our insider knowledge and practical travel tips, the apps travellers should use, the biosecurity rules to know, and slowly we started seeing the growth on Instagram. Then one of our reels, about the Blue Spring in Putaruru, hit over 33M views and gave us exactly the boost we’d been after.
As our audience grew, so did the questions. We were getting New Zealand travel questions in our DMs every single day. So we launched 1:1 call services. We’ve helped more than 15 travellers so far. Talking directly with our audience has been one of the best parts of this.
We also noticed the same questions coming up again and again: the best time to visit, where to stay in Auckland. That’s when we started taking this blog seriously.
We realised we had so much experience and inside knowledge that could actually make someone’s trip better. Then one of our 1:1 clients asked if we could plan his entire trip, and that was all the confidence we needed to keep sharing here, for a wider audience, and to offer to plan trips personally for anyone who wants the help.
Whether you’re planning 10 days in the South Island or 15 days across both, renting a car or a campervan, we’re sharing our experiences and every lesson we learn as we travel. And if you have questions, reach out to us over email or drop us a DM on Instagram.
Our New Zealand Bucket List
New Zealand is our backyard, and we’re nowhere near done exploring it. Here’s what’s still on our list, and what we’ve already ticked off, from off-beat spots and hidden gems to national parks and proper bucket list experiences.
✅ Winery hopping on Waiheke Island ⬜ Sunset kayak from Auckland to Rangitoto ⬜ Northern Explorer scenic rail, Auckland to Wellington ⬜ Mount Cook Grand Circle ✅ Hike Mount Tarawera ✅ Tongariro Alpine Crossing ⬜ Whale watching in Kaikōura ✅ Franz Josef Glacier heli landing ✅ Roys Peak ⬜ Mueller Hut ✅ Doubtful Sound overnight cruise ⬜ Learn to ski on The Remarkables✅ Stargaze in the Mackenzie Basin
