Born in Korea · Living in New Zealand · Travelling with two kids
Journey
Smarter.
Live Deeper.
I moved to New Zealand over a decade ago with a one-way ticket and zero idea what I was doing.
Since then, I’ve made every mistake you can make in this country. Drove hours to Hot Water Beach without checking the tide — stood on cold, flat sand wondering what the fuss was about. Took the winding Coromandel road with a toddler who threw up three times before we gave up and turned around. Went on our first family camping trip on Christmas Day and spent the entire time getting rained on. Bought a tent for a spring trip, froze through the night with no heater, and returned it the next week. Visited Paihia and Russell in winter when even the seagulls had left town. Drove to Mount Cook in July and nearly got stranded in a snowstorm.
Eleven years and two kids later, I’ve figured out what the travel blogs don’t tell you — mostly by getting it wrong first.
What’s a Herinian?
Someone who lives between two worlds — and uses that in-between place to see things others miss.
I’m not quite a local. I’m not quite a tourist. I know where the locals eat and which roads to avoid in summer, but I still remember what it felt like to land here for the first time with no idea how anything worked.
That in-between perspective is what makes this site different. I write for people who want honest, practical travel information — from someone who’s actually living it.
One Rule
If I haven’t been there, it’s not on this site.
No press trips. No sponsored “top 10” lists written from a hotel desk. Every guide here comes from real trips — the kind where you’re budgeting fuel stops, negotiating with a 4-year-old over lunch, and wondering if the weather will hold for one more hour.
Every price is real. Every route is tested. Every recommendation comes from having spent actual money and actual time — not from a quick internet search.
What You’ll Find Here
New Zealand
Deeply, not broadly
I’ve driven every major South Island route more times than I can count. Campervan comparisons, day trips from Christchurch, road trip itineraries — all tested with my family, all with actual costs.
Korea
From the inside
I was born there. When I go back, I don’t visit as a tourist — I eat where my family eats, ride the subway I grew up with, and know which street food stalls have been there for 30 years. The real version, not the Instagram version.
Beyond Borders
Where we’ve actually been
Bali, Gili, Australia, Singapore stopovers. We spent 17 nights in Bali with two kids — every dollar spent, every decision made, every lesson learned. If we haven’t been, it’s not here.
Smart Tips
The practical layer
The apps, the cards, the tools that actually save money. Not theory — the exact amounts saved, and the mistakes I made figuring it all out.
How I See Travel
I don’t write about places I’ve visited once for an afternoon. I write about the places I’ve returned to, the routes I’ve driven multiple times, the restaurants I’d take my own friends to. Depth beats breadth, every time.
I don’t say “affordable” without telling you the exact number. “$5,666 for 17 days in Bali as a family of four” — that’s the standard here. Vague claims don’t help anyone plan a trip.
I’m not chasing the lowest price. I’m chasing the highest value — the experience that feels like a splurge but wasn’t. The sweet spot where quality meets a family budget.
“I write the guides I wish I had
when I first landed here with
no idea how anything worked.”
Journey Smarter · Live Deeper · The Herinian
Questions about New Zealand, Korea, or anywhere else I’ve written about? I read every message.