HOW I TRAVEL

The New Zealand-born actor on sailing, teenage adventures and walking as a form of meditation.

Actor Sara Wiseman.

Other than a trip to Disneyland,

my childhood holidays were spent sailing on our family yacht around Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf in summer, and skiing on Mount Ruapehu in winter, so I learnt to sail at a young age and I also became a competitive skier and raced through my teenage years. I cherish those memories wholeheartedly.

Being under sail is one of the best feelings

– the feeling of not having any worries in the world. I remember my dad being at the helm, and laying up at the bow with the sail in front of me and the sun and the sound of the waves as the boat carved its way through the water. Just lying there and falling asleep was absolute bliss, then I woke up to a dolphin swimming at the bow of the boat.

At 19 I headed off on my own little adventures.

In New Zealand a gap year is called an OE which stands for “overseas experience”. I had a working visa for the states, so I went and worked on a ski field in Breckenridge, Colorado, for a season, which was extraordinary.

While I was living in Colorado,

I made friends with a bunch of international travellers, as you do. A few of us wanted to thaw out so we decided to go on a trip to Jamaica, and it was there that I had possibly one of the scariest experiences of my life. I had to go to the US consulate in Kingston to renew my visa – I drove all night to get there and arrived at four am, so I slept in the car outside waiting for the consulate to open. I woke up with six semi-automatic rifles pointed at me from outside the car. It was the police and they were screaming at me to get out – they thought I was some sort of terrorist. It all ended well but it was definitely a wake-up call.

Visiting Jamaica was probably the most culture shock I’ve ever felt,

but in a good way. It was really eyeopening to be in the minority and to be surrounded by very humble, loving people that cherish music.

One of my favourite places to visit

is Yosemite National Park in California. Words really can’t describe it… the scale and the pristine beauty. I usually stay in a camp where deer walk by and bears sit across the river. The hiking is incredible, too. There’s an infamous granite rock you can climb called Half Dome, and also El Capitan, which is meant to be the best rock-climbing face in the world. I’d live there if they did theatre!

My most memorable trips have been quite adventurous.

I walked the 800km Camino de Santiago in Spain – it was pretty full on. For me, walking is a form of meditation, where I can let my thoughts roam and sift through what’s happening in my world. There’s something wonderful about immersing yourself in deep nature and avoiding the city for a bit, and just taking in some vistas that aren’t a TV or phone screen.

This year I’d love to get back to Yosemite,

that’s always a big goal. But it all depends on my contractual obligations with work. Also on the bucket list is Greece, and I would love to get back to Italy. I’d really like to go exploring through Tasmania, too – I’ve only been to Hobart. I have so many incredible pictures of Tasmania saved on my Instagram.

Just back from… Oahu, Hawaii.

Next up… Nothing planned yet; it all depends on my work schedule.

Sara Wiseman appears in two new shows this year, One Lane Bridge and Between Two Worlds, both airing on Channel 7.