Blog
-
The 7 Best Beaches Near and Around Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland gets a bad rap, especially from the rest of the country. There’s a lot of noise made about the traffic and the house prices, but if you ask us, there are a lot of reasons to be a fan of the City of Sails. One of these, of course, is the number of beautiful…
-
The best hiking trails in and around Auckland, NZ
Auckland may be New Zealand’s biggest smoke, but it’s far from a concrete jungle. It’s a city built on an isthmus surrounded by water and regional parks, and enveloped by ranges of native bush. There’s so much to explore, and luckily for the rest of us, there have been people throughout the history of the…
-
The 12 Best Hikes in New Zealand – North & South Islands
Kiws love to tramp. If that sentence made no sense to you, it’s not as saucy as it sounds – apologies. It simply means that down here in New Zealand, hiking, or tramping as it’s known locally, is a beloved national pastime. Along with slinging a rugby ball around and slapping some sausies on the…
-
Backpacking in New Zealand: What to Do, Where to Go, What to Bring
We all know the best stories come from those times when you’re just about broke, in a foreign country, with an unquenchable thirst for adventure. For the nomadic spirit that wants to fill up their arsenal with ridiculous tales for a later date, New Zealand is the best place to get on the road with…
-
Queenstown by foot, water and air: top 15 things to do
If New Zealand has a crown jewel, Queenstown takes the spot, and for good reason. Tucked into the heart of Central Otago, it’s the kind of place that makes you want to amble in awe, whether that’s down its cobbled streets, through surrounding native bush and towering mountain ranges, or across a world class golf…
-
The Complete Guide to New Zealand’s National Parks
New Zealand may be just a wee place, but it sits proudly at the top of many bucket lists around the world. People flock with wide eyes, hiking boots and cameras, eager to relish in it all, but this hasn’t always been the case. Like most countries with a history of colonisation, plenty of the…
-
Things to Do in Rotorua and Why it’s called RotoVegas
A trip to Rotorua (or Rotovegas as it’s fondly known by New Zealanders) will take you to another planet. Alive with bubbling, steaming geothermal activity, the place literally feels like Mars, and on top of the inside-a-crater-of-a-volcano feeling, Rotorua is also an absolute gold mine of exploration and adventure. Whether you’re after a soak in…
-
Ski Touring in New Zealand – What Do You Need and How to Prepare
For an alien paying a visit to earth, witnessing a group of humans going ski touring would (if they had any shadow of a doubt) confirm suspicions that we are absolutely mad. It involves attaching planks of wood to our feet, walking them uphill in zig zigs, stopping (a lot) to adjust gear, and finally,…
-
New Zealand’s National Dish (plus other weird and wonderful Kiwi foods)
Does New Zealand actually have a national dish? As the Italians proudly pound their pizza dough, and the Mexicans make tacos in their sleep, New Zealanders are a little let self-assured about their national dish. It’s understandable, too – New Zealand is a young country, with both indigenous and colonial influence, busy cities and sleepy…