Our Travel

Like a mighty sperm whale, which should never be appreciated only from the water’s surface, it pays to explore this charming seaside town at greater depth.

When a gaggle of gardeners get together to make something happen, an entire district can reverberate with the result for years.

Natural minerals in geothermal springs around the country have therapeutic properties ‒ and keep toes toasty.

Rats, stoats, kea — and vistas few get to see — Mark Orbell takes visitors to his favourite part of the country, showing off Wānaka’s wildlife, including some he hopes to find neither alive nor kicking.

The planting layout of the country’s national arboretum, Eastwoodhill, near Gisborne, is undergoing a reshuffle to a 100-year plan.

A writer/photographer takes a walking tour of the country’s capital, stopping for swirling sculptures, naked models and extremely good cake.

Fancy a day trip away from the city? These three walks have birds, bush and beach all covered.

Boutique owner Karan Gregory has an eye for business based on experience earned, not learned.

Welcome to the golden age of cycling, of aching calf muscles and helmet hair. Thousands are pumping up their tyres to explore the best of New Zealand on two wheels.

This spectacular part of Fiordland National Park was once the site of early European contact, exploration and settlement. those early pioneers, and the successful endeavours of more recent conservationists, have inspired a book.

While the golden triangle of Waihi, Whangamata and Waihi Beach isn’t short on glittering activities and pristine landscapes, the Coromandel’s true gems are not tour stops but people giving back to the community.

What lures visitors to Nelson often convinces them not to leave when their holiday is over.

What a story Christchurch has to tell. Once upon a time, its people looked back to Mother England, but today’s citizens are creating one of the world’s most modern cities.

Explore these scenic hotspots without the crowds, enjoying the calm of centuries-old trees and the drifting mist of a hidden waterfall.

Palpable energy courses between Gore and Lawrence, the rural area where Southland stands shoulder to shoulder with Otago.

From the cathedral-like limestone passages of the Ōpārara Basin to small, well-worn coal towns, the isolation of the Buller district feeds the soul.

An entrepreneurial couple have built a Fiordland-based business that takes New Zealanders out of their daily lives and back in time.

A stay at these all-glass cabins on the outskirts of Kaikoura is to step into a magical realm where the world is reframed and time works in mysterious ways.

Don't just expect the unexpected in Ōamaru's Harbour Street. Expect the extraordinary.

Rugged, dramatic, pristine... the Catlins are mesmerizing. They’re also comparatively under-explored. Pack those bags.

Where once miners dug for gold and glory in the hills above the Buller Gorge, now hikers and bikers discover new depths on the longest dual trail in the country.

Lake Waikaremoana is a special place; we share the best places to walk, explore and learn from this amazing part of New Zealand.

The humble reed is the foundation of life for people who live on floating islands on Lake Titicaca high in the Andes.

Discover rich history, hidden gems and culinary delights in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.

The new Jeep Gladiator is put through its paces in scenic Central Otago.

Long walks are a much-favoured tour du jour for energetic travelers the world over. One of England's oldest such walks, first officially described in 1973, crosses the country from coast to coast.

Visitors come for the bars, rugby and big-city experiences. But beyond the hustle-and-bustle of the country’s largest metropolis, ancient mounds offer refuge from clamour.

Grab those walking shoes and set the alarm clock. The country's biggest city, home to aeons-old volcanoes and glitzy bars, is begging to be explored on foot.

He lives in Fiji running yacht charters. She lives in Auckland with the kids. It’s a long-distance lifestyle that takes a boatload of love, trust, and passion for the Pacific.

Chris van Ryn faces cold, rain and bolshy animals when he visits the Valley of the Reindeer. But what he discovers is a fairy tale.

Owning a collection of outdoorsy businesses means this Matakana couple are adept at adapting to the wind. But they are also proving pretty flexible when life’s personal challenges blow in.

Campside cooking shouldn’t be limited to scroggin and dehydrated meals. So say the authors of a new illustrated cookbook that encourages trampers to try more adventurous fireside recipes such as fondue and sangria.

On holiday in Venice with actress Alison Quigan

She may only be edging towards her 70s, but Alison Quigan can empathize with Gen, the character she will play in the Auckland Theatre Company’s new comedy.

New Zealanders Jon Lambert and Freya Horder are doing what they can to protect Cambodian pepper farms against European encroachment.

A rural artist is using industrial waste to transform a 200-kilometre loop of dirt road in outback Queensland.

Exploring in grown-up comfort a country first experienced as a youthful adventurer, our food editor discovers that Portugal still tastes the same.

While the town of Jerez de la Frontera siestas, a photographer discovers its rich history, wine, and equestrian culture.

There’s an energy in the Bay of Plenty that has nothing to do with bubbling volcanoes, sunny days and surfer-friendly swell.

Friendly people, wild landscapes and ancient treasures are to be found exploring the remote Chatham Islands in the new Holden SUV range.

Gisborne: What to do, where to eat, and where to stay

Visitors flock for the sun, sea and surf — the Holy Trinity of Gisborne. But beyond the salty air and year-round good vibes, the soul of Gizzy begs for more in-depth exploration.

Get a bird’s eye view of Queensland’s Lake Dunn Sculpture Trail in our exclusive video — featuring spectacular drone footage — by writer/photographer Don Fuchs.

Walkers on the legendary Routeburn Track face sharp summits and spectacular natural vistas.

Costa Ricans are rightfully proud of their political freedoms and stable economy, which is largely dependent on eco-tourism. Rugged and rainforested, the country offers jaw-dropping scenery and striking biodiversity.

As the Matariki star cluster emerges in the crisp mid-winter dawn sky, the time is right to jump into the new Holden Equinox for a trip on some of New Zealand’s oldest roads.

Australia’s iconic Wool Wagon Pathway — a 1100-kilometre route across the Western Australian outback - originally came into being thanks to profits made from wool.

A shared passion for four-wheel traveling has this New Zealand couple chasing all seven continents.

Helen Bint turned her back on the city to live a pioneering life on New Zealand’s remote Chatham Islands.

Troubled, isolated and breathtaking, Myanmar is opening its doors to the world. A visit to its interior reveals a country in development and an almost haunting beauty.

There’s no need to bungy-jump from a bridge or swing perilously close to a cliff-face in a jet-boat to sample the delights of New Zealand's adventure capital. Autumn is a time for gentler pursuits.

On a road trip to the Golden Shears in the new Holden Colorado, Kelly Gillbanks discovers it takes a lot of guts and determination to be a top shearer. It’s a good thing she’s driving the truck of champions.

Kyushu, Japan’s southern major island, has rugged mountains, thick forests, glorious food, and plenty of steam. It’s also heating up for this year’s Rugby World Cup.

The Twin Coast Cycle Trail snakes through Northland’s often raw backcountry. What better way to learn the contours of the land than by bike?

When Sam met Jess on a ski field in Turkey, neither guessed they’d end up running a yacht-support business together in Vanuatu.

Swapping pavlova and sunshine for European waterways and cuckoo clocks helps one voyager realize the festive spirit she never knew she had.

Characters, curiosities and intrepid opportunity lie around every corner of one of New Zealand’s longest rivers.

A cinema-lover discovers a world beyond the familiar attractions of the movie-esque Hawai’ian island of Kaua’i.

The food was exquisite, the sake was flowing and the conversation was filled with colourful travel stories at the NZ Life & Leisure and Walk Japan reader lunch.

For those planning a visit to Mid Canterbury be sure to pick up the phone and chat to some of the region’s collectors.

Not every baby is born with the ability to smile. Cleft palates are a heartbreaking but treatable condition. In Kenya, one photographer documents the mothers and children that make their way to surgery as they embark on a journey of hope.

Stewart Island is a flawless microcosm where the fish is fresh, seeing a kiwi is likely and the genuine welcome also makes it special.

These five historical pubs have have survived the gold rush and the six o'clock swill. They are well worth a visit for those who wish to soak up some New Zealand  history with a cold one in hand.

Discover a region where the sunshine hours are unrivalled and the beaches are shared with sunbathing seals.

Whales and wild waters, sugared beaches and dramatic landscapes, kangaroos and convict chronicles are all wrapped into the story of this isolated coastal stretch made accessible when explored by small ship.

Jim Kayes is egged on by a 12-year-old and gives a terrifying ride in Rotorua a swing.

There are few places one can land a plane on a lake, creep through treetop canopies, dangle feet in geothermal waters and explore the pockmarked landscape left by an enormous explosion.

What better way to get to know a region than by doing a little retail therapy? Treat yourself to a little something special in these four Manawatu stores - a souvenir of sorts.

A long ride on a spine-cracking rickshaw and ten days of excruciating, immobile silence lead to a place of slow-and-surprising recognition.

A cruise passenger speed-dates destinations along the south-east Asian coast, and hopes to meet some of them again.

There are secrets to discover in the Cook Islands by following the road less traveled.

Trying to make sense of South and East Auckland is like peering into a kaleidoscope. Every twist reveals a new scene – there’s the colour of Otahuhu, the calm of Clevedon, the mana of Mangere, the solitude and beauty of the regional parks and the history of Howick.

Sabine Ruijters guides NZ Life & Leisure's Yolanta Woldendorp for a horseback ride to remember in Crete.

Discover "real New Zealand like it was 100 years ago" on Otago's cavalcade, the high country horse ride of a lifetime.

In the monasteries and churches of lower Bavaria, spiritual and secular pleasures go hand in hand.

They say the only way to conquer a fear is to confront it, but Lisa Scott discovers singing “la la la” and completely ignoring it might be less psychologically damaging in the long run.

A New Zealand bibliophile discovers the pleasures and pitfalls of running a bookshop in a small Scottish town.

A gentle walk in the Japanese countryside is an intriguing introduction to the country’s spiritual and cultural heart.

There are three excellent multi-day walks on Stewart Island and one of them is officially Great.

The journey has been every bit as important as the destination for two farming families behind New Zealand’s longest-running private walk.

Visiting Golden Bay - the Insider's Guide has got you covered.

The earth moved for the Feckless Miss Scott on her first three-day tramp high in the Naumann range north of Lake Ohau.

From a very cool bar with a DC3 plane out back, to a cafe where the homemade crumpets have a fan club: here are four places to eat in sun-soaked Gisborne.

'Tis the season for a bit of present shopping. With food, retail, homewares, fashion and entertainment under one roof, everything the heart desires can be found in The Colombo in Christchurch.

Kelly Gillbanks drives the Holden Equinox SUV through the Forgotten World Highway and discovers some colourful New Zealand history  including the feline vice-president of the 'Republic of Whangamomona' and a brand new private museum.

The decommissioned Stratford-Okahukura line covers some of the most isolated country in the North Island making it home to the tunnels, bridges and townships that time forgot.

A visitor to Dublin meets Molly Malone, Oscar Wilde and Handel, and downs his first-ever Guinness in the embrace of a local pub-goer.

Every vista in this world-class garden, photographed through the seasons, tempts visitors down a path laden with promise. Barewood Garden's creator shares how she's grown alongside her garden.

A farewell tour of some of the United States' most famous destinations comes close to breaking the heart of this nature photographer.

Lisa Scott wears her gravel rash as a badge of honour after testing her skills at Queenstown MTB (Mountain Bike) Park.

Gold is hidden in the black sands and gravel creeks of Greymouth but travelers need to venture no further to find quirks and curiosity than Blackball, 30 kilometres inland from Greymouth.

 This week Jim takes the family to Samoa and it is confirmed, those daughters are an easy step ahead of him in his Apia-bought jandals.

This week in the water cooler: we're exploring Napier's Art Deco architecture in style, reducing our use of plastic bags and taking part in an important study.

When a legendary gardener dies, what becomes of his or her garden? Ask Fergus Garrett, the guest speaker at November's Nelmac Garden Marlborough.

Lisa Scott’s first day of snowboarding at Awakino skifield in North Otago involved a helicopter and an avalanche.

There’s plenty waiting to be discovered in the big city of Invercargill and in the small towns that line its wild coast.

New Zealand Photographer Birgit Krippner captured the gritty reality of Russian village life on her journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

To truly get to know Wellington’s hidden secrets, leave the preconceptions at home.

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but what do Game of Thrones, a jigging Irishman and Bill Clinton have in common? Belfast

In this award-winning story, Lisa Scott travels on foot through northern Southland’s high country and on board a helicopter to the roof of the world  in Southland.

Garry Wycherley and Robyn Ansell are putting tiny Awakino on the map, one building at a time

Water, a precious resource, is at its most pristine in a spring-fed stream chuckling its way through the heart of Wanaka

Western Australia’s wild flowers draw hoards of hunters in search of a floral fix.

Baerbel and Thomas Hack were so determined to set up a dream seaside location for horse lovers, they built a road.

Twenty-five years a journalist, Jim Kayes knows how to hook a story but when he ventures out on his rookie fishing trip  he realises hooking a fish is completely different.

A grand city built on a wave of gold-fueled wealth, Dunedin has had its ups and downs. today finds the city very much on a high.

Creating your own human nest? Landscape architect Sara Gerard has some tips on how to survive the renovation process, plus some tree house inspiration.

Jim Kayes is easily led astray by his 10-year-old daughter on a bike along the Hauraki Rail Trail.

Cycling the exotic island of Madagascar provides a lesson in the country's economy, as well as one in humanity.

Ghosts, nudie photographs and a Pacific slave trade - Lisa Scott takes a tour of Port Chalmers and discovers a few skeletons in the closet of this Dunedin suburb.

A sacred forest in Bali’s Ubud is both a conservation area for monkeys and a place where humans strive to reach physical and spiritual well-being in accord with Hindu principles.

Dunedin writer Lisa Scott went adventuring in the Abel Tasman National Park, north west of Nelson, and came away reeling.

Cows and sheep aren’t the only creatures enjoying the bucolic life — holiday-making families can too. as farmers look for new ways to diversify, home-stays and holiday rentals, even posh camping sites – are on the rise.

In a parched and withering place, a New Zealand photographer gets instruction on how to live.

Fun and freedom on a budget? Or the family holiday from hell? Traveling some 1200 kilometres from Christchurch to Auckland in a campervan with two small children isn’t everyone’s idea of heaven. But this family survived… and then some.

Rhianna Osborne lives like a local to enjoy Melbourne without breaking the bank.

For an alternative to well-worn (and often overrun) Tuscany, the relatively unknown Abruzzo region in central Italy offers a true Italian experience with the capacity to surprise.

There may be a few hills to climb and you could well be subjected to a little karaoke, but this trek through some of New Zealand’s best scenery does good in more than one sense.

Featuring New Zealand's largest earthbag buildings, tipis, a permaculture garden and solar energy, Raglan's Solscape eco-camp is leading the way in sustainable tourism.

A travelling foodie changes captures the best of Dunedin - through her phone.

An entrepreneur wants his new website to be the matchmaker of cycling.

Former Auckland art dealer Anna Bibby ignored the voices that told her she was bonkers and upped and moved to small-town France for a life tres tranquille

In a parched and withering place, a New Zealand photographer gets instructions on how to live.

Sue Moody explores Auckland's magenta cycle way - by foot.

When you live on a little island in the middle of a big ocean, you have to make your block of land pay its own way in the most self-sufficient manner possible.

Caught out by the weather while visiting the UK or Ireland? Here are four great museums to visit on a rainy day.

There's a reason why Brook MacDonald is a top 10 World Cup mountain bike rider.

Christchurch’s Averil Stuart-Head followed her heart to create art in a medieval village in Italy.

26 days on a container ship puts life on dry land in perspective for a photographer.

Hotter than Hades in Chihuahua, Mexico

Head into Breaking Bad territory, where land is dry, throats are parched and dogs are very very small.

My wayward wheels: from mountains to the sea

Riding 300 kilometres on the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail can be hard work  but it’s worth every turn of the wheel.

Peta Mathias explores Uzes

The writer, cook and lover of the south of France tempts visitors to dance in her town square.

My wayward feet: walking the Onehunga Foreshore

Aucklanders have a brand new $28 million foreshore on the Manukau Harbour at Onehunga, Sue Moody goes exploring.