Our Australasia expert, Meg, recently visited the far-flung, fantastical New Zealand during winter and returned a shoulder-season enthusiast. Here's what she had to say... New Zealand is one of those bucket-list, once-in-a-lifetime trips for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. When you’re travelling that far, you want the trip to be spectacular – but high-season crowds can often spoil the fun. Precious time can be spent in queues and traffic, only to arrive and find that you're sharing the most serene and scenic spots with hundreds of other selfie-snapping tourists.
10th July 2025 - New Zealand Travel Inspiration
The scenery speaks for itself when it comes to reasons to visit New Zealand. Even so, we’ve listed a few more to sway you; naturally, the draw of the Hobbiton film set also goes without saying. Sitting pretty in the South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand’s North and South Islands boast everything from geothermal landscapes and mirror-like lakes to extensive mountain ranges and majestic glaciers. Tongariro
3rd November 2024 - New Zealand Adventure
We’ll level with you. Drawing up a shortlist of unmissable landscapes in New Zealand has been challenging to say the least. The country is one unmissable landscape after another; volcanos, mountains, beaches, geysers, forests, vineyards, fiords, glaciers and so much more. The Kiwis don’t call it Godzone (God’s own country) for nothing. So, with the caveat that we could never cram every extraordinary sight into a single blog post, here are just a few of our favourites.
23rd August 2023 - New Zealand The Natural World
A thrill-seeker’s playground, an oenophile’s wonderland and a geographer’s dream, New Zealand offers the perfect blend of adventure and indulgence. Home to sprawling mountain ranges and glacier carved fjords as well as mouth-watering wine scenes and mystical Lord of the Rings scenery, this southern hemisphere superstar definitely deserves a top spot on your bucket list. Combine the North and South Islands for an epic adventure spent wandering from one vibrant vista to another as the scent of salty sea air (often mixed with the funkier smell of sheep farming) wafts by.
6th May 2022 - New Zealand Travel Inspiration
For some cooking inspiration, try this luxury roast pork recipe picked up by Pip in New Zealand... Ingredients: Organic Pork loin Parmesan Parma Ham Garlic Sage New potatoes Bramley apples (or any that you have knocking around) Red Cabbage Recipe: The meat... To prepare the Pork, season it gently in a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Then make 4 tiny slits on one side of the pork and put half a garlic glove and sage in each.
28th June 2021 - New Zealand Food & Drink
Otahuna Any visitor to New Zealand looking to experience the Maori concept of manaakitanga (the importance of hospitality towards guests) need look no further than Otahuna Lodge. The American owners have pulled off that difficult trick of blending the contemporary (modern art by leading Kiwi artists, outdoor Jacuzzi) with an extremely traditional setting (original Victorian wallpaper, croquet lawn) to create one of the South Island's most distinctive and welcoming lodges.
28th June 2021 - New Zealand Hotels
Hotel DeBrett Set in the heart of the fashionable district of downtown Auckland, the contemporary and stylish Hotel DeBrett is the perfect base from which to explore the city's elegant shops and numerous art galleries. 25 individually decorated Art Deco style rooms range from classic en suites, boutique suites with separate living spaces and loft suites, which set on two levels are ideal for families.
28th June 2021 - New Zealand Hotels
This is arguably one of the best countries for road trips. Glacial lakes, snow-covered fjords and mountain peaks, volcanoes, fertile plains, subtropical forests, beaches and rugged coastlines : New Zealand's roads and trails traverse landscapes of astonishing diversity and spectacular beauty. Here's a selection of our favourite road trips in New Zealand. Our New Zealand specialists offer you their selection of the best routes to travel.
28th June 2021 - New Zealand Adventure
Nature is never far away in New Zealand. As soon as you leave a city you're in some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, and these are some of the best books to read before travelling to New Zealand which will give you a great introduction for your trip. 1 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous You'll read all about New Zealand's amazing scenery before you step foot in it. This book follows the life of a local boy called Billy, the child of farmers.
6th November 2019 - New Zealand Culture
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