Our Travel

Explore My Backyard

Central Otago is a destination for every time of year. We talk to Arrowtown-based architect Anna-Marie Chin about her top places to go when exploring this beautiful slice of Aotearoa.

Picnic Style

With a passion for heading out locally and a love for quality picnic accessories, Susie Jamieson shares an insight into her top picks for exploring your backyard in style!

The trekking treasures of Nepal

Nepal has no shortage of adventures. There are countless trails in the himal (mountains) or pahad (hills), some suited to hikers, trekkers and expeditioners while others are accessible to curious wanderers, offering a charming blend of natural beauty and cultural immersion.

Words & Photos Ridhi Agrawal

Nepal’s teahouse-style trekking experience is a travel highlight. Trekkers make pit stops at teahouses – as the accommodation for trekkers is known – run by locals who provide basic amenities such as a bed, meals, hot water and washrooms. Trekkers typically spend a night or two in the teahouses and move on to the next stop. Having been lucky enough to experience a number of the different trails on offer, I have handpicked three tempting options to inspire your next adventure in the Himalayan country.

The spring season for trekking runs from March until the end of May, and the autumn season from September until late November.]

 

Show & shine for a good cause

Hospice South Canterbury provides those with a terminal illness special care and support on their end-of-life journey; while at the same time supporting the wider family. One of their major annual fundraisers is the Caroline Bay Rock & Hop. We talk to Kim Rogers to find out more about this incredible event.

Lessons in history

A trip to Britain is always a history lesson. Here, we visit some special and varied gems – from historic houses to the charming city of York, an Arts and Crafts architectural masterpiece and a wee Fife fishing village. If you want to experience where a queen slept, walk ancient city walls, or ‘decipher’ the Second World War, read on …

A Restorative Sanctuary

A beautiful haven of peace, tranquillity and calm, Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa is a destination for those seeking stillness and a connection with culture. A Rotorua retreat awaiting to embrace you in its magic.

On the road

Kirianna and Lachlan Poole have built a successful life on the road, travelling the length of New Zealand, Australia and even Japan in their van – with three kids in tow! We get some expert advice on what different campsites in Aotearoa offer to set you up for your summertime adventures.

Pioneering luxury

Travelling 300 days a year, Geoffrey Kent is a veritable expert on the world’s top travel destinations. Here are his top picks to visit …

Developing potential

Third-generation property developer Caroline Cooper-Dixon is a firm believer in finding what you love, and making a living from it. She talks to us about her journey, her learnings and her latest project – Rolleston Fields.

Life at new heights

To celebrate our second wedding anniversary and taking our business to another level with the purchase of NZ Life & Leisure, my husband and I celebrated with a bucket-list adventure by going up.

Escape to paradise: Samanvaya Sidemen Resort offers a tranquil reset

Guests of this luxe Balinese resort are encouraged to fill their days with as much — or as little — as they please.

Hiking the Hexa: Footsteps through France

Hiking the Hexa is a tale of ups, downs and of going the distance... in one way or another.

Exploring Indonesia and Australia from the suite life of a luxury cruise ship

A couple explores the rugged beauty of Indonesia and Australia’s Northern Territory from a luxury cruise ship.

Cruising on the Otago Harbour

A wildlife cruise on the Otago Harbour with this keen skipper could likely turn the most resolute landlubber into an ocean bird obsessive.

A writer explores a tropical oasis

Rangiroa offers aquatic delights and a slice of France in the Pacific for those willing to take the plunge.

A writer explores Adelaide's artistic side

A stroll through the streets and galleries of Adelaide inspires a new way of looking at the city.

3 tramping tracks to check out this summer

New Zealand has no shortage of inexpensive adventures.

Our art director explores the Routeburn Track

A group of friends pull on their tramping boots, fill a bag with anti-inflammatories and celebrate a 70th birthday in style.

Searching for summer on the Sunshine Coast

After a summer without sun, a journey to Australia’s Sunshine Coast supplies a dose of the good stuff.

Explore the sleepy Cambodian town that produces world-renowned pepper

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

Collingwood is a treasure trove of sunny delights

The road to Tākaka is one of Tasman’s less travelled, and the road past that town to Collingwood even less so.

In search of summer: The QT Gold Coast

We took a tour around this groovy beachside accomodation that offers so much more than a standard Gold Coast hotel

The Hollyford track combines adventure and luxury

Because is too short to struggle uphill for five hours on a track named for the devil himself

The healing powers of a hiking holiday in the Canary Islands

A walking holiday on the island of La Palma reconnects two couples separated not by distance, but by mental illness.

Walking in the footsteps of Aussie history

Following the path of one of Australia’s most tragic historical journeys comes with insights and challenges.

A writer explores a different side of Fiji travel

Far-removed from Fiji’s holiday hotspots, a trekking business owned by locals showcases remote villages, mountains and grasslands

5 of New Zealand's quaintest towns

Enjoy a slower pace of life in some of New Zealand’s quaintest towns and villages, where one-of-a-kind shops, pretty architecture and scenic adventures take centre stage.

Under the sea: Diving with sharks in Western Australia

Our art director heads out for a close encounter with the behemoths of Ningaloo Reef.

The hotel for your next luxe Queenstown getaway

The perfect location for a South Island sojourn or special occasion in five-star luxury sits on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

Past, present and future in the Art Deco capital

Thanks to exhibitions about the 1931 earthquake and the return of the city’s popular art deco festival, Napier continues to keep its past present and future.

The W Trek: This 80km tramp through Patagonia is worth the climb

This five-day hiking adventure through a Patagonian paradise is wild, wonderful and undeniably world-class.

3 coastal spectacles to visit this summer

Sea stacks, limestone arches and caves are not a random quirk of nature but a result of New Zealand's unique and complex geological history.

Photo essay: In case you need another excuse to visit Stewart Island/Rakiura

A backcountry photographer captures the raw, natural beauty of New Zealand’s third largest island in his book, Rakiura.

5 ways to soak up the Marlborough Sounds in a day

There’s nothing quite like a mosey through Marlborough’s majestic sea-drowned valleys on a gloriously sunny day.

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