There’s a version of experiencing New Zealand’s Southern Lakes that involves booking a guided walk, staying in huts for a few nights and arriving at the other end with abundant photos of spectacular vistas and some very good stories. This isn’t that. This is about what’s accessible as a day hike from a warm house, […]

The South Island of New Zealand is not a fly-and-flop destination, and Wānaka least of all. If you’re planning a significant trip together, a honeymoon or a milestone anniversary or simply the kind of holiday you’ve been putting off long enough that now’s the time, then the default templates of a beach resort, city break, […]

The Southern Way is the name Tourism New Zealand has given to the network of routes linking the south of the South Island into one explorable loop. From Oamaru and Dunedin on the east coast, down to the Catlins and Stewart Island, through Murihiku Southland and into Fiordland before the icing on the cake of […]

Most first-time visitors to New Zealand’s South Island put Queenstown on the itinerary without much deliberation. It’s the world’s adventure capital – a title and a reputation deservedly earned and as such one of the headline ‘must-visit’ destinations in New Zealand. Most people will have heard of Queenstown even if they can’t tell you where […]

The poplar trees that line the fence rows and creek beds of the Wānaka basin were planted for practical reasons: erosion control, shelter, farm boundaries. Yet every April, they turn a shade of gold that stops visitors in their tracks, provides a sense of familiar knowing for locals and draws photographers and selfie takers alike. […]