What Holidays Mean To Me by Murray Bevan
Summer in New Zealand is a time for me to take my watch off, forget what day it is, sleep in, eat lots of fresh fruit, go fishing, swimming, read books and magazines on the beach, cook BBQ’s, visit the countryside on day trips, be with family and [...]

Heading north out of Wanaka, in the South Island of New Zealand, State Highway 6 bridges a young Clutha River. The river is glacier fed and even at the height of summer the water temperature is still what might be called “refreshing”. Standing on the bridge it’s easy to spot trout flirting with local fisherman. [...]

Cartel is a great little not-too-pretentious and not-too-conservative bar in SOL Square (Off Lichfield Street), Christchurch.
It’s a tiny little space, but I seem to recall the bartender saying something about bringing a horse inside for the staff party?

Tree Crop Farm is a romantic little B&B made up of a small farm house and 3 standalone cottages, all nestled snuggly into the Akaroa hillside.

My partner and I stayed in one of the cottages on a cold and rainy weekend which made it all the more enjoyable to be rugged in front of an [...]

Now here’s a cafe that lives up to its name!
Started very recently by a couple of clever folk who also know a thing or two about the coffee roasting business, this sneaky little hideaway serves up low-key brunch like cheese toasties, sardines on toast, jam donuts and muesli, with a supreme selection of coffee and [...]

I rediscovered my romantic side a few months ago and decided it was time to take a break with my girlfriend up north for a bit of R&R.
Kourawhero Lodge is a tranquil and rather expansive location that completely takes you away from the city life, a perfect 40-50mins drive north of Auckland.
Our stay was only [...]

I am the kind of person who has to know what is going on EVERYWHERE. From London to Tokyo to Sri Lanka I want to be informed. So to keep up with what is going on in New Zealand, I check in with my homie www.isaaclikes.com (ok we aren’t really homies and I [...]

Despite being a must-do activity for Kiwis and tourists alike, until now I had never been to Ninety Mile Beach. Having finally done it feels like I have completed some kind of rite of passage.
It is a truly liberating feeling to drive at 100 kilometres per hour on what is probably the widest two-lane highway [...]

Rotorua. The tourism capital of New Zealand. Mud pools, hot springs, bubbling geysers, Maori dancers, sheep shearing. The works.

Then there’s Rotorua, the quiet, serene, idyllic getaway destination that most of us (even those of us who live here) wouldn’t believe existed.
Well, on Easter weekend, 2008. I found it. Like a Christopher Columbus wannabe (but with [...]

As you can see from the photos, Whakatane Airport looks like something out of Teletubbies or that has been built with Lego.
It’s naive and playful exterior is actually the result of Wellington architect Roger Walker and was a masterpiece of its time.
When you arrive on the tarmac, several casually-dresed attendants rush to secure the planes [...]