We love New Zealand. The entire country is an exhortation for travellers like us to be open to new experiences. Whether it’s driving around the breathtakingly scenic South Island or food-hopping in Auckland or sipping hand-brewed filter coffee in Wellington, New Zealand never ceases to amaze.
From whale-watching in Kaikoura to observing albatrosses soaring in Otago; from scaling Fox Glacier to revelling in the fragrance of a lavender farm; from playful dolphins in Doubtful Sound to dancing around giant boulders in Moeraki — the only question on our minds is simply “What shall we do and see next?”
AUCKLAND | Flavours from around the world
Consistently rated as one of the most liveable cities in the world, Auckland has a great food scene. You could spend a whole day dining in Auckland and explore the many culinary influences New Zealand has absorbed over the years from the different cultures who have made it home – from the French to the Vietnamese.
From Manuka honey and savoury gözleme at the La Cigale French Market in Parnell to the flat whites and freshly-made crêpes at Ponsonby Central, there is always something tasty just around the corner.
WELLINGTON | Coffee capital
Wellington is considered by many to be one of the coffee capitals of the world, if not the coffee capital. Home to excellent coffee, talented and skilled baristas, and more cafés than we can count, great coffee is more than a lifestyle here — it’s a fact of life.
Certainly the quality of its brews does not disappoint, from a Swiss Gold cuppa at Red Rabbit Coffee Co. to siphon brews at Lamason Brew Bar. The flagship store of Kiwi roaster Coffee Supreme, Customs Brew Bar, can be found at Ghuznee Street. Grab to go or linger at hipster hangouts Flight Coffee Hangar and Memphis Belle.
There’s more than coffee, of course: paddle-boarders and paddle crabs at Queens Wharf; the splendid Wellington Botanical Garden; and the scenic
crossing of Cook Strait to the South Island.
[ Read more about Wellington ]
SOUTH ISLAND | Wild and mysterious
Revel in floral splendour of lavender farms in Kaikoura and Wanaka. Go whale-watching. Dance where the bluest lake meets the highest mountain. Explore the windswept coastal roads of Otago, so full of wildlife – fur seals and shags, seagulls and albatrosses, penguins and even Cheshire cats (yes, really.)
Meditate on silence while traversing the Doubtful Sound, a serene and isolated fiord in the south-western tip of the island. Replicate the Fellowship of the Ring’s icy trek over the Pass of Caradhras by walking on a glacier. Cross Middle-earth, from the flat Canterbury Plains to the rugged Arthur’s Pass.