When visiting Queenstown you’ll eventually have to dust off your hiking boots and hit a trail or two. The scenery, which mostly consists of jagged snow-capped peaks, glassy lakes and calm coves, kind of demands it. But what to do if you’re unfit, lazy or short on time? Luckily there

The entire Abel Tasman National Park Coastal Track takes anywhere from three to five days to complete, but what if I told you that you could see some of the park’s best beaches, tracts of exotic forest and viewpoints on a day hike. Would you be interested? Would a set

Cars represent freedom in New Zealand. When you’re a teenager they open up a whole new world of parties and lunchtime drives to KFC. When you’re 32 they are vessels in which to explore the country — hubcap thieving gravel roads, overrun tourist sites, deserted beaches, iconic mountains and all. The most I’d

I spent the first 10 years of my life in Timaru, a nondescript little city about halfway between Christchurch and Dunedin. Oamaru is about an hour away from Timaru, and we always regarded it as our ugly, boring little brother. That is the case no more; Oamaru has reinvented itself

After gorging on paradise white sand beaches in Asia, I couldn’t help but think about the coastal areas in my own neck of the woods. A world away in both distance and looks, the rugged stretch of coast just south of Dunedin (my home town) known as the Catlins is

I remember seeing a TV show about a group of ghost hunters searching for evidence of the supernatural in the sleepy old gold mining town of St Bathans, New Zealand. They didn’t find anything (apart from a photo that looked like it was digitally enhanced), so I took it upon myself

The rainy West Coast of New Zealand is one of the most rugged and beautiful areas of the country. From melting glaciers and windswept beaches to lush forest and jagged mountains, it’s perfect if you’re looking to see some top-notch nature. Milford Sound is without doubt the star attraction – its

I set off for Mount Doom at 8.30 am from Clyde, a small town in Central Otago, New Zealand. My companions were Steve, son of Lloyd, and Princess Gia of Manila. Our quest was to get to the Tongariro Crossing and find Mount Doom (and capture it in a great