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Lake Tekapo in Summer. © Bernard Spragg.

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Coastal Kaikōura: magnificent marine life

There was a time, not so long ago in the grand scale of things, when the whale-watching industry in New Zealand did most of its observation of whales over the . . . Read the story . . . 

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Great Barrier Island: a rugged road trip

Port Fitzroy is only 25 kilometres from Tryphena but it took us nearly three hours to drive there. Read the story . . . 

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Lower Hutt: take me to the river

Lower Hutt: a river runs through it, called – as you’d expect – the Hutt River, although it was known by the tangata whenua as Te Awakairangi, the river where . . . Read the story . . . 

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Otago Rail Experience

Rail was once meant to be the backbone of the New Zealand economy. Read the story . . . 

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South Wairarapa: cobblestones, charm and cheese

It’s a wet weekend when we visit Lake Ferry. The sound of lashing rain adds to the roar of surf pounding the beach. Read the story . . . 

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Out and about

Coromandel Township: hippy haven

Storyteller and author John McCrystal talks hippes, art, food and wine in the Coromandel. Read the story . . . 

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Mauao Mount Maunganui: holiday hotspot

The proper Maori name of Mauao – or ‘the Mount’, as most New Zealanders tend to call it these days – has a certain poetry that ‘Maunganui’ (‘big hill’) does not. Read the story . . . 

Tauranga from Mount Maunganui. © Jose Antonio Maciel Creative #: 612327510

Out and about > Food and drink > Art and culture

Eastland Tairawhiti: first to see the light

Poverty Bay is one of the most fertile areas of New Zealand, famous for its luscious chardonnay wine and its fruit and vegetables, which flourish in the rich, alluvial soils here and in the abundant sunshine, writes Justine Tyerman.  Read the story . . . 

Things to do > Out and about > Art and culture

Urban explorer: Ponsonby

Wealthy, good-looking and oh-so-hip, if Ponsonby was a kid you went to school with, you’d probably hate them. Read the story . . . 

Things to do > Out and about

South Westland: a wonder of the world

If you want the sandfly experience in a UNESCO World Heritage area, then you’ll just have to go to South Westland writes John McCrystal. Read the story . . . 

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Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: enchanting rocky gorge

Explore this enchanted, rocky gorge, an easy drive between Blenheim and Nelson, with its crystal clear river and towering, ancient forests where the dwarves and hobbits of The Hobbit floated downstream in their barrels before drifting ashore on to its sandy beach. Read the story . . . 

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Stewart Island Rakiura: a world away

New Zealand’s third largest island, Stewart Island is a unique, curious place that is well worth a visit. Read the story . . . 

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa: where the location itself is a treasure

Explore this waharoa to our natural and cultural heritage, home to three rugby fields' worth of beautifully crafted space, untold treasures and fascinating stories, including the ground-breaking Gallipoli: The scale of our war. Read the story . . . 

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Hawke’s Bay Wine Trails

You’ll be hard pressed, to slip in a viticultural pun, to find a vineyard that is anything other than an aesthetic delight. They just don’t make ugly wineries! Read the story . . . 

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Timber Trail: cycle in the footsteps of early loggers

Writer Michael Larsen rides through ancient podocarp forest, over some of New Zealand's longest and highest suspension bridges and along an old bush tramway following the hard-fought footsteps of early loggers . . . Read the story . . . 

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Queenstown to Glenorchy Road: a drive to Paradise

Is there a more amazing drive? Forty-five minutes of emerald lake water and bush-clad hills, against a backdrop of snow-touched mountains.  Read the story . . .