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Cromwell in Autumn. © Southern Lightscapes Australia

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Central Auckland: bustling, beautiful, always beguiling

Auckland. Our diverse and buzzing supercity attracts lovers of good food, good beaches and hearty adventures in the great outdoors. Read the story . . . 

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Whakaari White Island: a moonscape of volcanic desolation

Some volcanoes are stroppier than others. A stroll on Mount Eden, for example, feels safe. A poke around on the flanks of Whakaari — White Island — by contrast, does not writes John McCrystal.  Read the story . . . 

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Loved by the locals: Southern Lakes

From film festivals and markets to MTB and a celebration of colour, Southern Lakes has something for everyone . . .  Read the story . . . 

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Egmont National Park: the shining mountain

Seen from above, the Egmont National Park on the western coast of the North Island forms almost a perfect circle, surrounding the beautiful Mount Taranaki. Read the story . . . 

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Cape Palliser: dramatically scenic

When a wind whips up from Antarctica and heads north driving a swell before it, the first bit of the North Island it hits is Cape Palliser. And like every other spot where land and sea come to serious blows, the cape is spellbindingly magical. Read the story . . . 

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Hawke’s Bay: in search of the good life

Writer Tracey Wogan and her family are stoked to have escaped the urban rat race and currently revel in Hawke’s Bay, a place that isn’t on the way to anywhere and requires deliberate choice to discover its delights.  Read the story . . . 

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Rodney: twin coasts

Where the city runs out, Rodney begins . . . This is a land of two coasts: the white-sand beaches opening onto the benign waters of the Hauraki Gulf and the black sand shores of the west coast. Read the story . . . 

Orewa beach has regained its soul. © Deniz Unlusu

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Dunedin city: islands in the flow

Writer and filmmaker Bill Morris recommends hunting out the stayers when you visit Dunedin, the ones who guard a poorly kept secret — that this is is one of the world’s great cities, without the traffic and with all the natural splendours of ten other cities.  Read the story . . . 

Out and about > Food and drink > Art and culture

Loved by the locals: South Auckland

Do what the locals do in South Auckland. Read the story . . . 

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Te Urewera: the national park that isn’t

Te Urewera, the mountainous homeland of Ngai Tuhoe, the Children of the Mist, spent 60 years as a national park — a brief period really, explains Toi Iti, considering the place still holds evidence of its seabed origins millions of years earlier. Read the story . . . 

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Larnach Castle: a vision of past and present

If you missed Larnach Castle on your trip out to wing it with the albatrosses, you must have been on Facebook. It stands proud and bold on the highest point of the entire Otago Peninsula. Read the story . . . 

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Nelson Lakes National Park: New Zealand’s Lakes District

Nelson Lakes National Park lies at the head of the Southern Alps and features majestic mountain ranges, with the breathtaking lakes Rotoroa and Rotoiti at its very heart.  Read the story . . . 

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Must-Do's Queenstown: New Zealand's adventure capital

Queenstown Hill, just out of town, is more than worth a peek, and you can make its peak in an hour if you get a wriggle on, and check out the series of information panels showcasing the past, present and predicted future of this stunning part of the world. Read the story . . . 

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TranzAlpine: the rail journey considered one of the best in the world

Feast on one breath-taking view after another as you travel from Christchurch to Greymouth on one of the greatest rail journeys in the world, drinking in rolling farmland, snow-capped mountains, deep gorges, serene, ice-fed rivers and lush rainforests, all from the comfort of your seat. Read the story . . .