Central Christchurch is home to a variety of attractions, including beautiful old buildings, the meandering Avon River, street art, the botanic gardens and various reminders of the Christchurch earthquakes. It’s a strange mix of the old, the new and the soon to be demolished. A fun way to explore central

One of my earliest memories was driving through the lion enclosure at Orana Wildlife Park and seeing lions wandering around outside the car. You can’t do that anymore (that all ended in 1995), but it was exciting to return to this place after so many years. Orana Wildlife Park has a

Lake Tekapo, the tiny town with an old stone church by the lake of the same name, is the perfect place to relax after hiking in the Mount Cook / Mackenzie Basin region. After a long day of hiking it’s hard to beat a relaxing soak in the Tekapo Springs

In small town New Zealand there generally isn’t much to do when the sun goes down. That’s not the case for Tekapo though, as it sits in New Zealand’s (and the Southern Hemisphere’s) only dark sky reserve, meaning it’s ideal for stargazing. Earth and Sky invited us to do the

This underrated hiking track, just a 30 minute drive from Twizel on the road towards Mount Cook and Tekapo (from Dunedin), features sweeping views of Lake Benmore and the Waitaki Valley. Hiking the Benmore Peninsula Track only takes an hour or two and it’s easily one of the best things

The short and (relatively) easy Rakaia Gorge Walkway takes you to some beautiful viewpoints where you’ll see snow-capped mountains, rolling countryside and the crisp blue waters of the Rakaia Gorge. If you’re driving through the Canterbury High Country and want to get out and stretch your legs I’d highly recommend

Have you ever been to a place so beautiful that you can’t work out why more people don’t know about it? For us that’s the Hakatere Conservation Park / Ashburton Lakes District, a stunning collection of tiny lakes and scenic roads surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It’s a dream to drive

Hiking to tiny Lake Emily, set amidst golden tussocks and surrounded by snow-capped mountains, is one of the highlights of any trip to the Hakatere Conservation Park. This region of the Canterbury High Country is part of the wider Ashburton Lakes area and has that perfect combination of stunning views

In case you haven’t heard already, a little film series known as the Lord of the Rings trilogy (as well as the less well-loved Hobbit trilogy) was filmed in New Zealand. There are heaps of filming locations all over the country, and Mount Sunday, a little rocky hill thing surrounded

There are some places in New Zealand which would never be the main destinations for tourists. Lake Ruataniwha is one of those. You’ll pass it when driving between Queenstown / Wanaka and Mount Cook / Tekapo and it makes for a nice place to stop for a quick rest or