Jon Algie 
Billed as New Zealand’s only castle, Larnach Castle is a nice place to visit if you want to add some history into your Dunedin explorations. It’s one of the country’s nicest old buildings and is fun to explore – plus you’ll get some great views of the Otago Harbour from the gardens surrounding the castle. … Read more
One of two popular (and fairly easy) day walks which take you into the mountains above Lake Rotoiti, the Mount Robert Circuit Track features some incredible views of Nelson Lakes National Park. This loop track is actually two tracks joined together and you can start in two different places — keep reading to find out … Read more
Judging by the name, the Centre of New Zealand Walk, on the outskirts of Nelson, must be an iconic place. You’re probably imagining being in the exact centre of the country, or, if you have a more colourful imagination, that you’d head underground (like in Journey to the Centre of the Earth) and see all … Read more
Dunedin, the South Island’s second biggest city, is full of historic sights, beautiful beaches and interesting scenery. It’s easily New Zealand’s best city and you should spend at least a couple of days there before moving onto more iconic places like Queenstown and Fiordland. There are so many fun things to do in Dunedin, both … Read more
One of the best coastal hikes near Nelson is conveniently located 15 minutes from the city. The Cable Bay Walkway takes you over a couple of big hills to some viewpoints looking back towards Nelson and over Cable Bay / Peppin Island. Keep reading to find all the information you’ll need on the Cable Bay … Read more
If you’re looking for an escape from the city and love waterfalls as much as I do, you should consider at trip to Whispering Falls. It’s located in Mount Richmond Forest Park in the Aniseed Valley (40 minutes’ drive from Nelson) and takes around an hour (one way) to walk to. Obviously with a name … Read more
If you want some of the best views in Nelson Lakes National Park without doing a multi-day hike, the St Arnaud Range Track is a great option. This walk takes you from the shores of Lake Rotoiti up to a couple of stunning viewpoints and will take most people 4-5 hours to complete. Keep reading … Read more
If you want to see one of the best waterfalls at the top of the South Island and also get some awesome views of Lake Rotoiti, this is the hike for you. It’ll take three to four hours to hike to Whiskey Falls and back and there is so much to see along the way. … Read more
You’d think the West Coast, one of the wettest and wildest regions of New Zealand, would have heaps of iconic waterfalls. That isn’t really the case, so we had to get a little off the beaten path to seek some out. Coal Creek Falls, a short drive from Greymouth (on the way north to Punakaiki), … Read more
Kaikoura is famous for being a place where “the mountains meet the sea”, but in all my (quick) trips to Kaikoura I’d only ever set foot on (or very near) the coast. On my most recent trip to Kaikoura I decided to head into the hills to see some of the inland attractions. It turned … Read more