Labour Weekend Lineup
It’s been a long, grueling winter. With no national public holidays since Queen’s Birthday, we Kiwi’s have had an almost five month haul since the last long weekend. Not to worry, Labour Weekend finally beckons, and it’s full of springtime promise.Labour Day in New Zealand dates back 125 years to October 1890, when civic employees […]
Diwali Down Under
“Spice Up Your Life”, urge colourful posters for Diwali, the Hindu festival celebrating the triumph of light over darkness, and good over evil. The exact significance of the festival varies in different parts of India, however much like the way Christmas is celebrated by millions of non-Christians, the Diwali festivals are accepted around the world […]
Cape Reinga To Bluff – A Photo Tour Of The Ultimate Kiwi Road Trip
New Zealand; Middle Earth; Paradise – whatever you want to call it, the best way to explore NZ is by taking a good old-fashioned road trip. And the ultimate Kiwi road trip takes you from Cape Reinga in the north to Bluff in the south. Note – this isn’t exactly what you’d call the most […]
Brewer’s Dozen: 13 Outstanding New Zealand Bars
The public bar was once our home away from home. You were guaranteed a comfy seat, familiar faces, hearty meals and a convivial atmosphere any night of the week. Latterly, progress of a sort has threatened the survival of many pubs; drink-driving campaigns, the smoking ban, and distractions from the internet and social media have […]
Guide To The Waitomo Glow-Worm Caves
The Waitomo Caves are long and intricate underground cave network – but what really makes them famous is the spectacular population of glow-worms, who illuminate the darkness and create a dazzling galaxy throughout. There are many ways to explore depending on your level of fitness and desire for adventure. It’s a truly magical destination that […]
This Day in NZ History: The Sea Devil
October 7,1917. Count Felix von Luckner, known as the “Sea Devil”, arrives in New Zealand for internment in our very own POW camp, Motuihe Island. As captain of the sailing ship Seeadler, he and his crew had sunk 14 allied merchant ships in less than seven months, with only one (accidental) loss of life. […]
Bikes, Brogues & Britches – The Sunday Best Ride
The pastime of cycling has fallen into disrepute. Once a source of freedom and fun for whole families, it is now the pursuit of but a few smug, lycra-clad cretins who thrive on lurid sports drinks, lung-fulls of carbon monoxide, and abuse from motorists. In celebration of the true pleasures of bicycling, we […]
Stranger than Fiction: The Margaret Mahy Family Playground
Author of more than 100 picture books, 40 novels, and 20 collections of short stories, Margaret Mahy is probably New Zealand’s most celebrated children’s writer. She was awarded the Order of New Zealand in 1993, and in 2006, the Hans Christian Anderson award for her contribution to children’s literature. In conferring the honour, […]
Dark Sky At Night, Astronomer’s Delight
Nestled in the heart of the South Island is New Zealand’s own Dark Sky Reserve, a first for the southern hemisphere and, at 4300 square km, the largest in the world. Established in 2012, it signifies a commitment to preserve not just our land and marine environments, but the views above us. This is […]
Waikato War Driving Tour
On the afternoon of 2 April 1864, 300 Maori men, women and children under the command of Chief Rewi Maniapoto, were holed up in the unfinished Orakau pa (fort). They had kept over 1400 British soldiers at bay for three days, but their supplies of water, food and ammunition were running perilously low. Facing the […]
