Location: The Black Swan Lakeside Boutique Hotel is on the shores of Lake Rotorua in the Rotorua suburb of Kawaha Point. How big is the hotel? Think of it as a mansion converted into a boutique hotel, in this case, a 9-bedroom luxury property on a finely manicured 1 acre section. What sets the Black…
The Pacifica: What it’s like staying in NZ’s tallest residential building
Location: Apartment 3401, level 34 of the 57-storey Pacifica Tower, 12 Commerce Street, Auckland CBD. On the doorstep of the fashionable Britomart neighbourhood with its restaurants, bars and boutique stores. Just how tall is the Pacifica? At 178.7m, it is the tallest residential building in New Zealand and the third tallest structure behind the 180.1m…
Aitutaki’s ‘Pursuit in Paradise’ – Running the world’s most beautiful marathon
When you’re on the wrong side of 40, recovering from knee surgery, having never run further than five kilometres at any stage in your rapidly middle-aged life, and then someone suggests competing in a marathon in just four months time? You surely laugh. And then swiftly say no. That is unless, of course, the setting…
Barry Gibb on Olivia Newton-John: “We’ve lived the same life”
Barry Gibb wasn’t exaggerating when he told me that he and Olivia Newton John had “lived the same life”. British born, Australian-raised, first strides to fame in the UK, superstardom in the USA, careers of various astounding triumphs that are perennially overshadowed by one particular cultural earthquake; it’s not hard to see the parallels between…
8 essential Paul McCartney & Brian Wilson songs to celebrate their 80th birthdays
Did we know that Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson were the exact same age? That save for a couple of days in June 1942, two history-changing songwriters – for whom the moniker “genius” is an understatement – both chose to enter this world? Well, if this synchronicity somehow passed you by for the undoubted euphoric…
‘Still Waters’ at 25 – How the Bee Gees’ late 90s comeback cemented their legacy
May 2022 marks both the 25th anniversary of the release of the Bee Gees’ Still Waters album, as well as 10-years since Robin Gibb died aged just 62. To commemorate these anniversaries, I’ve done a deep dive as to why Still Waters became the Bee Gees’ biggest LP since 1979. It’s hard to overstate just…
Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl & the visual power of friendship in rock & roll
When I think of Taylor Hawkins I immediately think of friendship. Sometimes the profound power of a band is beyond just the sounds they make. Indeed, that’s hardly surprising given the importance of image in entertainment. But what always stood apart for me with Taylor is that he was in a rock band – the…
Michael McDonald is 70 & this Yacht Rock classic with Kenny Loggins needs to be heard again
Michael McDonald is as mysterious as any singer I’ve ever heard. This most unassuming of entertainers – a man who couldn’t look more Dad-like and less rock-star if he tried, a Doobie Brother who’s been sober for 37 years, a showbiz veteran who’s been married for almost 40-years – is still, at the age of…
See inside the rock star-worthy Chairman Suite of NZ’s largest hotel, the Cordis
Location: On the corner of Karangahape Rd and Symonds Street on the fringe of the Auckland CBD, overlooking the historic Symonds Street Cemetery and the forested slopes of Grafton Gully. What’s new at the Cordis? An entire 17-storey tower, that’s what! The just opened, 244 room Pinnacle Tower now sees the Cordis with a whopping…
A luxury, historic villa high above the Dunedin CBD – Airbnb review
I love Dunedin, but I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t always know this was the case. As I wrote in the New Zealand Herald back in July last year, my apology to the “Edinburgh Of The South” was a long time coming, owing to the fact I’ve been a regular visitor ever since my parents…
Remembering Meat Loaf: “I figured if the album sucked I could always hang the cover on my bedroom wall”
Guest columnist Rick Morin pays tribute to Meat Loaf who has died at the age of 74 of complications due to Covid. I was 17 when I bought Bat Out of Hell back in 1978. I’d never heard of Meat Loaf and assumed it was some kind of punk band. I suppose I was initially…
The Bee Gees ‘Living Eyes’ album at 40 – the lost song that gives Barry Gibb the chills
Arguably the greatest underdog in the entire Bee Gees catalogue turns 40 this month. Never heard Living Eyes before? Released in October of 1981, it stands as one of the most fascinating major artist flops in popular music history. The reasons it missed are as intriguing as the songs themselves, and these are some of…