We are fans of the intergenerational holiday, specifically in this case, three generations, three days, and with Rotorua the destination. Travelling with children as well as grandparents makes memories for the entire family, while also making looking after the little one(s) that much easier. As most people will know, there’s so much to do in…
Tag: Travel
Rotorua’s Black Swan Hotel & the extraordinary Whirinaki Forest
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…
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…
The Carolinas Come To The Coromandel – The Barn At Lonely Bay, Cooks Beach
I thought I knew Coromandel. I’ve certainly been there enough times and for good reason too: if you’re a North Islander and summer is your season, then Coromandel will have never not been on your radar. When the warmer months roll around, either you’re going to Coromandel or someone you know or are related to,…
The Outrageous Views & Suites Of Auckland’s New Park Hyatt
Location: Some of the best real estate in all of Auckland, right on the water at Wynyard Quarter on the site of the former Team New Zealand base, overlooking the ever-grown-up skyline of New Zealand’s largest city. How many rooms? 195 guest rooms across seven-storeys, including six spectacular suites. How spectacular are those suites? Well,…
Why The Hotel Britomart Is Auckland’s Most New York Hotel
I never thought an Auckland balcony could remind me of the time I stayed on the 22nd floor of a hotel overlooking Madison Square Garden in New York, but then again, I never counted on The Hotel Britomart. New Zealand’s first ‘5 Green Star’ certified hotel is simultaneously the most Manhattan-recalling property in Auckland, as…
A Rainforest Retreat & A Historic Firestation – 2 Unforgettable West Coast Hotels
When it comes to Covid and tourism, there are two stats I’m certain I’ll never forget: The West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island – a densely forested, sparsely populated, mountainous slice of world-beating scenery – has seen a whopping 16-percent of all businesses close since the beginning of the global Covid-19 pandemic. 16-percent. That’s…
Stewart Island’s Unique, Boutique, Must-Visit Eco-Lodge
Stewart Island surprised me in so many ways. New Zealand’s third largest land mass may be two-thirds of the way to Antartica, but as I recently wrote in the New Zealand Herald, “forget notions this is some barren, unforgiving land”. Anything but. You realise this before you’ve even landed, provided you’ve been looking out the…
The Ultimate Bay Of Plenty Beachside Escape – The 5-Star, Barn-Style Luxury Of Paradise Beach
There are some places you really like but you don’t really have any real inclination to go back to. And then there are places like Paradise Beach in Papamoa. But twice in eight months? Even that felt too long between stays because after our first Paradise Beach experience back in March 2020, my wife and…