Waiheke Island. Lonely Planet has followed Conde Naste Traveler’s lead in gushing over Auckland’s Waiheke Island. With only last week Conde Naste rating Waiheke the fourth best island in the world to visit, Lonely Planet has just listed the island as the fifth best destination – island or otherwise – in the world. Describing Waiheke…
Tag: New Zealand
Let’s Travel Magazine Akaroa Article – Top 30 Photos + Where To Stay
The cover of the latest Let’s Travel mag. The latest issue of New Zealand’s premier travel magazine Let’s Travel is out and it features two of my articles. One is about my return to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia where I lived as a child and the other is about the incredibly photogenic and historic town…
The Opulence Of Lake Karapiro Lodge – Why Waikato Can Be A Destination And Not Just A Gateway (incl. 40 photos)
Lake Karapiro Lodge Provincial Waikato is unfairly unfashionable when it comes to New Zealanders’ own appraisals of their beautiful country. Probably because when we drive through Waikato it’s at 100ks and we’re always on the way somewhere. Somewhere more heralded as a tourist destination like Rotorua, Tauranga or the mountains and forests of Tongariro National…
New Zealand’s First Great Luxury Hotel: Why Staying At The Chateau Is Still So Worth It
The Chateau in Tongariro National Park, central North Island. I’d always wanted to stay at The Chateau. As far as historic hotels go in New Zealand there are few so iconic. So with it being my birthday last week I decided to see what the 86-year old dame is like. And given the lakeside town…
Road Tripping Through Canterbury In New Zealand’s South Island – My Top 50 Photos
Boats on the shores of Lake Alexandrina, near Tekapo. Continuing my series of ‘Top 50’ photo-essays that I enjoy making for The Roxborogh Report, here are my 50 favourites from last week’s road trip through Canterbury. This was my first time seeing Christchurch since the devastating earthquakes of almost five years ago. It was sobering…
My Herald On Sunday Kauri Cliffs Feature – One Of The Premier Golf Resorts In The World
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs. The Herald On Sunday published my two-page spread on Kauri Cliffs today and if you click here you can link to the Herald’s Travel section to read it. Kauri Cliffs is a 5-star, luxury resort in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands with a golf course so stunning it has been ranked…
Historic 5-Star Boutique Northland Lodge For Sale – The Beautiful Waipoua Lodge
Hokianga Harbour, just north of the Waipoua Forest. Late last month I returned to a place that feels as much like visiting old friends as it does like staying in a 5-star, boutique lodge. The Waipoua Lodge sits on the edge of arguably New Zealand’s finest subtropical tract of bush, the Waipoua Forest. A part…
Kauri Cliffs Top 50 Photos – Why It’s About So Much More Than Golf
In an upcoming two-page spread in the Herald On Sunday I’m writing about why Kauri Cliffs in Matauri Bay, Northland, New Zealand is about so much more than golf. Rated by Golf Digest as the 39th best course in the world, Kauri Cliffs is also one of the most exclusive retreats in the country. Somehow…
The 80s “Executive Opulence” Of The Cove In Taupo
My bedroom at The Cove with the door opened to the spa pool. Taupo’s always been a place I’ve thought of fondly, mainly for historic reasons: first time table-top dancing, first time playing pool on a round pool table, first time waking up in a room choked with second-hand smoke, and the first time landing…
Why McCullum Should Open The Batting In The Cricket World Cup – A Hypothetical Black Caps World Cup Final 1st XI
Brendon McCullum *UPDATED SINCE KANE WILLIAMSON HAS BEEN CLEARED TO BOWL AGAIN. Here’s my New Zealand cricket XI in the event our team plays to its very real potential and makes the World Cup final on March 29th 2015. With the initial squad of 30 released today, I couldn’t resist quickly tapping out my selection….
Waikato – Wai Not? Maungatautari & Hamilton Zoo 2014
An inquisitive chap / meerkat, Hamilton Zoo. This time a week ago I was relaxing in the living room of my B&B in Cambridge, New Zealand after a big day’s driving and walking. Cambridge is an affluent, extremely photogenic little town in New Zealand’s Waikato region. While it was primarily a visit to the hilly forest…
50 Years Since The Beatles In New Zealand: My All-Time Favourite Beatles Song
Yesterday (Sunday, June 22) marked 50 years since the Beatles played their first ever New Zealand concert at the Wellington Town Hall. For the cultural impact of the tour on little conservative old NZ, check out my colleague Andrew Dickens’ piece in the latest Metro magazine. In the meantime, here’s my all-time favourite Beatles song….
