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 […]
The Motu Special – New Mountain Bike Challenge for Young and Old
An annual Kiwi event which has gained worldwide notoriety is the Taupo Round the Lakes Cycle Challenge, which we wrote about last year and is happening again this November. Later this month, however, a brand new and very different cycle event will take place in Motu, a tiny village in the Bay of Plenty region […]
Remembering Paddy the Wanderer
Against one wall of the NZ Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington is a memorial for Paddy the Wanderer. It consists of a bronze plaque and image, and a drinking fountain for both human and canine passers-by. But who was Paddy, and how did he earn himself a memorial on the Wellington waterfront? Paddy […]
Auckland Family Activities
Once upon a time, when we were kids, it was all about the car. What car your family had, what your friends had, what it sounded like, and what it smelt like. A highlight of any weekend was helping to wash it, and going anwhere in the car felt like a special treat. Shopping, visiting […]
