Street Art and More – An Art Lover’s Guide to Wellington
Wellington is a perfect destination for art lovers. The streets are full of sculptures and installations. There is Art Deco architecture, and graffiti as you’ve never seen it before. There are murals in public buildings and, of course, there are the galleries and...
History, Architecture… and Shopping: The Old Bank Arcade, Wellington
Banks were once grand city buildings, their splendid halls and ornate architecture attesting to their wealth. But today much banking is done online and these buildings are more likely to house bars or restaurants. Or occasionally shopping centres. Like Wellington’s...
The Art Deco Buildings of Napier, New Zealand
The town was full of vintage cars and people in 1930s dress, the start of the annual Art Deco Festival. Napier, on New Zealand’s North Island, is the ideal place for such a festival. It is a unique place, a whole city of Art Deco architecture. Rebuilding Napier The...
Hot Springs and Rainbow Rocks at the Waiotapu Thermal Park
One of the consequences of New Zealand’s geothermal activity is an abundance of hot springs. Some of these are now spas, visited for their therapeutic and health giving properties. Others, like Whakarewarewa, are centuries’ old Maori settlements. But Waiotapu, 27 km...
Books to Read Before You Visit New Zealand
This is the first of what will be an occasional series on “Books to Read Before You Visit…” I always like to prepare for a visit to a new country by reading as much as possible. Not just history and guidebooks, but fiction as well: I find that novels and short stories...
Enjoying the Eccentricities of Coromandel’s Driving Creek Railway
The Driving Creek Railway, on New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula, is more than just a scenic ride up a tall mountain. It manages to combine trains, landscape and art with a heavy dose of eccentricity. Four of my favourite things! Barry Brickell and the Driving Creek...
Cape Reinga, Not Quite the End of the World
You could be forgiven for thinking you’ve reached the end of the world by the time you get to Cape Reinga. You’ve taken a long drive through a slightly alien environment and now you’ve arrived at the northern tip of New Zealand. Ahead of you is nothing but an endless...
Waitangi Treaty Grounds: Birthplace of a Nation
The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are New Zealand’s most important historic site. It was here that the Waitangi Treaty was first signed on 6 February 1840. This treaty was the founding document of the New Zealand nation, a collaborative venture between the British and the...
Exploring Russell, Former Capital of New Zealand
Why would anyone choose to visit a place known as the “hell hole of the Pacific”? Somewhere that was once full of brothels and unsavoury bars, the scene of numerous violent uprisings? I pondered these questions as we crossed the Bay of Islands on the ferry from...
Legends, Rocks and Glowworms: Waitomo’s Ruakuri Cave
Underground caverns are like something from science fiction. The strangely coloured light, weird rock formations and eerie echoes make you feel as if you’ve entered a different universe. The Ruakuri Cave, part of the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand’s North Island, is no...
