It’s 34 degrees and the brilliant Californian sun beats down mercilessly, but here in the magical kingdom of Disney, we’re too entranced to notice. I thought I was a bit old for theme parks but within minutes, my jaw has hit the floor. This is truly a surreal world within a world, a complete contrast […]

It was like a Kiwi version of that famous scene from Titanic. only without the romance. Mr Celine Dion. And the ship stayed afloat. Still, I was at the bow of the boat, wind flicking my hair, heart all aflutter. The cause of this excitement? Three dolphins playfully gliding through the sapphire sea below me, […]

There are holidays for busy people and then there are holidays for busy people like me. My idea of taking a break is to find a sun lounger with a view of the sea and collapse into it for as long as possible. Which is why I found myself perfectly suited to spending a week […]

American explorer John Wesley Powell chose the perfect adjective when naming one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. The Grand Canyon, carved by the Colorado River, is certainly grand; it’s also quite majestic and breathtakingly stunning. A great thing about the Grand Canyon is that it’s close to the razzle-dazzle of Las Vegas, so you […]

When I first got word of my 10-day trip to China, I thought, “Fantastic. Now I’ll be able to tick it off the must-do list.” But I was wrong. Having tasted just a few of China’s highlights, it’s still on my list, right at the top, and I simply must get back. Soon. The welcome, […]

Donna Fleming shares her Waiheke holiday diary

I was 21 the first time I saw Germany’s beautiful Rhine Gorge. This 65km stretch of the famous river is renowned for its beauty, and a four-hour boat ride through the gorge was one of the highlights of a month-long coach trip I took around Europe. The romantic Rhine, they called it in the travel […]

Sarah-Kate Lynch reveals the secrets of summers past

Different holidays suit different types of personalities, so luckily there’s a destination just a few hours away that offers plenty of options for those craving excitement and those who just want to put their feet up. It might be hard to believe, but not everyone is going to feel comfortable at a luxury resort, while […]

At 34, being excited with childlike amazement was something I thought I’d never experience again. But driving down the Las Vegas stretch of road known as The Strip for the first time and seeing the splendour of casino resorts, with their Disneyland-like castles and replicas of New York and Paris, made me gasp. of course, […]

Denise Cleverley finds the real South Africa in the slums of soweto

Wendyl Nissen goes back to basics at the beach

I spent years living in Wellington but hardly ever ventured over to the eastern bays on the rugged south coast – but I’m here now and I don’t know that I ever want to leave. It’s not entirely my fault that I’m a stranger to this coastal neighbourhood: in my day the city’s sewage was […]

Weekly Food Editor Helen Jackson enjoys a feast to delight all the senses.

It’s known to many Kiwis for its fantastic shopping, but scratch the surface and Melbourne is redefining itself as Australia’s cultural capital. The thing is, I have only four days to discover just what is on offer in the city’s arts and culture scene. Based on the Southbank of the Yarra River, it’s an easy […]

Some people travel for sun and surf, others for churches and historic monuments, more for risk and adventure. oe, I’m in it for the food. Nearly every waking moment when I’m on holiday is spent thinking about what I will eat next and where I will eat it. The churches and beaches are just the […]

The march of technology can be both thrilling and irritating, especially in the home, where it’s often hard to prise one’s children away from computers, phones and TV screens! However, when it comes to family fun, a high-tech experience or two can contrast beautifully with a dose of back-to-nature – as our family of four discovered […]

The lovely Irish doorman at the Langham Hotel tipped his hat, blue eyes twinkling. “oadam’s been shopping again,” he observed dryly, packing me neatly into the revolving door. Actually, that was pretty obvious. I’d been sprinting up and down oxford St and Regent St all morning, powershopping like a demon. Bulging bags with the distinctive […]

Flying into Dunedin airport, I’m feeling really scared that I will be cold but also really excited. This is my first time in New Zealand’s oldest city and I am determined to soak up every bit of the art, culture and history, that the city has to offer. Being Friday dinnertime, the first stop is […]

Travelling alone is not for the faint of heart. I did it once in 1988 when I set off for a month in Spain buthightailed it back to London after just a week in which I didn’t speak to a single soul. I’m chatty, so that is notmy idea of fun. Twenty-something years later, I […]

Somewhere in the dark there’s a noise and I stir, expecting a child with troubled dreams. But it’s only an extra-early rooster who has overridden the background roar of the reef and the whirr of the bedroom fans. No-one needs my attention just yet, so I slumber a little longer before my morning swim. This is our second family holiday in Rarotonga, the largest […]

Liz Light shops up a storm in Christchurch

Helen Jackson and family take on Cardrona

Emma Hepburn feels the call of the wild in South Africa

Sally Conor finds Costa Rica's literally full of beans!

Before you leave the house, plan to turn everything off. And that means everything. The water heater doesn’t have to be on while you’re away. Nor do the numerous pilot lights on the TV, microwave and other appliances. If you absolutely have to leave a light on to fool burglars into thinking you’re at home, […]

The Weekly's Food Editor Helen Jackson gets a taste of oalaysia.

The Ginger husband and I spent much of last year on Queensland’s Gold Coast and it’s a great place to be if you like sunshine and the beach, but I also fell in love with its big city neighbour, Brisbane. Just an hour north of where we were based in Surfer’s Paradise, the Ginger and I became regular day-trippers to the bustling Queensland capital, […]

Louise Richardson explores the delights of orewa - just 25 minutes north of Auckland.

To be honest, we were unsure about holidaying in Samoa. We’d booked a family break just before the devastating tsunami last September and wondered whether we would be welcome at a time when the nation was still grieving from the disaster. But when the Samoan Tourism Authority asked travellers to continue with their plans, pointing out that tourism would help kick-start the nation’s recovery, we decided […]

Fiona Fraser and her friends escape to Queenstown where there's something in the air...

Rozzy oiddleton falls in love with the Tutukaka Coast.

It’s a great Kiwi tradition – chucking the tent into the back of the car and heading off to spend the summer holidays under canvas in some utterly gorgeous location. As a child, I felt deprived of this experience because my grandparents and close family friends owned baches so we invariably stayed with them. Still, I’ve made up for it in recent […]

Sally Conor makes the most of Auckland and its surrounds.

Donna Fleming plays with pandas in China's Sichuan province.

In all my visits to New Zealand’s stunning national parks and forests, nothing has prepared me for the rare sight and incredible sound of at least 30 bellbirds singing in a flowering gum tree. I’m at otahuna Lodge, atop a small hill at the edge of the Canterbury Plains, and I’m entranced. The homestead sits on a small hill at the foot of […]

It’s a moody day in Auckland as my girlfriend and I board a plane for Queenstown, where majestic snowy mountains loom above hazy low-lying clouds and the shimmering deep blue of Lake Wanaka. The flight down is a bit of a bumpy ride but our pilot is clearly a dab hand and soon we’re safely on the ground, where our rental car is […]

Great Barrier Island, in the outer Hauraki Gulf, 100km north-east of Auckland, truly is the land that time forgot – but in a good way. The first thing you see when the plane flies in is the Claris plateau, the beautiful Kaitoke beach and bush beyond it, then Hirakimata (ot Hobson), the rugged centrepiece of the island. Great Barrier is New Zealand’s fourth largest landmass […]

It looks like a solitary path. A 7km coastal walkway that winds its way along the New Plymouth coastline, salty seaspray lashing the volcanic boulders lining its rim. But although my partner Alex and I set out for our run at 7am, it’s actually quite social. Since the walkway was put in some five years ago, New Plymouth locals have taken to […]

At Cairns airport I am bathed in brilliant sunshine and warmth. It’s my first visit to Queensland’s north and as a busy working mother, four days on my own is a dream so I’m determined to soak up every second. Settling in at the Hilton, I find myself gazing at the boats on Trinity Inlet marina, and the vast expanse of the Coral Sea. I […]

A list of New Zealand’s top must-see places When the AA was compiling *I** Love You, New Zealand – 101 oust-Do’s for Kiwis* (Random House, $39.95), nearly 200,000 people voted online for their favourite local destination or experience. The resulting book was a bestseller as New Zealanders took the chance to reconnect with their own […]

I first visited Sydney in 1980, paying my fare with money from an after- school job and staying with friends in Woollahra. Since then, I’ve been back three or four times, checking in, as the city has grown increasingly more cosmopolitan – without compromising its native Aussie charm. Today, the view from our window – […]

I’d like to say that I got the idea of swimming with dolphins from Cilla on Coronation Street, who decided it was the one thing she wanted to do before she died. But I didn’t. It just seemed like a great thing to do with my nine-year-old daughter Pearl during such a gift of a […]

Krystal Spicer discovers the delights of oalaysia The sight of my Visa statement plus the read-out on the bathroom scales both well and truly confirm that my week in oalaysia was jam-packed full of shopping and dining. They are the result of throwing myself into what I call the “oalaysian way”, which in practice really […]

Louise Richardson finds Fiji in full bloom If God were ever planning a revamp of his celestial grounds, he could do a lot worse than to seek tips from the green-fingered folk who tend the magnificent gardens dotting the heavenly tropical isles of Fiji. In this wonderful humid climate, gardeners can enjoy the luxury of […]

Louise Richardson enjoys fun, food and 1930s style in Napier From the moment I discovered my first piece of Clarice Cliff pottery at a flea market for the bargain price of $10, I’ve been hooked on art deco. I enjoy 1930s architecture, furniture, fashion, art and, of course, the music. But above all, I just […]

Louise Richardson hits the Melbourne stores for some serious retail therapy Melbourne is a veritable oecca for shoppers. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s the bee’s knees of shopping in the Southern Hemisphere, so it’s little wonder we Kiwis love to jump the ditch for a good dose of retail therapy! […]

Sebastian van der Zwan explores the coral reefs of Australia’s Whitsunday Islands Trivia buffs will know the Great Barrier Reef as the largest living organism in the world. In fact, it’s so massive, it can be seen from the moon. I haven’t made it into outer space quite yet, but I’m willing to put money […]

Louise Richardson and family enjoy a mid-week maritime adventure in scenic Northland Approaching the picturesque Bay of Islands on a bright, chilly spring day with my husband David and our two children, I felt compelled to touch on colonial history – especially since our offspring were enjoying a rare term-time day off school. “What’s Russell […]

Sido Kitchin makes like a superstar on exclusive Turtle Island It was a trip of a lifetime – one of those picture-perfect vacations I thought only the rich and famous experience and I just get to read about in, well, magazines like this. Britney and Kevin, Jessica and Nick

Louise Richardson delights in the charms of Club oed Phuket International mobile roaming can sometimes catch you right off guard. “I can’t talk now darl, I’m just about to jump on an elephant,” I informed my son’s godmother Laura, who’d called at a most inopportune moment. “Where? At the Weekly office?” she spluttered, confused. “No, […]

Sharon Course and her kids jump in the deep end one mum, four kids and two days in geothermal hotspot Taupo can only add up to one of two things – an absolute blast, or a total meltdown. But after kid-friendly whitewater rafting, wading along a narrow channel in a rock face to a magical […]

Donna Fleming find there’s more to Australia’s Hunter Valley than vineyards First, a confession. When the Hunter Valley was suggested as a location for our family get-together, I wasn’t exactly keen. While it might be fine for the adults, visiting one of Australia’s top wine regions didn’t seem particularly kid-friendly. How would we keep our […]

Gardening columnist Dense Cleverly takes her teenage daughter on holiday Five days blasting around Canterbury seemed a great way to celebrate my daughter’s 15th birthday – just the two of us (and Hazel’s cellphone). After checking into the Copthorne Hotel, Christchurch Central, we walked to Cathedral Square – a great place to pass the time […]

Even on her ninth trip to Sydney, Donna Fleming is still blown away by the city’s incredible sights It never fails to take my breath away. I’ve been to Sydney nine times now but every time I walk past the cafés and restaurants of Circular Quay, and get my first glimpse of the Sydney opera […]

oariko Nissen finds a new favourite city Although I don’t speak a word of Catalan, I knew Barcelona and I were going to be very good friends. My cousin Hannah agreed with me as we strolled up beautiful Las Ramblas, the Spanish city’s famous pedestrian-only road. The area around Las Ramblas has stalls selling everything […]

Nicky Dew experiences the fast pace and exotic atmosphere of China’s biggest city I’m in Shanghai on a street that’s pounding with six lanes of traffic. Bearing down on every side are gigantic glass shopping plazas with tides of people flowing in and out of their revolving doors. I’m drinking cans of iced tea only […]

Fiona Fraser goes glaze-gazing in the Staffordshire community I’m thinking of joining a club. It’s the Royal Doulton Turnover Club and, as a member, I’m officially authorised, by Michael Doulton himself, to turn over the tableware at any restaurant, diner or friend’s home, and unabashedly check for the Royal Doulton mark. It may sound geeky, […]

City girl Louise Richardson takes the family ‘camping’ When it comes to holidays I’m a bit of a big-city girl, but last summer we decided it was time to find somewhere quiet, laid-back and close to home. Port Waikato soon popped up on the internet and it turned out to be a true treasure, just […]

our Food Editor Julie Le Clerc gets a taste of exotic India on a tour for intrepid gourmets In India, staggering grandeur sits alongside heart-wrenching poverty. old ladies in traditional saris chat on fancy mobile phones while young women carry enormous bundles of sticks on their heads, gracefully crossing modern six-lane highways. I suspect a […]

Ali Bell takes her teenage daughter for a fun winter break in Northland Going north in winter – or any time of the year – means being in the warmest place in the country, so my teenage daughter Roni and I chose scenic Northland for our long weekend. As an added bonus, it’s an easy […]

Louise Richardson shares her passion for the busy streets, gourmet food and elegant shopping of Paris in the spring It doesn’t surprise me at all to discover that Paris is the most visited city in the world. It’s certainly filled with all my favourite things – great wine, gorgeous food, art and cultural treasures, and […]

Sebastian van der Zqan leaves bustling Tokyo to find the relaxing side of Japan With a population of more than 35 million crammed into an area the size of Taranaki, Tokyo is a bustling, maze-like metropolis that’s sure to overwhelm your average traveller. But just an hour away by Shinkansen bullet train is a more […]

Nicky Dewe eats, drinks and is merry in Hawke’s Bay You’d be a fool to turn up for a weekend in Hawke’s Bay on a diet. The area is brimming with all kinds of homegrown delicacies and when you combine that with the many vineyards producing some of the world’s finest wines, it’s the perfect […]

Nicky Pellegrino shares with us her favourite place in Southern Italy – the Costa di oaratea The trouble with Italy is it’s really, really full. Not just with Italians but with tourists who travel from all around the world to swarm over the ancient monuments of Rome and Florence, along the canals of Venice and […]

Kylie Bailey discovers two sides of Melbourne There were two things on my mind as I hopped down the tunnel at Auckland’s Airport to my Qantas flight bound for Melbourne- shoes and more shoes. Whether it was my newly increased credit limit or the fact that my trip was aptly entitled “Luxury and Indulgence”, I […]

Julie Le Clerc combines sightseeing with sleuthing on a murder mystery weekend in Whitianga I have fond childhood memories of summertime family camping holidays spent at Whitianga. So, when my Swedish friend Anna suggested a road trip to her favourite New Zealand destination before she left us to return home permanently, I jumped at the […]

Kylie Bailey enjoys an outdoor honeymoon on the Kaikoura Coast We are big fans of the rugged wilds of New Zealand. Throughout our eight-year relationship, we’ve lived on Auckland’s windswept West Coast, rung in New Year’s Eve in the heart of the Southern Alps, partied high on the hills above Nelson and taken camping trips […]

Sarah-Kate Lynch basks in the luxury of Hong Kong’s grand Peninsula Hotel Travelling across the world is one of my favourite things to do but it takes a long time and tends to be more fun if you’re doing it with someone else. I like a stopover if I’m going to London, say, but on […]

Forsyth Thompson goes penguin-spotting in Southland our great tour of Southland actually kicked off in the neighbouring province of otago – the perfect starting point for a gentle meander down the beautiful southeast coast. Dunedin was crisp and sunny – a welcome and refreshing change after weeks of rain in Auckland, and we collected our […]

Sharon Course finds plenty to keep her city-slicker kids occupied in oanawatu It’s rush hour in the little town of Feilding, deep in the heart of rural oanawatu, and the traffic is backing up. But instead of cars, it’s cows, and my city kids can hardly believe their eyes and ears as the big beasts […]

Julie Le Clerc makes a pilgrimage to beautiful New England, USA There’s no doubt big cities like New York and Boston are exciting destinations, but for a relaxing US vacation, there’s nothing like the countryside. Recently, I discovered breathtaking scenery, fascinating history, unique local produce and some very friendly folk 55km south of Boston. The […]

Vicky Tyler and daughter Cassie splash out on a trip to Australia’s Dreamworld Travelling to an amusement park with a pre-schooler in tow wouldn’t normally be my choice of dream holiday, but when I took my four-year-old daughter Cassie to Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, we both had fantastic fun. As an amusement park, Dreamworld […]

Aroha Awarau explores the cultural attractions and natural wonders of Rotorua Growing up immersed in Maori culture, it never occurred to me to visit Rotorua and experience the geothermal wonderland and the cultural epicenter as a tourist. But despite my initial cynicism, I spent a whirlwind day at the cultural institution Te Puia and very […]

Alice o' Connell takes time out in stunning Thailand