To the Farther Corners of Aotearoa

Executive editor of Condé Nast Traveler Erin Florio travels the less-explored regions of New Zealand where she was raised to discover the Indigenous traditions and contemporary thinking that make Aotearoa a place like no other.

“I grew up in Wellington, and on trips back I’ve often felt frustrated by the predictable travel narratives marketed to international visitors, which have created a certain lopsidedness in New Zealand’s tourism economy, with certain areas buckling under the weight of all the arrivals and others never benefiting,” Florio writes. “My hope for this trip was to suss out lesser-known regions and experience some of the new ways Kiwis have begun presenting their homeland.”

Florio visits Tairāwhiti Gisborne, Lake Hāwea and the Bay of Islands.

Original article by Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, March 29, 2023.

Photo by Adam Gibson.