Hidden Treasures and Rugged Escapades

The London Times ran two travel articles on NZ last weekend. The first asked past and present All Blacks Richie McCaw, Anton Oliver, Reuben Thorne, Tana Umaga and Sean Fitzpatrick to “divulge their [country’s] secret hot spots”. These included the MacKenzie Basin (McCaw and Oliver), Kaiteriteri Beach (Thorne), Wellington’s Cuba Street (Umaga) and Russell (Fitzpatrick). The second article was devoted to writer Mary Ann Sieghart’s “adrenalin-fuelled family adventure”, complete with sand dune tobogganing, bungee jumping, jet-boating and whale watching. “New Zealand is friendly, clean, English-speaking and efficient,” writes Sieghart, “But it is by no means antiseptic. Risk and rugged escapades are the islands’ signature.”