Beautiful on the Inside Too

Novelist Emily Perkins points out the lesser-known urban pleasures to be found in her NZ homeland in a travel feature for the Observer. It is the latest in a line of…

Still the Place to Be

NZ has proven its staying power as a must-see for British tourists by winning both the Dream Destination prize at the 2006 British Travel Awards and the favourite long-haul…

Destination Cool

An influential UK poll has named NZ the “world’s coolest destination.” Project “CoolBrands” (widely regarded as a “cool factor” barometer), defines “brands that have become extremely desirable among many style leaders…

Not Just a Pretty Face

The Guardian urges travellers to make time for NZ’s urban centres, as well as its world-famous mountains, fjords and forests: “There are some excellent attractions, delicious restaurants, cool harbourside bars and…

A Day to Get There, a Lifetime to Forget

A Guardian travel feature on the South Island covers a remarkable range of quintessential Kiwi activities in just ten days. From extreme sports in Queenstown and the grandeur of the TranzAlpine…

Biggest Industry Continues to Boom

International visitors to NZ are expected to grow by 4% per annum to reach 3.1 million in 2012, according to a report by the Tourism Ministry. The main contributors…

Double Dose of Glacial Magic

A Sydney Morning Herald travel writer takes in equal parts local history and jaw-dropping natural scenery at the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. “Tramping, walking and hiking have long been popular…

Best Western

Leading US travel site, Frommer’s, featured a lengthy write-up on the South Island’s spectacular west coast – “where there’s more to see and do than there are residents.” The…

New World Order

A British travel site predicts big things for the NZ ski industry, as more and more international tourists head south for their holidays in the snow. The article focuses on Treble…

International Hot Spot

Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa was listed on the Guardian’s top 50 Best Spas. “The hot springs at Rotorua are said to cure arthritis in three months. We can’t vouch for that,…

NZ in a Nutshell

A travel guide to NZ written for a Tennessee paper offers a brief overview of the country, focussing on geographical features and native flora and fauna. Cultural insight is offered by…

Slipping Into Paradise

Auckland resident and former Californian, Jeffrey Masson, a psychoanalyst and ex-projects director of the Sigmund Freud archives, publishes in August his account of emigrating to New Zealand. Slipping Into Paradise, Why I…

From LA to the Bay

From Waimarama Beach to Napier, the Hawke’s Bay region gets a fantastic write up in the LA Times. The writer had organised a family holiday to her mother’s place of birth,…

Underwater Drawcard

Wellington is adding shipwreck diving to its list of harbour-side activities, with the scuttling of a decommissioned NZ Navy frigate off Tapa Te Rangu Island. The F69 frigate is currently moored…

Cycling the South

National Geographic Traveller editor, David Swanson, takes in the spectacular alpine scenery – and some icy cold Speights – on a two-week bike tour of the South Island. ” rain stopped, and…

Coromandel by Kombi

A tour of the Coromandel by Kombi with husband and toddler in tow turned out to be remarkably relaxing for the Guardian’s Jane White. The high point of the trip was…

Slip Away

NZ’s Slipper Island features in a  Guardian list hailing the world’s top 5 exotic escapes. “On a private island off the Coromandel Peninsula you can swim off the white-sand beach…

NZ to North America

New Zealand Magazine was launched in the North American market on the 16th of September. The brainchild of Auckland-based American Kiwi Marty Behrens, New Zealand magazine presents an intelligent and sophisticated…

Aotearoa: The People’s Choice

NZ has been voted the best country in the world and overall winner of the 2005 Condé Nast Traveller Awards in the UK. “The result is gratifying not just because of…

Best Put to the Test

Travel & Leisure writer sniffs out the best luxury retreats in NZ – a country where “everyone is a hotelier, or so it can sometimes seem.” After testing the waters at…

Top 10 for 100%

New Zealand has ranked 10th in an index of the strongest brands in the world compiled by marketing research firms Anholt-GMI. New Zealand had positive brand values and managed,…

San Fran Success Story

NZ company Holmes Culley has won the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) Award for Best Retrofit Project Using Conventional Technology for its strengthening work on San Francisco Piers 1½, 3…

Triumph of Nature

Cairo magazine writer admires NZ’s greatest natural resource – the landscape itself – in a hiking tour of NZ. “Once we finally got it was easy to…

Hot Spots Outed

“Scenic, comfortable and tolerant, NZ has always been an attractive destination for gay and lesbian travellers. In recent times things have been getting even better, with gay venues and activities popping up…

View to a Thrill

San Francisco Chronicle travel writer recommends Wellington’s Rawhiti B&B. “On a recent trip to New Zealand, I discovered a wonderful bed and breakfast very close to the centre of Wellington. Rawhiti, a…

Earthly Paradise

A South African couple take a tour NZ by campervan, pronouncing it “Eden on Earth.” Highlights include the Moeraki Boulders at Omaru, Lanarch Castle, Franz Josef Glacier, Tongariro National Park, Sandspit and…

More than just a pretty face

“Ah, NZ. Land of outdoor beauty, fresh air, long walks over rugged terrain – but, come on, do you really want to fly halfway around the world for something you could…

“The Quintessential NZ Bolthole”

Australian Harpers Bazaar visits the infamous cinematograper Michael Seresin’s “little slice of secluded wilderness” in its regular ‘Personal Space’ section. Located in Waterfall Bay, Marlborough Sounds, Seresin’s some-time abode…

Sail Away

The Age showcases five of the best NZ cruises on offer; Milford Sound, Hole in the Rock (Bay of Islands), Lake Wakitipu, Inter-Islander crossing, and the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise.

It’s got to be Seen to be Believed

A couple of years on and overseas visitors are still taking the Lord of the Rings tour of NZ. Says one US writer, “I knew that the movies were shot here,…

Farm Charm

Wharekauhau Lodge features in the  Independent‘s five best luxury farm stays. The 5,000 acre sheep station is renowned for its Shaker-style cottages and panoramic views of the Wairarapa’s Palliser Bay.

Big Boys Taken down

Tourism NZ website New Zealand.com has won the online equivalent of an Oscar – a Webby . The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences named New Zealand.com the…

White Knuckle Fun

NZ’s latest extreme sport – white water sledging – features in the Voice of America. “Instead of a raft, these ‘sledgers’ run the rapids with special flippers and a steerable buoyant…

Regal Eagle Leads the Best

Eagles’s Nest, Bay of Islands, was named NZ’s ‘Number 1 Leading Resort’ at the 11th annual World Travel Awards in Barbados. The luxury homestead has already been voted one of the…

Front Row Seats

7 middle-aged American couples travel from Queenstown to Christchurch by bike, running out of synonyms for awesome in the process. “If you’re in good enough shape to walk six or seven…

Ten Not so Easy Steps

Backpacker magazine ran an action-packed ten day tour of NZ in its April issue. “You’ve heard the tales of wild Kiwi adventure, seen the photos of outrageous mountains and fjords, and suspect…

12 Reasons to Love Auckland

Auckland was the cover-girl of leisure and travel magazine Destinasian. The feature titled “All eyes on Auckland” lists the city’s top dozen attractions, often overlooked by tourists en-route to…

Tourism the Winner on the Day

The hotly anticipated Lions rugby tour of NZ in June and July is tipped to boost the national economy by as much as $250 million. An estimated 16,000 British Lions fans…

Aotearoa Tops Wish-list

NZ was voted the world’s most desirable holiday destination by readers of British travel agency magazine,  Trailfinders, ahead of Australia, Peru and the Maldives. More than 15,000 people participated in…

“Pretty Damn Sweet”

A US exchange student in NZ writes an ode to Aotearoa in his home college newspaper, the New Hampster. “I think I’ve got NZ fever already. This country has been described…

The Price is Right

NZ’s booming tourist industry has received another string to its bow with the introduction of free city tours. Financed by local tourism operators wanting to promote their services, the tours are now…

Diamond and the Rough

Independent travel writer indulges mind, body and soul in NZ’s up and coming wine and tourism centre, the Wairarapa. After experiencing chocolate therapy at Greytown’s Schoc, sampling the region’s famed Pinot Noir…

Great Expectations

America’s premiere gay and lesbian travel magazine, Passport, ran an extensive travel feature on NZ in its March issue. “My boyfriend wanted to explore NZ because he’d heard that it was the…

From Wilderness to Café Culture

NZ features in a Lonely Planet dream itinerary compiled exclusively for the Observer. “NZ’s wild side is wonderful, especially the South Island’s rugged west coast, but it’s great to return to Auckland,…

All Aboard

Independent travel writer takes a stunning tour of NZ by train. ” you want to experience your visual thrills in comfort and without the threat of sea-sickness, you can simply let…

Top Five Twice-over

In a Lonely Planet poll conducted in early December, NZ was voted fourth most popular future destination and fourth favourite place already visited. The exhaustive survey drew nearly 20,000 respondents from…

Angler’s Paradise

NYT writer travels to NZ to experience the “trout-fishing paradise” of Rotorua first hand. “Visitors fish in streams so clear that the fish can see you. Crouching behind a bush, out…

Long-haul Rivalry

Australian-born Guardian columnist, Andrew Mueller, can’t understand the ongoing attraction of NZ to British holidaymakers. “Australia is worth spending 30 hours in a plane for,” he says. “NZ is Wales with more sheep.”

Tales of the Heart

Colonel John Blashford Snell tells of “losing his heart in NZ” in a Guardian travel feature: “We are so overcrowded here but they have the most beautiful empty country with scenery that…

Seaside Hideaway

A Guardian travel special on remote retreats features Bethell’s Beach Cottages, run by Trude and John Bethell-Plaice. “The cottages have decking for alfresco dining, private gardens and sea views. A short walk…

The Real Deal

A year on and Rings-related tourist stories still crop up in US papers. This one, originally published in the Washington Post, attempts to find the “real NZ, the part still untouched…

Sheep Ranch Deluxe

Wairarapa’s Wharekauhau Country Estate is given a rapturous write-up in the IHT. “A temple to order and calm, the Estate is located on the southern tip of the North Island of…

Not Just for Young ‘uns

MSN writer takes a leaf out of her post-collegiate travelling days and revisits the joy of youth hostels: “I was skeptical, but it turned out to be one of the best…

North Island Odyssey

The Telegraph‘s Max Davidson takes a leisurely tour of the North Island’s wine-producing hot spots. The trail begins in “cosmopolitan Wellington,” followed by the Wairarapa, Auckland, and Waiheke Island. Further north,…

Good Things Take Time

Globe writer, Leigh Turner, believes NZ’s value as a holiday destination lies in eco rather than adventure tourism. “In the last six years, international visitor numbers have risen 41%. But that success…

Information Overload

Only Punjab profiles Greg Scowen’s tourism website, New Zealand Focus, which has grown from a university design project to a 500-page source of quality registration. The site includes a ‘NZ Tourism Directory,’…