Sea Kayaking with the Promise of Glow-Worms
“Slipping away from the earth into the glassy, late afternoon waters of Lake Rotoiti is an action laden with familiarity. Once my two-person kayak, steered by Hilary Munro of Waimarino…
Tag Archives: Toronto Star
Enjoy the North Island with These Great Activities
From whitewater rafting on the Kaituna River to visiting the historic Waitangi Treaty Grounds to a geothermal jaunt around Hell’s Gate, “here are wonderful ways to spend quality outdoor time in this extraordinary country”,…
Attica Redefining Australia’s Culinary Landscape
New Zealand-born Ben Shewry’s Attica restaurant in Melbourne is ranked one of the best restaurants in the world for good reason, Jessica Wynne Lockhart reports in a feature about the rise, and rise, of…
Hotels to Cross Off Your Bucket List
Annandale and Eichardt’s Private Hotel have been featured in an article in the Toronto Star, which showcases “five dreamy suites, villas and penthouses to cross off your travel bucket list.”
New Ben Sanders Novel an Engrossing Chase Story
“In earlier Ben Sanders books, Marshall Grade worked undercover for the NYPD. When he made serious enemies in the criminal subculture, the federal cops hid him far away in the witness protection programme,” Toronto…
Riverdale Is a Guilt-Free Pleasure to Watch
“‘Archie got hot – he has abs now!’ An actual line in the pilot episode of Riverdale,” which is Toronto Star columnist Shinan Govani’s latest innocent viewing pleasure, he admits. The lead role of…
Leonard Kaminski Clearing Laos’ Deadly Legacy
Per capita, Laos boasts the inglorious distinction of being the most heavily bombed nation in the world. Between 1964 and 1973, more than two million tonnes of ordnance was dropped on the country in…
Mary Kills People Star Jay Ryan Takes the Risk
Auckland-born actor Jay Ryan, 35, best known for his roles as Jack Scully in the Australian soap opera Neighbours and Vincent Keller in the American television series Beauty & the Beast, now has a…
Abel Tasman Covers Heaven on Earth
Hot showers, meals, beds – and your luggage – await at stops along the scenic 60km Abel Tasman Coast Track, Lisa Jackson writes for a Toronto Star travel piece. “Seated at the northern tip of…
Fond Farewell to Formula 1 Hero Chris Amon
Chris Amon, regarded as one of the best Formula One racing car drivers of his generation, has died in Rotorua at age 73. Toronto Star “Wheels” editor Norris McDonald reflects on the life and…
Stops You Need to Make On Your South Island Road Trip
“There are plenty of places and excursions worth checking out when driving through New Zealand’s South Island,” writes Daniel Otis in an article for the Toronto Star. While there are endless possibilities,…
Ballet Dancer Harrison James Impresses in Giselle
National Ballet of Canada stars, Paraparaumu-born Harrison James, 25, and Russian Svetlana Lunkina “bring beautiful dancing and dramatic depth” to the 175-year-old production of Giselle, Toronto Star reviewer Michael Crabb writes. “Just because Giselle is…
All Blacks Edge Boks for Finals Showdown with Australia
The New Zealand All Blacks have beaten South Africa’s Springboks 20-18 in the Rugby World Cup semi-final in England on Saturday. “In an atmosphere thick with tension at Twickenham, the All Blacks clung to their…
Casting for the Elusive Mr Brown on Ruakituri River
“As we cut through the clouds in the small Bay Heliwork chopper, the sky opens to a stunning view of Hawkes Bay and the legendary Ruakituri River where the elusive ‘Mr Brown’…
How Ballet Understudy Harrison James Became the Prince
When casting notices first went up for the National Ballet of Canada’s season of Sleeping Beauty, Paraparaumu-born dancer Harrison James, 24, was merely down to understudy Prince Florimund. But circumstances changed, and in the…
Heath Cozens Grapples with Controversial Sport
New Zealand-born filmmaker Heath Cozens, 41, saw his first Japanese disabled pro wrestling match in 2010. At the time, he didn’t know what to think. Cozens, who spent 18 years in Japan as a video…
For Brian Sutton-Smith Play Nothing Less than Existential Necessity
Wellington-born developmental psychologist Brian Sutton-Smith, who wrote or edited more than 50 books and was among the first academics to treat the study of play as a rigorous discipline, has died in Vermont, in…
How Jemaine Clement Became 862-year-old Vladislav
Being a vampire wasn’t entirely new to Jemaine Clement, co-director and star of What We Do In The Shadows. His first credited role was playing one in a 1995 horror short film called Blood…
Canadian and Californian Pie Shops Loved by Locals
New Zealand-owned pie shops are popping up all over the place with Wiseys Pies & Bakehouse in Toronto, Canada and BurtoNZ Bakery in California the latest to introduce our savoury traditions to the world.
Tuvalu Climate Change Refugees Granted World-First Residency
A Tuvalu family has been granted residency in New Zealand after claiming to be climate change refugees, saying they would be affected by climate change if they were forced to return home. The family, believed…
Tramp the Past with Milford Anniversary Heritage Walk
The Milford Track is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a Department of Conversation (DOC) guided commemorative heritage walk to be held between 31 October and 3 November so that participating trampers may have…
Double the Win in Sevens Tournament Finals
New Zealand has completed a “remarkable sweep of rugby’s major global titles” this week with the men beating England 33-0 at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow to win the 2013 Rugby World Cup…
Canada Should Consider NZ’s Sex Work Rights
Catherine Healy, a member of the New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective, and Sandra Ka Hon Chu of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, discuss “New Zealand’s model of sex work respects rights and the “Swedish model,”…
Quigley’s Own Heroic Symphony
New Zealand author Sarah Quigley’s novel The Conductor is a “vivid evocation” of winter in Leningrad during the years 1941-42. “As the German army besieged the city, her citizens starved, corpses clogged the snowy…
Blooms and Bohemians
“Wellington long ago shed its staid, bureaucratic image, though you’ll still find plenty of ‘the suits,’ as they are affectionately called, around the beehive-shaped Parliament Building and New Zealand Stock Exchange,” Katherine Rodeghier writes…
Staying Atop an Alpine Meadow
“Whare Kea Lodge pilot James Ford is gunning his helicopter up a wide, verdant valley on a perfect summer’s day,” Toronto Star travel editor Jim Byers describes. “He climbs up and up and clears a…
Dangerous Driving for Kicks
“There are, perhaps, 20 people wedged into a small bus that’s winding its way down a dirt road in one of the steepest canyons I’ve ever seen,” the Toronto Star’s travel editor Jim Byers…
Kind and Gentle Comparisons
“If some folks felt a few years back that Canada was the kinder, gentler nation America wanted to be, I felt New Zealand was the kinder, gentler nation we’d like to think of ourselves…
Golfer’s dream courses
The sister golf courses of Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers are included in a list of Toronto Star travel writer Ian Cruickshank’s “top five places that still need to be played.” “Kauri Cliffs teeters…
Good as gold
Waiheke Island is a prime growing spot for olive trees and each year, in November, the Waiheke Olive Festival takes place on the estate of one of the local producers. Toronto Star freelance travel…
Communing with Quiet
Owner of Roxborough Farm Lloyd Watkins invites Toronto Star correspondent Adrien Veczan to spend a weekend on his 210ha property in Tirau. Veczan writes: “The feeling of being in the middle of nowhere can…
At Nature’s mercy
“If the volcano erupts, don’t try to outrun the lava,” a guide casually instructs Toronto Star freelancer Teresa Pitman who is on a tour of White Island. “Your best bet is to find something…
Trans-seasonal Vistas
A Toronto Star travel piece likens NZ’s famous TranzAlpine train journey to the Crowded House hit Four Seasons in One Day. Star: “In half a day, it travels from summer-like warmth in the farmlands…
Castaway tales from edge of the world
The latest book by Wellington maritime historian Joan Druett uses personal memoirs to recount two very different survival stories on the Auckland Islands, 500km south of NZ. Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked on the…
Paquin up for Emmy
Anna Paquin has been nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actress Emmy for her role in the HBO telefilm Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Based on Dee Alexander Brown’s classic 1971 book, Bury My…
Planned to Perfection
The Toronto Star reports on the wonder of Victorian-era town planning that is Christchurch, NZ. Prior to its December 1850 settlement, Christchurch was designed to be a replica of the ideal English, Anglican town – right…
Simple Pleasures in Spectacular Surrounds
Stewart Island is now home to NZ’s 14th national park – Rakiura, named after the anchor stone of Maui’s canoe (the South Island). A Toronto Star writer visited the rugged outpost and was won over by…
On the right path
Another talented Urban, Karl is to star in the upcoming US$30 million Viking epic, Pathfinder. Directed by Marcus Nipsel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and written by Laeta Kalogridis (Alexander), Pathfinder tells the story of a…
Scene stealer
Star feature on veteran US stuntwoman Jeannie Epper makes mention of her NZ protégé, Zoë Bell. Bell’s career to date includes doubling for Lucy Lawless in Xena, Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, and Halle…
International acclaim for national story
NZ/British co-production In My Father’s Den won the prestigious Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique (FIPRESCI) award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by NZer Brad McGann and based on…
Xena and Her Sisters
17 November 2003 – Ex-Warrior Princess, Lucy Lawless, was the obvious choice to front a Discovery Channel documentary series on women fighters in history. Warrior Woman features Joan of Arc, China’s Wang…
Not-so-cheap seats
LotR fans from Japan to Canada have been lining up to sponsor seats at Wellington’s Embassy Theatre, currently being refurbished in preparation for the world premiere of The Return of the King. 613 of…
NZ Ups the Anti
NZ joined the first wave of countries to sign the United Nations anti-tobacco treaty on June 16. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control aims to curb tobacco advertising and sponsorship, limit the use of misnomers such as…
Queen of the Castle
Exuding star quality while remaining “refreshingly down-to-earth”, Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes, feted in the New York Post, The State, and the Seattle Times and is cover-girl in Hawaii’s Weekend Star…
Finn-less wonders
In a review of the recently released Anthology, the Toronto Star dubs The Clean “the most important and influential New Zealand band not to include anyone with the surname Finn A fascinating primer,…
L.A Woman
After a highly successful tour of NZ, Bic Runga has moved to Los Angeles in the hope of netting new and bigger audiences. A brief but busy tour of Canada saw her open for…
Paquin: Make mine a double
Anna Paquin joins an ensemble cast including Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Spike Lee’s latest film, The 25th Hour. Advance screenings of the (typically) dark drama have sparked talk of likely Oscar nominations.
Mahy magic
Margaret Mahy’s 24 Hours, her latest teen novel released in America, is “compelling and emotionally satisfying”.
Magical Mystery Tour
Bus till you bust with Magic Travellers Network, winners of “Best Scheduled Transport” in the 2000 NZ Tourism Awards.
