11 must-see places in New Zealand

posted in: Places | 0

It’s always fun to draw up a bucket list of places to visit in New Zealand, especially if your list includes a few choices that others might not readily have thought of.

Travel blogger Megan Conway put together her own list of 11 favourite places.

11 must-see places in New Zealand

1. Queenstown

The capital of adrenaline.

2. Milford Sound

Spectacular fiords with jagged cliffs, waterfalls and a mysterious air.

3. Rotorua

Geothermal wonderland – “truly unique and awe-inspiring”.

4. Cathedral Cove, Coromandel Peninsula

Beautiful marine reserve.

5. Abel Tasman National Park, South Island

Golden beaches and rich vegetation – “the scenery is mesmerising”.

6. Hobbiton, Waikato

Sip beer at The Green Dragon Inn and enjoy this film set from Lord of the Rings.

7. Waiheke Island, Hauraki Gulf, Auckland

Palm trees and white sand beaches – and only a 45-minute ferry trip from Auckland.

8. Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty

One of New Zealand’s best beaches with trendy cafes and restaurants.

9. Hokitika Gorge, South Island

Walking trails and the chance to get close to nature.

10. Cape Palliser, southernmost tip of North Island

Chance to see seals before climbing to the cape’s iconic lighthouse for stunning views.

11. Wellington

Seaside capital with more restaurants per square metre than New York City.

Source: Megan Conway’s halfthisworldaway.com blog.

The 10 best family beaches in New Zealand

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The 10 best family-friendly beaches in New Zealand have been identified by one of the country’s leading travel advisors.

The Automobile Association’s aatraveller.co.nz, which publishes more than three million travel guides and maps each year, set out to help New Zealanders and visitors to identify where they should head for a day at the beach.

The AA published a list of its 10 top family beaches.

AA Traveller marketing manager Rhys James said a beach’s popularity was often down to what nearby activities were on offer.

“They’re looking for a beach that offers safe swimming, but beyond that they also want good facilities, including barbecues and playgrounds, walking and cycling tracks and places to eat nearby so they can really make a day of it.

“A beach like Caroline Bay in Timaru is not only considered one of the country’s safest swimming beaches, but it also has plenty of other attractions like the Trevor Griffiths Rose Garden, a maze, mini golf, a paddling pool and a playground, which makes it a popular spot and keeps families coming back.

“It’s places like these that appeal and the good thing is you can find them throughout the country,” he said.

The top 10 family beaches in New Zealand

(Not in any order)

Te Tii Bay, Paihia

Matapouri Bay, Northland

Cheltenham Beach, Auckland

Long Bay Regional Park, Auckland

Oriental Bay Beach, Wellington

Kaiteriteri Beach, Nelson/Tasman

St Clair Beach, Otago

Caroline Bay, Canterbury

Sumner, Christchurch

Rabbit Island, Nelson

Source: aatraveller.co.nz , January 2017

5 of the best places to surf in New Zealand  Ι  Where to find the best beaches in New Zealand

The 10 best places to fish in New Zealand

posted in: Places, Things to do | 0

Whether you want to chase marlin in the Bay of Islands or use a fly to catch a trout in a lake, New Zealand can offer all types of challenge to keen anglers. 

Deep seas, surf, rivers, streams and lakes … the choices belong to those who fish.

Travel site skyscanner.co.nz offers a list of the 10 best places to fish in New Zealand.

Top 10 places to fish in New Zealand

1. Moturiki Island, Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty

Rock fishing.

2. Russell, Northland

Deep sea and game fishing.

3. Lake Otamangakau, Tongariro National Park, Central North Island

Boat fishing for trout.

4. Omaha Cove, Greater Auckland

Rock fishing.

5. Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, Central Otago

Trolling from boats.

6. South Bay, Kaikoura, Canterbury

Deep sea fishing.

7. Lake Te Anau, Southland

Fly fishing for trout.

8. Waimakiri River, Canterbury

Fly fishing for trout and salmon.

9. Buller River, Nelson/Marlborough

Fly fishing for trout.

10. Hokitika, West Coast

River fishing for trout, salmon and whitebait.

Source: skyscanner.co.nz 

The best sausages in New Zealand

posted in: Food and drink | 0

They call them bangers, snarlers and barbeque fodder but some butchers are taking New Zealand sausages to new culinary heights.

The best butchers plan and experiment for months before entering the annual Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition in the hope of landing the title for the country’s best sausage.

More than 450 butchers enter the awards which began in 1994. Here are the results of the 2016 competition.

The best sausages in New Zealand

Supreme Award

Chicken, Lime & Lemongrass

Mangawhai Meat Shop, Mangawhai

People’s Choice Award

Pork & Tasmanian Apple Cider

New World Rolleston, Christchurch

Devro New Zealand Wildcard Winner

Free Range Chicken & Parsley

Col’s Butchery, Mt Maunganui

Gold Medals

Beef

Old English Beef

Harris Meats, Cheviot

Pork

Country Pork

PAK’nSAVE Riccarton, Christchurch

Flavoured

Beef Flavour

Greytown Butcher, Greytown

Poultry

Free Range Chicken & Parsley

Col’s Butchery, Mt Maunganui

Chicken, Lime & Lemongrass

Mangawhai Meat Shop, Mangawhai

Pre-cooked

Classic Saveloys

Hellers

Pork, Lemon & Parsley

Peter Timbs Meats, Christchurch

Continental fresh

Fresh Chorizo

New World Stonefields, Auckland

Continental ready-to-eat

The Naked Banger, Pepperoni Bierstick

Ashby’s Butchery, Sydenham, Christchurch

Black Pudding/rounds

White Pudding

Waikanae Butchery, Kapiti Coast, Wellington

Traditional flavour

Free Farmed Pork ‘n’ Fennel

New World Rangiora,Canterbury

Gourmet beef

Reuben’s Made in Store, Beef, Mushroom & Parmesan

Aussie Butcher New Lynn, Auckland

Gourmet pork

Pork & Tasmanian Apple Cider

New World, Rolleston, Christchurch

Pork, Jalapeno & Cheese

Peter Timbs Meats, Christchurch

Gourmet varietal

Wild Venison & Black Plum

Peter Timbs Meats, Christchurch

Silver Medals

Beef

Old English Beef

PAK’nSAVE Riccarton, Christchurch

Traditional Beef

PAK’nSAVE Moorhouse, Sydenham, Christchurch

Pork

Traditional Pork

Ellerslie Meats, Ellerslie, Auckland

Flavoured

Preston’s Beef Flavoured

Preston’s Master Butchers, Wellington, Palmerston North, Porirua

Continental fresh

Traditional Toulouse

L’Authentique

Auckland, Wellington, Katakana, Mt Maunganui, Hamilton, Napier, New Plymouth, Wanganui

Boerewors

Raeward Fresh, Richmond

Continental ready-to-eat

Smoked Romanian Pork & Garlic

Magills Butchery, Te Awamutu,

Black pudding/rounds

Black Pudding

Ellerslie Meats, Ellerslie, Auckland

Traditional flavour

Free Farmed Pork & Bacon

Drycreekmeats, Methven

Gourmet beef

Bacon, Cheese & Tomato

PAK’nSAVE Riccarton, Christchurch

Creamy Blue Cheese & Beef

New World Bishopdale, Christchurch

Gourmet varietal

Lamb, Pumpkin, Feta & Chives

New World Stanmore, Stanmore Bay, Auckland

Bronze medallists

Pork

Reuben’s Made in Store, Free Farmed True Pork

Aussie Butcher New Lynn, Auckland

Flavoured

Pork Flavoured

Countdown (National)

Pre-cooked

Original Cocktails

Hellers (National)

Poultry

Chicken, Spinach & Pinenut

Elite Meats, Hamilton

Continental ready-to-eat

Portuguese

Peter Timbs Meats, Christchurch

Black pudding/rounds category

Black Pudding

Fraser Park Butchery, Timaru

Burger’s Butchery, Timaru

Traditional flavour

Reuben’s Made in Store, Pork, Sage & Onion

Aussie Butcher, New Lynn, Auckland

Gourmet pork

Premium Pork & Mustard

PAK’nSAVE Rangiora, Rangiora, Canterbury

Gourmet varietal

Duck & Orange

The Village Butchery, Waiheke Island, Auckland

Source: Devro Great New Zealand Sausage Competition

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