12 more gorgeous New Zealand retreats
22 Feb, 2021 05:00 PM
9 minutes to read
Skyscape s stellar location in the Ben Ohau range is perfect for stargazing. Photo / Supplied
NZ Herald
Jessica Cameron
If you, like many, are breathing a sigh of relief that the hectic summer holiday period is over, you might just be in need of a retreat.
Whatever you re looking for when you re away from it all - we ve rounded up the best retreats across the country.
SkyScape, Mackenzie
Taking full advantage of the location of their family s sheep station in the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Preserve, Bridget and Bevan Newlands were inspired to build accommodation that would feel like lying in the tussocks and gazing up at the stars . The result was SkyScape, an architecturally stunning structure constructed almost entirely of glass that allows you to stargaze from bed.
GO NZ: Hokitika holiday highlights - what to see, do and where to stay
16 Feb, 2021 05:00 PM
7 minutes to read
Conservative estimates have the Hokitika of the gold rush-crazy 1860s being the proud owner of no less than 100 pubs. Less conservative estimates place the number closer to 200. Either way, in what was a booming population of 25,000 transient souls looking to find fortune in those rich West Coast soils, whether your pub-to-person ratio was 1:250 or 1:125, you were unlikely to have gone thirsty.
All of which can be gleaned from the history lesson that comes free when you stay at the Hokitika Fire Station Apartments, a place with a history that dates back to those gold-digging, beer-swilling days. With all those pubs n people crammed together in hastily-built quarters, fire was an ever-present risk. Indeed, in an ironic divine act, the town s first fire station once burnt to the ground after a lightning strike.
Poor Knights snorkelling Northland is home to the country’s best snorkelling. The sub-tropical currents that pass the Poor Knights Islands mean you will be surrounded by thousands of fish, including colossal snapper and even kingfish. Get there on a day trip with Dive! Tutukaka, it’s an hour boat ride from the coastal village of Tutukaka.
Brook Sabin/Stuff
Monster Scooters Whangārei’s Headsup Adventures runs a New Zealand first: monster scooters. These two-wheel off-road buggies are powered by gravity; you’ll be shuttled to the top of a hill, before choosing one of eight tracks to race down with your friends and family.