New Zealand s Best Beach 2021: Winner revealed Ōhope, Bay of Plenty
30 Jan, 2021 04:00 PM
8 minutes to read
By: Ewan McDonald
Roll up the beach towel, pick up the picnic scraps and toss the melting ice out of the chilly bin on to the grass. The votes have been tallied and our quest to find the Best Beach in Aotearoa is done and dusted, like sand from wet togs.
Time to name the winner from our readers 10 favourite beaches and three wildcards the Herald Travel team added to the shortlist.
New Zealand s Best Beach 2021 is Ōhope, narrowly pipping the winner of our 2018 contest, Whangamatā.
With peace, beauty and convenience, why not live year round at Invercargill s Beach Road Holiday Park?
With Kiwis embracing domestic travel during the pandemic and interest rates at record lows, holiday homes are in hot demand, real estate agents say. But with New Zealand house prices surging, setting record median prices for four months in a row, many are looking outside traditional holiday hot spots for their baches and cribs.
Destination Great Lake Taupo/Supplied
Omori, by the Kuratau River on the southern shores of Lake Taupo, is an up-and-coming destination with holiday home buyers, Mayne says. Century 21 New Zealand owner Derryn Mayne said she has seen an explosion of interest in coastal properties over the past nine months thanks, in part, to the rise in remote working and Kiwis discovering new parts of the country.
Internal flight
Highlights
Sail around the scenic whitsundays
Hike and stay overnight in the blue mountains
Cruise around the fjords of doubtful sound in fiordland national park
Soak in the scenery of aoraki/mt cook national park
Hang with the maori in a traditional village
Itinerary
Day 1: CairnsArrive at any time.
Day 2: Cairns/Cape TribulationHead north to Cape Tribulation. Stop en route to explore Mossman Gorge and take an interpretive walk through the Daintree Rainforest.
Day 3: Cape TribulationWith a free day, opt for a trip to the Great Barrier Reef or to explore Daintree National Park.
Day 4: Cape Tribulation/CairnsReturn to Cairns in the afternoon with free time to explore this laid-back city. En route, stop by Port Douglas and opt to have lunch at a local market.
Here’s how to do a North Island roadie:
Tootle down SH1 and, two and a bit hours later, you’ll be enjoying the sun and sand of the Coromandel Peninsula. Take your time because there’s lots to enjoy – around 400km of coastline, laid-back locals and highly Instagrammable wonders such as Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.
Join a sea cave tour to explore hidden gems such as Cooks Blowhole and Shakespeare Cliff. Pack your togs because this is ground zero for swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving where you’ll eyeball all manner of marine life.
Speaking of which, afterwards drive to nearby Hahei where you can sample some of the region’s best fish and chips at the Hungri Hunter Gourmet Food Cottage.
Go NZ! What overseas tourists miss the most about New Zealand - Outsider s travel guide
24 Dec, 2020 09:00 PM
6 minutes to read
Many moons ago, in
The Before Times, visitors from all over the world would travel far and wide to reach New Zealand and marvel at its beauty.
Each region has a most-visited sight by international tourists - but how many Kiwis can say they ve been there too? Here s why you need to see them.
Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Northland
The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are a crucial part of Aotearoa s history, and typically they see more international visitors than the Northland average. And yet, so many New Zealanders have overlooked this area, missing out on understanding how important it is to their own sense of place and belonging.