“Here comes the sun”, sang The Beatles and they might as well have been singing about New Zealand in December! For December marks the beginning of the summer season, and brings with it long sunny days and warm summer nights. This is the New Zealand many of us have in our mind’s eye – the white sands and turquoise ocean, tropical-looking forests lining the shores … and Christmas on the beach!
Queenstown is a beautiful town in New Zealand that sits beneath the Southern Alps. In winter, Queenstown is the destination of choice for skiing and snowboarding, however, this town is popular all year round. If you’d like to experience a warm December or January, Queenstown is the best destination for you with temperatures reaching up to 16°C in January.
Food, glorious food! It’s such an important part of any journey; it can turn a difficult day into a heavenly one, it can calm the ‘hangriest’ of bellies, it can restore us to our finest fettle. Today we’re going to cover what to expect from New Zealand’s food, so prepare to lick those lips because as we share some of our favourite kiwi dishes. Yum!
If I was only going to visit one country for the rest of my life, it would be – you guessed it – New Zealand. But if there was only one month I could visit, then that month would be November. November is the last month of spring in NZ, it brings the warmth of summer to the blooming spring landscape, where and the sights and sounds of the country are already in fine fettle.
You may have noticed that the Taiaroa Head Royal Albatrosses located on the Otago Peninsula, South Island, have been gathering some press coverage in the UK with the Guardian quoting a figure of 2.3 million people from 190 countries tuning into Youtube videos of the endangered birds rearing their chicks.
However you look at it, October is an exciting month in New Zealand. The hills and valleys are lush and green, the flowers come bursting out of their beds. Beach lovers lay their towels on the golden sands while skiers slalom down the ski fields above. There really is something for everyone in New Zealand in October, and today we’re going to share some of the best things we’ve found on our many trips over there in this magical month.
We are pleased to say we have finally received information from the New Zealand immigration department regarding visa requirements for entry into New Zealand (quoted below). Continue reading
While September in the UK marks the end of the summer sun, the first falling of the leaves and the arrival of the early signs of winter; September in New Zealand indicates the exact opposite! September in New Zealand heralds the end of the winter: the blossom blooms, the wildlife regains its joie-de-vive and flowers return to the landscape, bringing with them the promise of summer. In New Zealand, the season in September is spring. And we love it!
Okay. We know. Writing an article about the best views in New Zealand is like trying to list the best websites on the internet: there’s something different and amazing everywhere you look (I mean, have you seen www.silverfernholidays.com?!). But the glorious sights in New Zealand are such a wonderful part of a trip there that we decided it was high time we picked out a few of our North Island favourites. To avoid this article running to a word count that War and Peace would be proud of, we’re going to limit our coverage just to our top ten favourite views, and just to the North Island for now. Let the arguments commence!
August marks the last of the winter months in New Zealand, before September ushers in the spring. You might wonder what on earth would make people want to travel during the cold winter season, but in New Zealand, there are actually distinct advantages to doing so! With snow still crowning the mountain tops, the scenery is as jaw-dropping as ever, low season travel means fewer tourists and lower prices (flights to New Zealand in August can often be cheaper), and you’ll find that actually many of the activities you can do in the summer are still on offer. And then there’s the skiing… August is actually a great time to visit New Zealand.
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