Waiheke Island
At the eastern end of the island, privately owned Stony Batter has WWII tunnels and gun emplacements that were built in 1941 to defend Auckland’s harbour…
Must-see attractions in North Island
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Whale Bay marks the end of the sealed road, but a gravel road continues to the wild spans of Ruapuke Beach, 22km from Raglan. It’s dangerous for swimmers…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Located near the northern shore of Lake Rotorua, these springs are a sacred place for the local Ngāti Rangiwewehi people. A pretty 1.5km walk leads…
Tauranga
A fairly ordinary-looking Victorian villa stranded on a hill as the roads around it grew, Brain Watkins House (no, not Brian) was built in 1881 from kauri…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
The Rangiriri Heritage Centre screens a short documentary about the battle of Rangiriri. There’s also a small museum and a cafe with good home baking.
Auckland
It's a bit dull by international standards, but Rainbow's End has enough rides (including a corkscrew roller coaster) to keep the kids happy all day.
Māori War & Early Settlers Cemetery
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
The Māori War & Early Settlers Cemetery houses the soldiers’ graves and a mound covering the mass grave of 36 Māori warriors.
New Plymouth
An appropriately austere stone New Plymouth landmark that presides over the Coastal Walkway and a public playground.
Karangahape Road Art Gallery Trail
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
Filling the spaces between ethnic restaurants, hip wine bars and vintage-clothing shops, Karangahape Rd is home to the highest concentration of studios…
