A 110-year-old woman in the UK credits a nightly glass of Famous Grouse for her long life. Her doctor agrees. I needed no further convincing — off to the Jefferson we went.
Northland is the warmest, least populated, and most underrated region in New Zealand. It has the country’s oldest building, its most sacred kauri tree, a beach that’s officially a highway, and sand dunes you can surf. I’ve only been once and I’m already in love.
Wellington’s Garage Project started in a derelict petrol station in Aro Valley in 2011, brewing 24 different beers in 24 weeks just to see what would happen. It worked out.
A hāngī is a pit, a cooking method, and a meal all at once. It’s also one of the most distinctly Māori experiences you can have in New Zealand — and you don’t need to wait for a family invitation to try it.
Antarctica was still on my list — the only continent I hadn’t visited. Until I got there, Christchurch’s International Antarctic Centre turned out to be a pretty good consolation prize. A storm chamber that drops to -18°C, a Hagglund that makes a Hummer look timid, and my partner bear-hugging a man in a penguin suit. Not a bad afternoon.
Getting from the North Island to the South Island means crossing the Cook Strait — by ferry if you have a car, by plane if you don’t. The ferry takes three hours. The strait can get rough. It’s worth it.
600 people came to pay their respects when Atu the kiwi passed away. I wasn’t surprised. She was tiny, fearless, and absolutely unforgettable.
n New Zealand a meal is a “feed”. This is my running list of favourite feeds in Auckland — the places I went back to, dragged family to, and still think about.
State Highway 1 runs 2,047 kilometres from Cape Reinga in the north to Bluff in the south. It twists and turns almost the entire way. It takes forever to drive. It is beautiful.
Tāne Mahuta, Lord of the Forest, is roughly 1,500 years old and the largest living kauri tree in the world. He’s on Highway 12 in the Waipoua Forest and he will stop you in your tracks. Go see him.