Towns, Cities

Ohakune New Zealand: Carrot Capital at Mount Ruapehu

Ohakune New Zealand is a small town at the southern end of Tongariro National Park, tucked close to the southwestern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, the active volcano that shapes the skyline of this part of the North Island. It sits in the Manawatū-Whanganui region and is classed as a minor urban area, which makes the…

Things to Do in Whakatane New Zealand: Coast and Culture

Things to Do in Whakatane New Zealand. Whakatāne sits on the Bay of Plenty coast, where a wide river meets the sea and the sunshine tends to stick around longer than most places in the North Island. The town is small enough to wander in an afternoon, but the surrounding district packs in beaches, bush,…

Accommodation in Whakatane New Zealand: Where to Stay

Accommodation in Whakatane New Zealand. Accommodation in Whakatane. Whakatāne packs a surprising amount of choice into a compact riverside town. The official visitor site for the area describes a spread that runs from luxury serviced apartments and motels through to camping grounds, backpackers and five star glamping, with apartments and holiday homes filling the gaps…

Restaurants in Ohakune: Where to Eat by Mount Ruapehu

Restaurants in Ohakune. Ohakune has a habit of surprising people. It looks like a modest mountain town, the kind of place where you expect a dairy, a pub and maybe a pie cart, and then you find a wood-fired pizza oven, a Thai kitchen with an indoor garden, a burger joint packing out the room…

Accommodation in Ohakune, New Zealand: Where to Stay

Accommodation in Ohakune, New Zealand. Ohakune changes character with the seasons. In winter it fills up with people heading for the ski fields on Mount Ruapehu. In summer it becomes a base for walkers, riders and families working their way through the central North Island. Whichever season brings you here, you will need somewhere to…

Whanganui, New Zealand: A River City Guide

Whanganui New Zealand is a river city on the west coast of the North Island, built at the mouth of the Whanganui River. It is the 19th most-populous urban area in the country and the second-most-populous in the Manawatū-Whanganui region, with a population of 42,800 as of June 2025. It also happens to be one…

Whanganui Hunting & Fishing New Zealand Guide

Whanganui sits at the mouth of the river that gives the region its name, and the district around it spills out into beaches, backcountry and quiet lakes. For travelling hunters and anglers, that mix is the whole appeal. You can spend the morning sorting gear at a locally owned store in Gonville and the afternoon…

Accommodation in New Plymouth: Where to Stay in Taranaki

Accommodation in New Plymouth. New Plymouth packs a surprising amount into a compact coastal city, and where you sleep shapes how much of it you actually see. Book a room by the water and you can walk to dinner with sea air in your face. Base yourself in the CBD and you are minutes from…

Ohakune New Zealand Skiing Guide: Tūroa and Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu

Ohakune New Zealand skiing. Ohakune has earned its place as one of the North Island’s best known ski towns. The village sits close to the south-western slopes of Mt Ruapehu, the mountain fills the view from autumn through to spring, and for a few months each year the whole town revolves around snow. Two world-class…

Accommodation in Hokianga: Where to Stay Around the Harbour

Accommodation in Hokianga. The Hokianga Harbour sits in Northland, and the accommodation spread around it is wider than most travellers expect. Within a short drive you can choose between beachfront resort rooms, a self-contained studio with a super king bed, a cabin with harbour views, a campervan site, a bunk in an eco hostel, or…