The out-of-office messages are on, and the summer holidays are here.
Many of us will be making the annual pilgrimage to New Zealand’s hotspots for getting our fix of sun, surf and sand – our travel writers included.
From the winterless north to the South Island’s sun traps, here’s where you’ll find the Stuff Travel team soaking up the rays this season.
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Northland
For a few months of the year, many Northlanders get grumpy.
From about November to April, the winterless north becomes Hawaii-like in temperature. During that time, especially over the Christmas break, tens of thousands of Aucklanders head north, the gravitational pull of New Zealand’s best beaches too strong to resist.
And for those few months, quiet old Northland – where a Briscoes sale still gets the community talking – comes alive like it’s a massive resort that sprawls from Wellsford to Kaitaia.
I grew up in this subtropical paradise, where locals grumble at the summer influx of tourists on their beaches. But I love it.
Brook Sabin/Stuff
The Poor Knights Islands are a true Northland treasure.
Try Whale Bay, Spirits Bay, Oke Bay, Taupō Bay or Helena Bay for some of the best summer spots.
Northland could be like Hawaii’s Maui, minus the skyscrapers, if it really wanted to develop tourism. It feels the region might be on the cusp of embracing that – and that’s pretty exciting.
My top tip for Northland: Head on a day trip with Dive! Tutukaka to the Poor Knights. The snorkelling is unbelievable, better than I’ve experienced in many tropical countries.
Aside from that, I’ll see you on the beach – don’t worry, there’s room.
– Brook Sabin
Waiheke Island
Supplied
Aucklanders are lucky to have scenes like this right on their doorstep.
I used to think I was an off-the-grid kind of girl, but in recent years, my need (or greed) for good food and wine has seen me eschew middle-of-nowhere destinations for culinary hotspots like Waiheke.
It’s only a 45-minute ferry ride from my home, but still makes me feel like I’ve landed on the Mediterranean or Adriatic coasts, its vine and olive-covered hills recalling long-ago trips to Croatia, southern Italy and Greece. One key difference: Waiheke’s beaches are better.
On a post-Christmas break last year, I quickly slipped into a routine of prepping for the day’s enormous calorie intake with a jog along Oneroa beach, before settling in for a long lunch at one of the many wineries.
Highlights were a five-course Italian-style feast at Poderi Crisci, hidden in a little-visited southeastern corner of the island; and sipping golden glasses of chardonnay at beachside winery Man O’ War to the tune of a live DJ as boardie and bikini-clad boaties wandered in to order takeaway woodfired pizza and wine.
This year, late booking means I’m only able to stay for two days. But I plan on cramming in at least two weeks’ worth of food and wine while I’m there.
– Lorna Thornber
Ōmokoroa
Western Bay of Plenty Tourism/Supplied
This petite peninsula is the perfect choice for an easy seaside break.
My summer holidays are typically spent in the sleepy coastal settlement of Ōmokoroa, located just 20 minutes from Tauranga. It has all the natural beauty of Mount Maunganui, without the overwhelming foot traffic.
Hot sunny days are best spent at the domain near the tip of the peninsula, where the harbour beach sheltered by the long and flat Matakana Island makes for carefree splashing.
Those seeking shade will find comfort under pōhutukawa, while parents can keep a watchful eye over their children on the beachside playground from the deck at Alma Eatery.
The dairy scoops old-fashioned ice creams and, if lunch is in order, the boat club at the edge of the marina is the perfect place to settle in and soak up views back to the maunga.
Catch the car ferry to Matakana Island for a day trip and its beach surf break, or follow the Ōmokoroa to Tauranga Cycle Trail for 19 scenic kilometres.
– Stephen Heard
Wellington
Celeste Fontein
You can’t beat Wellington on a good day – especially if you head to Lyall Bay.
Bear with me, but my favourite destination in summer is pretty much where I live.
Why battle road rage and paying top dollar for a tent site covered in sandflies while muttering, “this is fine”, when you can stay put as the city empties out and enjoy all your home comforts?
I live in Lyall Bay, so I can be at the beach within minutes, have a cheeky fix of fast food, drink some of the best coffee around and indulge in chilled out beersies with all the “cool kids” at Parrotdog.
There’s a lot to be said for waking up in your own bed, with absolutely nothing planned. Roll on those long, lazy, summer days at home.
– Alan Granville
Motueka
NelsonTasmanNZ
Motueka is a great base for summer adventures.
For the past couple of years, I’ve chosen to head to this small town at the Top of the South for my Christmas holidays, largely thanks to having family based there.
It’s less about the town itself, and more about it being the gateway to one of the most stunning national parks in New Zealand – Abel Tasman National Park.
Sheltered golden sand bays with clear water perfect for swimming and kayaking, with a vibrant backdrop of dense subtropical native bush, beech canopies and fern-lined hiking tracks make for picture-perfect scenes to help forget about the year that’s been.
While in Motueka, get your coffee and ice cream fix from Toad Hall, an ideal spot for families with a playground on site, or reward your hiking efforts with some local craft brews at the Sprig & Fern tavern.
Enjoy browsing local boutique stores and pick up a few souvenirs such as locally-crafted jewellery or hand made scarves and bags.
The Motueka estuary loop walk is another must-do – with a stop at the Janie Seddon shipwreck, the last-surviving military ship to have served in both world wars.
– Juliette Sivertsen
Naseby
John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff
This old gold mining settlement in Central Otago is a real summer gem.
Most summers of my childhood were spent in a tiny Central Otago town by the name of Naseby.
Tucked away in a forest far inland in the Maniototo region, and with a permanent population of around 100, it would seem to be the very definition of a “hidden gem”. But I’ve been surprised to find just how many people – mostly from Dunedin – know about it, and spent many summers of their own there.
It’s probably better known as a winter destination – it’s home to an outdoor ice skating rink, a natural ice luge, and an indoor curling rink (which can be enjoyed all year round).
But there’s just as much fun to be had in summer, with its bike trail, walking tracks and swimming dams. There’s a brilliant camping ground, or you can book a holiday house (though you’ll probably need to book in the summer before).
The town’s welcome sign declares it’s “2000ft above worry level”, and it really is the sort of place where you go to let a year’s worth of stress melt away.
– Siobhan Downes
