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Marine Parade
Napiers elegant seaside avenue is lined with huge Norfolk Island pines, and dotted with motels and charming timber villas. Along its length are parks, quirky sunken gardens , a minigolf course, a skate park, a sound shell, a swim centre and an aquarium. Near the north end of the pa
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Wenderholm Regional Park
Squeezed between the Waiwera and Puhoi Rivers, the exquisite 134-hectare Wenderholm Regional Park has a diverse ecology, abundant bird life, beaches and walks (30 minutes to 2½ hours). Couldrey Homestead , the original farmhouse dating from the 1860s, is now a museum. The camping g
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Taupiri
About 26km north of Hamilton on SH1 is Taupiri (287m), the sacred mountain of the Tainui people. You’ll recognise it by the cemetery on its slopes and the honking of passing car horns – locals saying hi to their loved ones as they pass by. In August 2006 thousands gathered here as
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Weta Cave
Film buffs will dig the Weta Cave, a mind-blowing minimuseum of the Academy Award–winning special-effects company that brought The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, The Adventures of Tintin and The Hobbit to life. Learn how they do it on 45-minute guided tours, starting every half-hour
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Wellington Cable Car
One of Wellington’s big-ticket attractions is the little red cable car that clanks up the steep slope from Lambton Quay to Kelburn. At the top are the Wellington Botanic Gardens , the Carter Observatory and the small-but-nifty Cable Car Museum . The latter evocatively depicts the c
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Riff Raff
One of Hamilton’s more unusual public artworks is a life-sized statue of Rocky Horror Picture Show writer Richard O’Brien aka Riff Raff, the time-warping alien from the planet Transsexual. It looks over a small park on the site of the former Embassy Theatre where O’Brien worked as
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Arataki
As well as providing information on the 250km of trails within Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, this impressive centre also features Māori carvings and spectacular views. The carvings at the entrance depict the ancestors of the Kawerau iwi . You can also book here for several basic
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First Church of Otago
Dunedins original Scottish settlers founded Otagos first Presbyterian congregation upon their arrival in 1848 and built this grand church 25 years later. Constructed in the Gothic style out of Oamarus famous white stone, the church has a soaring wooden ceiling and some magnificent
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Beehive
Office workers swarm around the distinctive modernist Beehive (1980), which is exactly what it looks like, and which forms part of NZs parliamentary complex. It was designed by British architect Sir Basil Spence. Controversy dogged its construction and, love it or loathe it, its th
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Sacred Heart Basilica
Roman Catholic with a definite emphasis on the Roman, this beautiful neoclassical church (1911) impresses with multiple domes, Ionian columns and richly coloured stained glass. Its architect, Francis Petre, also designed the large basilicas in Christchurch (now in ruins) and Oamaru
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Titirangi Reserve
High on a hill overlooking Gisborne, Titirangi was once a pa (fortified village). Reach it via Queens Dr, or join the sweaty joggers on the track from the Cook Monument . Near the lookout at the top is yet another Cook edifice, Cook’s Plaza . Due to a cock-up of historic proportion
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Te Waikoropupū Springs
The largest freshwater springs in Australasia and reputedly the clearest in the world, ‘Pupū Springs is a colourful little lake refreshed with around 14,000L of water per second surging from underground vents. From Takaka, head 4km northwest on SH60 and follow the signs inland for
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Paritutu
Just west of town is Paritutu, a steep-sided, craggy hill (154m) whose name translates as ‘Rising Precipice’. Precipice is right – its a seriously knee-trembling, 20-minute scramble to the top, the upper reaches over bare rock with a chain to grip on to. If you can ignore your inne
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Te Anau Glowworm Caves
Once present only in Māori legends, these impressive caves were rediscovered in 1948. Accessible only by boat, the 200m-long system of caves is a magical place with sculpted rocks, waterfalls small and large, whirlpools and a glittering glowworm grotto in its inner reaches. Real Jo
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St Patricks Catholic Church
Apart from its impressive Star of David–shaped rose window, this 1874 stone Gothic Revival church wouldnt be worth noting if it werent for its connection to Australias only Catholic saint. Acclaimed educator St Mary of the Cross, aka Mary McKillop (1842–1909), founded a convent in
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Cromwell Heritage Precinct
When the Clyde Dam was completed in 1992 it flooded Cromwells historic town centre, 280 homes, six farms and 17 orchards. Many historic buildings were disassembled before the flooding and have since been rebuilt in a pedestrianised precinct beside Lake Dunstan. While some have been
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Auckland Domain
Covering about 80 hectares, this green swathe contains the Auckland Museum , sports fields, interesting sculpture, formal gardens, wild corners and the Wintergarden , with its fernery, tropical house, cool house, cute cat statue, coffee kiosk and neighbouring cafe. The mound in the
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Rotoroa
In 2011, 82-hectare Rotoroa opened to the public for the first time in a century, giving visitors access to three sandy swimming beaches and the social history and art displays in the restored buildings of the former treatment centre. There are also three well-appointed, wildly ret
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Stonehenge Aotearoa
About 10km from Greytown in a farmers backyard, this full-scale adaptation of the UKs Stonehenge is orientated for its southern hemisphere location on a grassy knoll overlooking the Wairarapa Plain. Its mission: to bring the night sky to life, even in daylight. The pretour talk and
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Paaku
Around seven million years ago Paaku was a volcanic island, but now it forms the northern head of Tairua’s harbour. Ngati Hei had a pa here before being invaded by Ngati Maru in the 17th century. It’s a steep 15-minute walk to the summit from the top of Paku Dr, with the pay-off be
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