A series of unfortunate events led to muted coverage of the architect’s eye-opening gallery in regional New Zealand. But 14 years after his death, Hundertwasser’s work is more prescient than ever From a distance, the building looks like a toddler’s birthday cake: bright, clashing colours crowned by a golden cupola that sparkles in the sun. Up close, its curvaceous form, detailed tile work and joyful colour choices are instantly recognisable as the work of the late Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000), the Austrian artist and “organic” architect whose social housing project, the Hundertwasse ..read more

With seven food businesses and a population of 400, New Zealand’s southernmost island has a restaurant density that could rival a major city Tokyo may be famed for its density of eateries, at 994 restaurants per 100,000 people – but it has nothing on a small island at the foot of New Zealand’s South Island. With seven places to eat regularly and a population of about 400 people, Stewart Island (also known as Rakiura) would have 1,750 eateries per 100,000 people if it was a major international city. But for many locals, being in a tiny town at the bottom of the world is part of the charm ..read more

On the Otago Peninsula, kākā chatter, ancient lizards hatch their eggs, and baby kiwis fatten up to fighting weight in a predator-free sanctuary The forest is making a racket. I pause to listen near a 400 year-old rimu tree with my Orokonui Ecosanctuary guide, Taylor Davies-Colley. The melodious flute, bells and whistles of the korimako/bellbird are the loudest, followed by the tūī’s rapid-fire flips between clicks, rattles and bleeps, which sound more like the labouring of an experimental composer than a forest bird. “Can you hear that?” says Davies-Colley. “Can I hear what?” I reply. I can h ..read more

Spots like Milford Sound that once ‘heaved’ with visitors recovered their tranquillity during lockdown – and ministers hope to keep it that way At the mouth of Milford Sound, the car parks sit empty. Of the 40 spaces reserved for convoys of buses, just two are occupied. The cliffs, rising sheer from dark, still water, are capped by mist, waterfalls unravelling like twine, nothing to interrupt the view. The cruise ships that once appeared over the horizon haven’t visited in years. When the ferry sets off, an entire floor of vinyl seats sits unoccupied. These are the last days of New Zealand’s f ..read more

As the Australia-New Zealand travel bubble opens, there’s no need to look north for ski chalets, onsens or hip city breaks The world hasn’t been Australia’s oyster for awhile, but with the trans-Tasman bubble officially open, a small glimpse of international travel can feel like a whole new world. New Zealand is often talked about for having some of the world’s most spectacular scenery - Lord of the Rings’ legacy lives on – but beyond Hobbiton, it has many more hidden gems that will remind you of travels to more far-flung destinations. Related: Domestic bliss: Australian destinations that feel ..read more

As Australians and New Zealanders anticipate the long-awaited ‘travel bubble’, eight Kiwi locals tell us where to go when the Covid curtain lifts As would-be travellers in Australia hold their breath for details of the long-awaited “travel bubble” with New Zealand, seven Kiwi creatives – and Dunedin’s young mayor – share their inside tips for where to walk, eat, shop and enjoy life once the borders come down. From rambles with “epic views” of Otago harbour to “the deepest greens you’ve ever seen” at Lake Kaniere, and the South Island’s “un-funkiest” small town sometimes it takes a local to kno ..read more

State Highway One runs from the North Island to the South. It cured Sam Coley of homesickness – and changed his understanding of home 14 September 2015: I’ve been in London for five years, and although I’m often full of sprits, my creative spirit is dampened by heartbreak, unemployment and housing insecurity. I’m homesick, missing New Zealand, so I decide to pack my camera and do a road trip on State Highway One, which runs from the very top of the North Island to the very bottom of the South – a backbone on a road map. I have the whole journey planned out when I remember I’m broke. My typewr ..read more

After a strict seven weeks of confinement, the atmosphere in the resort town’s reopened bars varies from restrained to raucous Wanaka lakefront is a tourism wonderland; a buzzy, bar-filled strip with a 180-degree view of the Southern Alps. At the height of the season, the town is defined by its epic parties. Alongside a love of snow and action sports, there is an equal love of decadence; locally brewed beer, top-shelf pinot noir and late, luscious nights. In 2014, I was working as a librarian in town and the Trout bar became my local. Through then-permitted social mingling, I appeared in a cou ..read more

With a trans-Tasman, quarantine-free travel bubble on the cards, Australians can start fantasising about a trip to New Zealand some time in the not-so-distant future. Tourism New Zealand says between February 2019 and February 2020, 1,550,683 people made the journey over from Australia. With that number in mind, we’ve selected a few less-visited destinations – from high peaks to thermal springs – to add to your travel wish list ..read more

The South Island destination has gothic buildings and golden beaches, with plenty of wildlife, delicious food and live music It’s midwinter in the South Island city of Dunedin but the sun is high and the thermostat has just pushed past 10C. Settled by the Scots and known as “the Edinburgh of the south”, Dunedin has long had a reputation in New Zealand as the country’s avant garde student haven, a gritty post-industrial city now home to artists, musicians, academics and more than a handful of eccentrics. Odd is acceptable in Dunedin – applauded, even. Related: Mystic river: Canoeing a living en ..read more