Getting active around Auckland
There is a huge range of activities to get into this summer, and you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on gear to get started. Here are some of Element’s favourites. Get on yer bike The Natural High … Read more
Element’s epic road trips
A good old fashioned road trip is the best way to see the country. Here are Element’s four favourite car trips to do in the North Island, with one more down South thrown in for balance. Stock up, stop frequently, … Read more
Paradise for peanuts
With private campgrounds going under auctioneers’ hammers up and down the country, it’s good to know the old Department of Conservation (DoC) campgrounds are there for good. More often than not consisting of a long-drop toilet and a shower open … Read more
Lap of luxury
New Zealand’s Qualmark-rated hotels are a great way to treat yourself to a little luxury over the holiday season, whether it’s close to home or further afield. Here are Element’s favourite half dozen. HILTON HOTEL, AUCKLAND As one of … Read more
Family fun this summer
The weather’s warming and the kids are about to finish school, so here are our picks for fun family activities these holidays. HIT THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT The Bloom Family Festival from January 20-22 will turn the Matakana Country Park into … Read more
Well off the beaten track
As the economic situation puts a squeeze on home budgets and we become increasingly conscious of the cost of flying, both in terms of price tag and the environment, the staycation is growing in popularity all over the industrialised world. … Read more
Travelling lighter
You badly need to earn some Brownie points to pay the family back for all those rugby nights with the boys, but you can’t go mad because the big summer break is coming up fast. Time to take a look … Read more
Curious Catlins
James Russell finds that apart from a bit of tar seal on the roads little has changed in the Catlins since he and his friends first visited 20 years ago.