By Zac in Cool Travel on Thursday 6 October 2011

There’s no finer way to experience the pristine New Zealand countryside than riding horses at Rangihau Ranch, in the Coromandel. While the Lost At E Minor team were in New Zealand recently, we enjoyed a morning riding the horses at Rangihau.

Tessa, the owner, met us with a characteristically warm Kiwi welcome and took us to ride the original supply trail through the Coromandel ranges. With a laid-back style Tessa helped us with helmets and gauged our riding experience (ranging from little to none) before helping us on their beautiful horses. We followed Tessa on the trail past kiwi-fruit groves, manuka bush in flower, pine plantations and eventually to the peak of the ridge on their property. From their, the view unfolded. We left Rangihau thrilled by the sheer beauty of New Zealand, witnessed up-front, on horse back.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Saturday 17 September 2011

What better to do with the world’s steepest street, Baldwin Street in Dunedin New Zealand, than organise a jaffa roll – where numbered balls of chocolate coated with a hard sugary outer are sent flying down in a moving wall of red and orange. The fastest jaffas finish the 79% gradient street in around 15 seconds, raising money for local charities.

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By Tristan Rayner in New Eco on Saturday 10 September 2011

I was mesmerised by a small seal pup colony at Ohau Stream, just north of Kaikoura in New Zealand. The small Ohau stream is a playground for seal pups, who swim up to a pool at the base of a 30-metre waterfall while their mothers are out at sea hunting fish. The pups are completely at home in their nursery — undisturbed by tickled onlookers, who are offered a privileged glimpse of a carefree existence.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Friday 19 August 2011

The Free House is a pub set in a retro-fitted church in Nelson, New Zealand, an exploration of the art of beer that is unshackled from big brewery mass produced fizz that we so often have to endure. Disciples have enjoyed more than 250 different craft beers since the crusade to set beers free was embarked upon in 2009 by Eelco Boswijk and Mic Dover.

They wanted a bar with craft beer, but having found few options in Nelson, decided to set up their own. The food policy is a novelty: BYO or order in from the range of takeaway restaurants nearby which deliver to your table. Nelson’s warmest, happiest place for a beer with heart.

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By Tristan Rayner in New Events on Friday 12 August 2011

The subversive works of Banksy will be on show in New Zealand for the first time.

Oi You! is showcasing the best of street art, including a huge collection by the world’s urban art giants such as Banksy, Faile, Micallef, and Swoon. 23 Banksy works will be on show alongside a massive installation by New Zealand’s foremost street artists, the Cut Collective, as well as the 40 finalists of the Oi You! 2011 nationwide Urban Art Competition. Oi You! 2011 is open daily at Founders Park, Nelson from September 23 to October 24.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Wednesday 3 August 2011

The Marlborough region in New Zealand produces more than fifty percent of New Zealand’s finest wine. However, the cold climate means some innovative solutions are needed to combat grapes being damaged by frost as they grow in early spring. Enter the helicopter, flying low over vineyards to push warmer air from the inversion layer down onto the freezing ground and circulating the air. This has meant that more than 150 helicopters — a large portion New Zealand’s fleet — were in use over a small region at one time.

Brett from Nautilus wines explained that on average, the ‘choppers are called in for around three days a year to protect the crop. While helicopters might seem expensive, losing precious wine producing grapes can result in millions lost to frost.

The only alternative is to pick the grapes while frozen, producing wines known as ‘ice’ wines, which are very sweet as the water is frozen off, leaving a more concentrated flavour.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Wednesday 3 August 2011

When aviation geek Peter Jackson decided to share his collection of World War 1 air-memorabilia, the town of Blenheim in New Zealand was chosen to host his aeronautical paraphernalia. The museum is a tribute to the beginning of the airplane and the swift harnessing of the invention into sophisticated machines.

Jackson’s touches can be seen throughout, as moments from WW1 come to life in re-enactments of daring, chivalry and disaster. The museum contains real flyable planes, replicas, and memorabilia: including parts of the Red Baron’s plane and uniform.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Tuesday 2 August 2011

When Kaikura in New Zealand suffered an economic downturn, the local Maori people looked to the cultural bond between the creatures of the deep and themselves to revitalise their economy and to give tourists an idea of the majesty of whales. These whales are in a truly special spot at Kaikura. The ocean floor drops some 1km down just a few hundred feet from shore, and the sea is a permanent home to sperm whales, as well as migrating right and humpback whales and a community of dolphins and seals.

The best way to explore the whales is to jump on a Wings over Whales experience, a short mad-dash flight over the sea to spot all the possibilities in the sea. Our pilot, Pete (wearing short-sleeves in the depths of a New Zealand winter), dived, banked and soared over four whales and a pod of dolphins in a blue-ribbon day for whale-spotting.

There’s also quite a view from the sky. The oxygenated water of Kaikura is a vibrant green, while the shores are a soft black sand. The white foam waves cresting onto the rich, dark shoreline with snow-crested mountains off in the distance is a stunning contrast of scenery that New Zealand seemingly offers up on a platter.

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By Tristan Rayner in New Food and Packaging on Friday 29 July 2011

You know what they say: when in New Zealand, do as the Kiwis do. Pegasus Bay is a beautiful, family-owned winery producing some of New Zealand’s finest wines. But people don’t visit just for the wine. The food is a secret weapon, with the restaurant serving up great local and seasonal dishes, using fresh, seasonal ingredients with some top-shelf choices mixed in. Our favourite dish was the black truffle frittata, which melted with flavour as we sat overlooking the wintery gardens in front of an open fire.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Thursday 28 July 2011

Hanmer Springs is an idyllic village in New Zealand, situated at the foot of the Southern Alps. The village was established on the hot, all-natural geothermal springs, which gush forward with pure snow water. Originally a sanitorium hot-spot in the 1920s, the Springs have been refined into a range of aqua pools for all ages, with thermal, sulphur and indoor pools. This is also where the Wallabies (the Australian rugby team) will be staying during a weekend of rest and relaxation during the upcoming Rugby World Cup. They couldn’t have chosen a better spot to unwind.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Wednesday 27 July 2011

Christchurch was ravaged by the 6.3 magnitude earthquake which struck on 22 February, with the city treated as somewhat of a salt shaker by the unique tectonic regime which is in place across New Zealand. However, the resilience of the people of ‘Chch’ has never been shaken.

The city continues to welcome visitors who now experience a changing city that serves as the heart of the greater Canterbury region and the gateway to the South Island. Christchurch asked for ideas from its citizens on how best to repair the damage from the quake and received more than 104,000 submissions broadly broken into: Sustainable, Green, Open, Engaging. In a taste of what might come, entrepreneurs have popped up instant art and small bars, shipping crates have been converted into make-shift shops, and the suburban regions have a renewed purpose. We’re impressed.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Wednesday 27 July 2011

The Charlotte Jane Hotel in Christchurch, New Zealand, remains open for leisure. The old mansion was originally a school for young ladies, and after managing to survive that run in, the recent earthquakes have done little to harm the Victorian throwback, with huge bathrooms, large, plush rooms and touches of elegance throughout. Our favourite was the stained-glass window near the entrance, depicting the original Charlotte Jane, one of the earliest ships to bring settlers to Christchurch.

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By Tristan Rayner in Cool Travel on Thursday 21 July 2011

With Christchurch in New Zealand continuing to rebuild and recover from the earthquakes which cruelled the centre of the city, entrepreneurial spirit has organically surged to kick off a range of urban regeneration intiatives. Gap Filler is one independent pop-up project that aims to activate the temporarily vacant sites within Christchurch to make for an interesting, and vibrant city with Bowl’a'Rama, pop-up theatre, dance and music.

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By Zolton in New Products on Thursday 24 February 2011

We dig this 100 percent natural cotton, reusable shopping bag by New Zealand company GOOD. Perfect for lugging around lemons, bread, and bottles of strange liquid. [buy this bag now for US$9. Why? Why not. It rocks]

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By Zolton in New Photography on Monday 7 February 2011

As a proud Kiwi living abroad, I’m really moved by the photography of New York-based New Zealand photographer, Brian Sweeney, whose book, Paradise Road, as his bio notes, ‘moves between long-distance reverie and the documentation of pattern and motif in landscape’. There’s just something magical about the place: small country, big ideas. And through Sweeney’s lens, it’s revealed so elegantly in big, bold, and beautiful photos that swallow up the frame and envelope you in its swirling natural harmonies.

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