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From a new flight route facilitating Fiji-Vancouver twin-centres to sleep pods in the wilderness, these product updates offer compelling reasons to journey to the other side of the world
Te Pa Tu, formerly Tamaki Maori Village, has reduced its cap on visitors from 160 to 80 people, offering a more intimate and authentic connection with Maori culture at the revamped attraction in Rotorua – widely sold through UK operators. te-pa-tu.com
Excitement is building for the return of Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, three years after the hotel was razed by bushfires. Sustainability is at the core of the new design, with reopening planned for November.
Scenic train operator Great Journeys New Zealand has added new short break packages and multi-day, guided tours featuring Northern Explorer, Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine routes. Packages include excursions. greatjourneysnz.com
New Zealand’s PurePods are now bookable with Premier Holidays. Found in nine wilderness locations, the Pods are off-grid, stocked with food and drink and located a one-kilometre walk at least from a secure car park.
New for 2024, Journey Beyond has introduced a Scenic Sip & Sail itinerary, travelling from Perth to Sydney onboard the Indian Pacific. A Gold twin starts from AUS$4,870pp, which is bookable through major tour operators. journeybeyond.com
A new restaurant in Melbourne is a love letter to the produce, people and places of the state of Victoria. Set in Confederation Square, 250-seater Victoria by Farmer’s Daughter has an all-weather terrace overlooking the Yarra River. victoriarestaurant.com.au; visitvictoria.com
Samoa’s Seabreeze Resort has reopened after an extended period of closure with upgraded rooms, a bigger spa and an all-new swimming pool. New guest experiences include a cultural show every Friday highlighting Samoan traditions. seabreezesamoa.com
A fleet of traditional canoes is being constructed in the Cook Islands for the first time in generations to preserve indigenous culture. The vaka were used by the original settlers to cross oceans and have remained important ever since. cookislands.travel
Fiji’s new flight route, offering twice-weekly flights via Vancouver with BA and Fiji Airways (codeshare, departing Mondays and Fridays), offers up a Vancouver and Fiji twin-centre, bookable through Gold Medal, from £3,079pp. goldmedal.co.uk
In Wellington, James Litston finds that clients don’t have to stray from the city for a fascinating brush with nature
Be it Hyde Park in London, New York’s Central Park or Berlin’s Tiergarten, a wander amidst urban greenery adds extra essence to a city stay. But here in Wellington, New Zealand’s pint-sized capital, it’s clear from the sounds raining down from the trees that this is no ordinary walk in the park. One bird in particular is stealing the show with his confident repertoire of warbles and trills.
My guide on this morning’s nature walk spots him in the foliage: a blackbird-sized, dark-plumaged critter with a white bib and elegant, curved beak. He’s a tui – once a rare sight hereabouts, but now far more frequent thanks to this very nature reserve. I’m at Zealandia (visitzealandia.com), a wildlife sanctuary 15 minutes by complimentary shuttle bus from downtown Wellington.
At more than 500 acres, this forest reserve fills a steep-sided valley that, being surrounded by a predator-proof fence, is a refuge for native wildlife. New Zealand’s birdlife has been in decline ever since people arrived on these islands. Hunting, habitat loss and introduced predators have pushed many species to extinction, with numerous others teetering on the brink. But by protecting this valley, Zealandia has recreated ideal conditions in which more than 40 rare and unusual types of native bird are thriving.
On our two-hour walk, we spot cheeky kaka parrots in the treetops, emerald-green kakariki parakeets and a family of saddlebacks searching for insects in the undergrowth. There are kiwis here too, with around 150 living wild in this forest. Being strictly nocturnal, clients would need to book a night-time tour to see them. As for me, meeting (and hearing) such unique avifauna is a highlight of my trip. And missing the kiwis on my daylight tour? It’s the perfect excuse to come back.
Book it: Two-hour daytime tours cost from £32pp, or from £51pp at night (includes admission) with Viator. First Class Holidays offers a 13-night North Island Traveller self-drive combining Wellington with Napier, Rotorua and Auckland from £1,779pp, including accommodation and car hire; flights extra. viator.com; fcholidays.com
