Smart Travel

New Zealand has made the cut to be named in Lonely Planet’s prestigious 'Best in Travel' publication for 2010.

Getting off the beaten track in New Zealand has just become easier with a new interactive travel website aimed at helping backpackers and international students get out of town and onto the road less travelled.

An aged Land Rover lumbering over a rugged farm track with a yapping sheepdog on the back is a familiar sight in New Zealand but the image is getting a new twist from a couple of intrepid ex-pats.

Passengers might be checking in single file on Air New Zealand’s Los Angeles to Auckland flight on October 13 but the return journey could be a different matter if the world’s first Matchmaking Flight works its magic.

New Zealand’s wide open spaces and unique environment provide a mecca for freedom campers but tourists are being advised to check with the locals before pitching a tent or parking their campervan.

A vivacious 20-year-old Australian tourism student has won a ‘dream job’ giving her an all-expenses paid, three-month trip around New Zealand next year.

Savvy travellers who want to meet the locals and save money while holidaying in New Zealand will benefit from a new network of Kiwi hosts.

A remote holiday cottage on the northern end of the Abel Tasman track in the South Island has become New Zealand’s most energy efficient house.

Foreigners keen to spend their gap year in New Zealand are finding favour with Kiwi families, especially in rural areas where child minders and day care facilities can be at a premium.

A million Australians (and a few more) have jumped the ditch to experience the Kiwi landscape, culture and attractions in the past year.