Boozy fun in Laos comes laced with danger, writes Belinda Merhab.

A group of Romanians have been prevented from entering New Zealand amid suspicions they were planning a crime spree down Auckland's Queen St.

Getting a tattoo in Japan means forever entering the world of other people with tattoos and staying within it.

The steady life in sales and prices started in the central Auckland suburbs over a year ago and has now spread across the new supercity. But as Bruce Morris reports, it's still tough going out in the provinces.

Kristin Edge unwinds in style at the Chintamani Bali Retreat and Spa.

New Zealand photographer Amos Chapple visited the remote, near-vertical Iranian-Kurdish village of Palangan last winter. The images he captured paint a picture of life in this remote region, which is one of the main routes for smugglers seeking to bring alcohol across the mountain passes from Iraq into Iran.

A trip to Bali is also a social lesson for the whole family, finds Donna McIntyre.

Megan Singleton feasts on Chinese delicacies and snaps up some bargains.

Kieran Nash gets off the beaten snow tracks high in the avalanche country of the mountains of India.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir is usually in the headlines because of political tensions and violence, but amid the trouble lie an awe-inspiring landscape and some of the best back-country ski areas in the world.

Donna McIntyre gets intrepid and takes two teenage boys on a holiday to Bali.

The Indonesian island of Bali is a great place for a holiday, offering everything from popular surf resorts to rural inland towns where traditional Balinese culture can still be experienced.