Pirongia is Maori for "like a bad smell" although Pirongia is pretty and not at all smelly.

Settled in the 1860s by hardy pioneers from Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, the intrepid Bohemians were lured with the promise of free land.

Simon Kay relishes the fact that he is finally a welcome guest at an iconic hotel.

New Zealand has been named as a popular fishing destination for millionaires.

Bring your bike because the Twin Coast Cycleway is just 40km away at Horeke.

It may be our majestic mountains and pristine lakes that tourists come for, but apparently the loos are worth a gander as well.

At Mangarara, they put the planet before money, writes Tim Roxborogh.

The entrance could be better signposted: I tried to enter via the exit and ended up dithering dangerously on a high-speed road.

Elisabeth Easther seeks out the historical and beautiful sides of this Hauraki Gulf gem.

Our third island offers friendly locals and an array of adventures.

As one of the frontrunners so succinctly put it: "That was super-hard, but man it was fun!"

Elisabeth Easther finds herself stoked with a small town's selection of brews.

Mangawhai is a great place to get away to for the weekend and also fantastic for fishing.

Formerly known as Joliffetown and Moonlight Gully, it was subsequently named for the Blackball Shipping Line, which leased land in the area to mine coal.

WATCH: Tourist told to "look up at the sky, bro", then all hell breaks loose.

After our tour of Napier's art deco riches, we fancied ourselves as experts of the features that marked this oh-so-elegant aesthetic.

Miriyana Alexander checks out a luxury lodge that's luring celebs to New Zealand.

Fresh off the boat from Auckland, Sarah Daniell discovers paradise on Waiheke.

The TrailLite's turbo diesel ensured it was no slug on the road and we were through Auckland's busy Saturday morning traffic and over the harbour bridge in no time.

The interior design is a questionable combination of pea soup green and floral. And don't expect to be able to lounge around in a robe, because there aren't any.

The mosquitoes up there are as big as sparrows, they told me. They come in swarms so big they blot out the sky, they added ominously.

Take an extended break and explore this art- and culture-centric part of the North Island.

Elisabeth Easther takes a journey back in time to a small town steeped in history.

Time travel is difficult-but not impossible: witness the nostalgia-seeking horde that descends on Napier for the Art Deco Weekend each February.

As far as breakfast spots go, it would be hard to beat our beachfront campsite at Matata, just north of Whakatane, with its views of crashing surf and picturesque Whale Island.

Cyclists are bringing the gold back to this former mining town, says Elisabeth Easther.

It's Seaweek - what better excuse to get out to some of NZ's top snorkelling spots?

The Eagles Nest spills across 75 acres of a peninsula looking down on the Bay of Islands along the way to Tapeka Pt.

The snacking is plentiful down south, discovers Louise Richardson.

Deep beneath the Earth's surface the magical sight of thousands of glow-worms makes the cave ceiling twinkle.