2023 travel trends: Tiny homes and koala sleepovers

Maungatapere tiny home by Tiny Away. Photo / Supplied

Ice, ice baby

Summer is well and truly here. For all those hot, sticky days when you simply can’t get enough ice in your glass, imagine being able to knock a cube off your bedpost. Welcome to Romania’s Balea Lac ice hotel. Re-built every year in December, albeit with a new design, ice “bricks” are sourced from nearby Balea Lake to construct everything from ice beds to dinner plates. You have until April before it melts, with Untravelled Paths offering a four-night Ice Hotel experience between now and then. See untravelledpaths.com/the-ice-hotel-experience

The Candy Land Ice Room at Romania’s Bâlea Lac ice hotel. Photo / Untravelled Paths

Teeny weeny sleeps

Tiny Away, a bespoke Australian company specialising in compact stays in rural settings has launched 10 new tiny houses in New Zealand. Partnering with landowner hosts from Northland all the way to Otago, cabins are mostly off-grid and fully immersed in nature. Eco-friendly to the nth degree, expect solar panels and composting toilets, as well as a beautifully bijou space where cosy reigns supreme. Visit tinyaway.com/

Forest Hill Farm, part of the Tiny Away collection of tiny homes. Photo / Erica Austin

Koala sleepovers

Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary in New South Wales has updated its hotel rooms so you can rest your head among the gum trees and koalas. Located within the sanctuary’s endangered species’ natural habitat, get a front-row seat to the action. Which is wonderfully slow-paced. Additional perks include a pool and spa area. Find out more at Portstephenskoalasanctuary.com.au

A koala snuggles in a tree at the Koala Sanctuary Port Stephens. Photo / Destination NSW

Look who’s walking

Summertime walks on Waiheke Island reward the rambler with golden beaches, vineyards and epic views. To showcase every self-guided walk, the Waiheke Walking Trust has launched a new website. Visit walkwaiheke.co.nz for a detailed walking guide, covering everything from time, distance and terrain, as well as categories to suit every type of tramper: those with dogs, kids et al.

The Waiheke Walking Trust has launched a new online walking guide. Photo / Supplied