Ovello Bar & Kitchen boasts Australia's largest spritz menu. Photo / Getty Images
Each week in Travel, we check out some of the latest happenings from Aotearoa and beyond to inspire your next adventure.
Spritz happening
Finally, a dedicated spritz menu that includes candy floss toppers and edible pink glitter. Opening this month, Brisbane’s newest Italian eatery, Ovello Bar & Kitchen is taking residence below the Mantra South Bank hotel and beckoning guests with Australia’s largest spritz menu. With Italian cuisine almost playing second fiddle to the drinks’ list, there are more than 14 spritz variations including The Duchess, a $299 tipple made with Dom Pérignon. See ovello.com.au
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, QT Hotels & Resorts New Zealand are getting amorous. Concocting “Love Potion” drinks and instigating Spin the Bottle comps, it’s all part of their February-long Libido Love campaign. Book a Do Not Disturb room package and enjoy sparkling wine, chocolate strawberries, breakfast in bed and all sorts of other *taps nose and winks* romantic luxuries. Available at QT Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown. Read more at qthotels.com/offers/hotel/libido-love-at-qt/
In a while...
Home to an eye-opening 10,000 crocodiles, Kakadu National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory is a fantastic place to spot crocs. Following an A$3 million upgrade, there are three new viewing platforms to observe them from. The Cahills Crossing Viewing Area features a new picnic area, rainforest walk and unrivalled vantage points to view crocs as large as 5m long. See parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/do/crocs/cahills-crossing
A lot of us will be stuck indoors at the moment - and in need of a good book. The newly released The Islands Book by Lonely Planet is 314 pages of the world’s most dramatic, diverse, and unusual islands, including unique NZ inclusions. Available where all good books are sold or online at shop.lonelyplanet.com, $60 RRP.
Debut festival
Along with music and live entertainment, Human Kind is a thought-provoking festival that headlines more than 50 world-class speakers with an ideology to “reshape our collective future”. From world-leading neuroscientists to health guru Wim Hof, tap into the ideas and expertise of industry leaders and global changemakers. Making its debut at Sydney’s Luna Park from March 16-18. For more details, see humankind.sydney