New Zealand
I'm a freelance travel writer based in Wellington, New Zealand. Coming from a background in heritage projects, I like to explore a destination's culture and heritage. My work has appeared in print and digital media in New Zealand and internationally.
Recent destinations include Dunedin, Hamilton, Kaikōura, Auckland, Wairarapa, and Paris.
Kaikōura is famous for whale watching and crayfish, but for many travellers it’s a quick stop on the way to somewhere else. I spent a leisurely five days there with Driftwood Eco-Tours, exploring the area from the mountains to the sea. Our small group met locals in wool sheds and on walking tracks, listening to their stories and discovering places far from the usual tourist route.
It may be famous for cherry blossoms but there are plenty of other florals to admire in Japan, writes Denise Stephens. For the past three seasons, the Japanese have enjoyed popular cherry blossom viewing sites free of crowds as closed borders meant no international tourists.
Tourists are returning to Paris as pandemic restrictions ease and the city opens up. When I visited in the weeks leading up to Easter, I enjoyed returning to familiar places but there were some changes due to anti-Covid-19 measures. Travelling to and from France also required completing more formalities, with requirements changing just a couple of weeks before my trip.
The Anzacs who marched from Featherston are remembered in a sculpture that points towards Wellington and their waiting troopships, writes Denise Stephens Nine bronze columns lean towards the Remutaka Range, recalling the route thousands of New Zealanders followed on their way to war. They marched from Featherston Camp, through the town and up over the hill.
One of New Zealand's earliest farms, Mana Island is now a scientific reserve. Denise Stephens learns about the restoration projects. Gannets basked in the sun, their cries filling the air. From where we stood at the top of the cliff, the colony looked real enough, but the birds were concrete models and the sounds were recorded.
Queenstown is well-known today for adventure activities, but it also has a rich historic legacy that's worth exploring. Early European settlers made their way through the mountains to establish farms, but the district really boomed with the discovery of gold in 1862. By the end of the 19th century, gold mining was over.
Denise Stephens checks a collection that showcases Dunedin's literary heritage.
WELLINGTON - Air New Zealand flight NZ0245 to Sydney departed from Wellington Airport on Monday 19 April, the first scheduled international flight from the airport in over a year. The international terminal has been used for domestic flights during that time, with the duty-free store and immigration area cordoned off.
Tokyo is famous for its urban landscapes, but its beautiful gardens are an ideal escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Japanese gardens are carefully designed to create miniature landscapes which make it easy to forget that you're in a big city.
Denise Stephens visits a shrine dedicated to rugby, in Kyoto.