Posts in Travel
Beyond the Lighthouse. Three days in the Wairarapa

Head just one hour north of Wellington and you reach the Wairarapa region which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite places to visit. Not only are there multiple independent bookshops spread across the region’s five main towns, but you can do anything from walking to wine tasting and seal spotting in a relatively confined area.

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Four Stops for Coffee Lovers in Hamilton NZ

I can’t believe that I didn’t like coffee until my mid-20’s. I still predominantly have the tastebuds of a toddler, but coffee is one of life’s great pleasures for me and I enjoy both the taste and the social ritual of meeting friends for coffee. Hamilton may not be synonymous with coffee culture in the same way as Wellington, but we have a burgeoning coffee scene here and several brilliant local roasteries

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Lamplight Books; The shiny new kid on the block

Parnell is distinctly ecclesiastical in tone if you start out at the top of the hill near The Holy Trinity Cathedral, but I would coax you to the bottom of the hill past the bricked paths of Parnell village and the Chocolate Boutique where apparently Bill Clinton once stopped for in for a Hot Chocolate with Chelsea. (His thank you letter from the White House is framed on the wall.) As you pass the boutiques and cafes, just as the road threatens to turn you’ll spot Lamplight Books on the right-hand side of the road. The entrance is tucked away in the enclosed courtyard in the centre of the building and when you walk in, you walk into a space made of warmth, light and a love for books.

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Three Great New Zealand Book Barns

If there’s one thing better than a room full of books it’s a barn full of books and sometimes in New Zealand it’s about knowing where to look as these huge secondhand bookshops are often tucked out of sight on industrial estates or in small towns that you might rattle through on a road trip to a bigger centre

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Five hours in Hamilton East

Cross the main town bridge and turn right and you’ll find yourself on Grey Street, the commercial hub of Hamilton East. There are more cafes than you can shake a stick at and a burgeoning shopping scene with independent shops and boutiques.

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Bookshops and Stargazing; Featherston Booktown

Nestled beneath the Remutaka ranges with a pristine night sky twinkling overhead, Featherston is an hour away from New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. Featherston might be small, it only takes two minutes to drive through, but it is mighty. New Zealand’s only book town, it has SEVEN bookshops, the world’s only surviving Fell Locomotive and one of the finest cheese shops I’ve ever set foot in.

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A Bookish Day Out in Raglan

Raglan is a small town on the west coast of New Zealand, about 45 minutes drive from Hamilton and 2 hours south of Auckland. Known locally for its fantastic coffee, surf and laid-back vibe, Raglan is also the perfect place to combine the beach and book shopping.

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