ODT

North OtagoJanuary 13

Lake Waitaki spot attracts regular campers

Lake Waitaki, in North Otago, has always been a popular spot for summer visitors, but one camp site in particular has its own appeal for the hundreds of people who return there for summer holidays year after year. Andrew Ashton examines what makes the Fisherman's Bend Reserve so addictive.

DunedinJanuary 5

Park in peninsula wildlife sweet spot

If you are sick of city life take a 20km drive down Otago Peninsula from Dunedin to Portobello to find the perfect escape. Shawn McAvinue visits Portobello Village Tourist Park.

DunedinDecember 30

Blissful isolation in the back of beyond

It's a community with a holiday population of a couple of hundred people, few of them are related, but all treat each other like close family. Reporter John Lewis takes a look at one of Otago's most popular holiday haunts, Toko Mouth.

QueenstownDecember 29

Lake View pulses with happy campers

At Labour Weekend, management of the Queenstown Lakes District Council holiday parks was taken over by a newly formed private company called Council Camps Revitalised Ltd. The company consists of two couples with long histories in the camping ground business and full of ideas about how to improve the holiday experience of those who choose to camp. On Boxing Day, Mark Price took the pulse of one of the camps - the Wanaka Lake View Holiday Park - as it began to fill up for New Year.

NewsMay 20

Holiday haunts: 'I just like to come down and be here'

Having their own slice of paradise to escape to, where there is little more to do than unwind and watch the weather change, has yielded a lifetime of memories for Elaine and Stephen Warburton.

DunedinJanuary 4

Quiet haven for families

A short drive past lupins and cabbage trees, beyond a stone fence chicane is Purakaunui, a settlement just over the hill from Dunedin, but ''a million miles away''.

North OtagoJanuary 3

No power needed for simple pleasures

For the 26 families who make the annual Christmas pilgrimage to a 90-year-old fishing village on the Kakanui River, near Oamaru, there are no gaudy Christmas lights on display, no annual re-runs of Mary Poppins on television to suffer and no electricity to cook Christmas lunch - but that is the way they like it, and that is the way they want to keep it.

NewsJanuary 2

Enjoying life's simple things in Warrington

People don't go to Warrington for a holiday because of what's there.

Central OtagoDecember 30

Family holidays where the heart is

Bannockburn, an area steeped in golden history, has a special appeal that sees generation after generation of the same families escaping Dunedin and Invercargill to holiday at the local domain. Sarah Marquet went to meet some of those people to find out what brings them back each year.

Central OtagoDecember 28

Basic Lindis camp site steeped in history

Once an area bustling with activity during and after the Central Otago gold rush, the Nine Mile historic reserve in the Lindis Valley is now an idyllic riverside camping and picnic spot steeped in heritage. Lucy Ibbotson visited the reserve on Boxing Day.

QueenstownDecember 27

Former party spot now a peaceful haven

''Cheap and cheerful''is how a Scottish couple describe the Twelve Mile Delta camping ground just 10km from the hustle and bustle of Queenstown's summer crowds.

Home & GardenJanuary 23

Dwelling + ticket office + clinic = crib

The Bourke family's Harwood property is not a holiday home, nor is it a bach - it is a crib. David Loughrey finds it lives up to that name to the point it could almost be used as a definition of the Southern family getaway.

NewsJanuary 9

Hillside a world away from worry

Waipori Falls Village has no letterboxes, no shops, no service station and no street names. More importantly for Christchurch couple Jon and Lynette Barfoot, it has no earthquakes.

Central OtagoJanuary 8

A little peace and quiet at Kidds Bush

Tucked away among mountain beech trees in a scenic bay on the northwest shore of Lake Hawea is a tiny camping spot frequented by a diverse range of people, all with a story to tell. Lucy Ibbotson finds out what makes the Kidds Bush Reserve such a special place for those who camp there.

Central OtagoJanuary 5

In paradise at Danseys

The pastor, sitting at the table inside the living quarters of the Danseys Pass Holiday Park, confesses at times to being close to sinning.

DunedinJanuary 4

Lovely spot, isolated but close to town

A change of scenery makes for a good holiday, writes Chris Morris.

DunedinJanuary 2

Perfect place to escape to with children

Where children used to run around playing and laughing 100 years ago, there are once again children running around playing and laughing. As for the parents, well, they're just relaxing. Nigel Benson visits Camp Sutton.

NewsDecember 30

Kinloch's magic keeps drawing visitors back

At the head of Lake Wakatipu you'll find a small town filled every holiday season with campers, couples and families. Olivia Caldwell discovers why Kinloch is no longer a secret.

DunedinDecember 29

Seaside community offers peace and simplicity of life

Few people take the time to stop in at Shag Point, just off State Highway 1 north of Palmerston. However, John Lewis popped in and discovered a host of reasons to holiday in the East Otago coastal retreat.

South OtagoDecember 27

Tiny town with a quiet family-oriented feel

Pounawea, a quiet seaside settlement in the Catlins, is a great place for fishing, kayaking, picnicking, bird watching (forest and sea birds) and for bush and estuary walks. Helena de Reus talks to a family visiting the seaside township.

NewsJanuary 6

Taking trail less worn

Getting off the beaten track and staying in campsites far away from the hurly-burly of the main holiday destinations is the best way to discover the country's hidden gems, the Soper family says.

NewsJanuary 3

Serenity on tap: Dunback

"It's the serenity, mate," Simon Smith enthuses, legs stretched out, on the back porch of his Dunback crib. "It's just got the best of everything here, really." Mr Smith and partner Annette Cadogan bought the 4ha property three years ago, after scouting around the area for the perfect home away from home. The weatherboard farmhouse was built in the early 1900s and includes a collection of ramshackle huts and outbuildings. "It's like Central Otago, but without the crowds of people," Ms Cadogan says.

Central OtagoDecember 29

No mod cons and gentle pace keeps them coming back

Ron Paterson has spent his Christmas holiday at Fraser Domain for about 55 years, "off and on".

QueenstownDecember 28

Happy campers at `remote' lake

Moke Lake campsite feels as though it's nestled in the back of beyond, but in fact it's just a short drive from busy Queenstown. Reporter Matt Stewart visited the Department of Conservation reserve and met two Auckland schoolteachers who found the Christmas rain annoying but romantic.