Neighbourhoods

Not to be mistaken for simply a place to pass through, North Canterbury has a few aces up its sleeve when it comes to places worth tallying a while.

Encompassing Merivale and nearby St Albans City North is chock full of chic spots to get some retail therapy or a caffeine fix.

From rags to riches, Frankton has long been touted as the Cinderella of Hamilton. This eclectic railway suburb now hosts some fantastic eateries and producers.

Only a five minute drive from the township’s main drag, Rotorua’s wild suburb of Fairy Springs offers a treasure trove of local gems worth sniffing out.

Aptly named for its position at the bottom edge of the town’s main centre, South Town walks very much its own path in Christchurch.

Named after an early settler ship, Cuba Street was once a thoroughfare for Wellington trams, but now instead of vehicles cruising through, this place sees some of the highest rates of pedestrian traffic in the capital.

For a city that prides itself on sport and agriculture, Hamilton East is injecting a much welcomed dose of creative flair to the Waikato region.

With landmarks like the Arts Centre and the historic Canterbury Museum, there's plenty to love about the West End.

More than a fair few All Blacks have come out of Aorangi Feilding, a farming town located just north of Palmerston North. But footy isn’t all this wee town is known for.

Sydenham continues to push the boundaries when it comes to delighting shoppers with its fantastic turnaround from grey and mundane to bright and bustling.

You’d be silly to think all the beauty in Wanaka resides on the lakefront. Just a short jaunt from the town centre lies some of the best in the business when it comes to brewing bars, preserving fruits and serving up rustic French cuisine.

Said to be home to Auckland’s ‘free thinkers’, Grey Lynn prides itself on being a neighbourhood with charm and a different way of doing things. An annual festival hosted near the Grey Lynn park is a celebration of community, creativity and craftspeople, amalgamating what this area is about.

It’s thanks to the forward thinking of an early surveyor that the much-loved central part of Dunedin was left bare of buildings, which in hindsight was a very good decision, as Moray Place now serves as a favourite place to meet up with friends, have lunch in the sun or simply soak up the Dunedin culture.

If you know anything about Auckland, you’ll know the big names like to hang out on Ponsonby Road, and with a vibe not dissimilar to our big city overseas counterparts, it’s easy to see why. With eateries along the strip serving up everything from pizza to prawns, Ponsonby Road caters to all sorts of visitors who come to revel in its eating and drinking scene as much as the people watching.

A suburb once left largely to its own devices and burdened by economic decline, Castlecliff has seen a huge turnaround in recent years thanks to a community determined to see it succeed.

Not just code for its geographical positioning in Christchurch’s CBD (Saint Asaph, Lichfield and Tuam), SALT District is dubbed the city’s most alternative neighbourhood.

The laneway to trump all laneways, Wellington’s maze of inner city alleys are all worth investigating, and none so much as Hannah’s Laneway.

At 38km west of Invercargill you’ll find Riverton, a quaint seaside town with active art, culinary and conservation communities.

The somewhat brighter more vivacious cousin of Ponsonby Road, Karangahape Road boasts just as much foot traffic and loyal lovers who come for the vintage shopping and community conscious eateries.

Head to Gore for a chance to experience the best of the old and the new when it comes to Kiwi hospitality and culture.

Over the rolling Port Hills in Christchurch you’ll find the eccentric suburb of Lyttelton, a place where cosy houses teeter on steep streets and the weekend farmers market brings the main street alive with the colourful characters who call this side of town home.