Nathan Weathington

  • The greatest outdoors

    The greatest outdoors

    The 1964 guide to the sweet campgrounds of the South Island. IF NEW ZEALANDERS HAVE A SUPERPOWER, IT’S THE ERECTING, AND DECONSTRUCTING, OF CAMPING INFRASTRUCTURE WITH MILITARY PRECISION. EVERY SUMMER, THEY USE THIS POWER TO SPEND SEVERAL WEEKS LIVING ON A DIET THAT IS 70% SAUSAGES AND 30% FRUJU ICEBLOCKS, DROPPING MANUS OFF WATERLOGGED WHARF…

    Read More …

  • Space race

    Space race

    Size matters on the Interplanetary Cycle Trail. I HAVE A PHOTO ON THE LOCK SCREEN OF MY PHONE. IN IT, OUR PLANET IS A PRICK OF LIGHT. THE ONBOARD CAMERA ON NASA’S JUNO SPACECRAFT SNAPPED THE IMAGE OF EARTH IN 2011 WHILE IT WAS ON ITS WAY TO JUPITER. I LOOK AT THE PHOTO WHEN…

    Read More …

  • Chapter one: Seasons

    Kawerau, New Zealand is not your typical holiday destination. As Aotearoa’s youngest town (just a baby, established in 1953), it was set up purely to service a timber mill. Tasman pulp and paper mill was responsible for the birth of this little North Island town, made up initially of mostly factory workers. Kawerau very nearly…

    Read More …

  • Book Review: The Wilder Years – Selected poems by David Eggleton

    Book Review: The Wilder Years – Selected poems by David Eggleton

    YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT DAVID EGGLETON WAS CROWNED LONDON TIME OUT’S STREET ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR IN 1985, BUT THAT’S AN ENVIABLE BIO NOTE AND ALSO A GREAT REMINDER TO TAKE TO THIS, HIS LATEST COLLECTION. The Wilder Years, Selected poems, comes to you in ten sections, spanning 1986 to the present. It’s an…

    Read More …

  • Fundraiser for new Wanaka Climbing Guidebook

    The Wanaka Rock Climbing Club (WRCC) needs help publishing the newly updated (and classic) Wānaka climbing guidebook. This guidebook is an invaluable resource for anyone climbing the local crags. The book is also the main source of funding for the not for profit, volunteer driven WRCC. WRCC has developed and maintained around 1000 (including 300…

    Read More …

  • Why Cardrona Needs To Be Your Next Winter Holiday Destination

    Why Cardrona Needs To Be Your Next Winter Holiday Destination

    Planning on going to New Zealand for the winter and looking for a ski destination? Cardrona Alpine Resort should be your next stop. Located in the South Island of New Zealand, this fun and family friendly resort is known for being ‘higher and drier’ – its location, altitude and south facing slopes mean the mountain…

    Read More …

  • Can’t buy me trout

    Can’t buy me trout

    “THERE’S LITERALLY A GODZILLA-SIZED BROWN TROUT LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER, AND YOU’RE TELLING ME NOBODY IN GORE SERVES TROUT AND CHIPS? ISN’T THIS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ‘BROWN TROUT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD’?” MY SERVER GIVES ME A FAMILIAR LOOK. IT SAYS: “YOU’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE, AND MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP TALKING.” The immense…

    Read More …

  • Winging it

    Winging it

    Spiders in mirror are not as creepy as they appear. “I’VE BEEN RIDING WITH SAM FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS. HE’S BEEN TO EVERY CLIMBING CRAG ON THE SOUTH ISLAND. IT MIGHT BE THE LONGEST RELATIONSHIP I’VE EVER HAD,” ANNE SAYS WITH A SMILE AND A NOD AT THE IMPRESSIVE WEB ON HER 2003 FADED GREEN…

    Read More …

  • The Complete Guide to Rotorua, from Hot Water Beach to Hobbiton

    The Complete Guide to Rotorua, from Hot Water Beach to Hobbiton

    For an adventure into a land of gorgeous lakes, Mars-like volcanic landscapes and fascinating history, Rotorua, New Zealand should be top of the list. Rotorua has long been a popular place to travel to, as a hot spot of geothermal activity (geddit?), a place rich in Maori culture and heritage, and, in more recent years,…

    Read More …