1862 days ago

NZ's friendliest regions and towns

Lorna Thornber Reporter from Stuff Travel

Hi there,
Canterbury has been named the fifth most welcoming region in the world in the Booking.com Traveller Review Awards, while Oamaru, Hokitika and Invercargill have been named the most welcoming towns in NZ. They were followed by Cambridge, Picton, Lake Tekapo, Kerikeri, Palmerston North, Paihia and Twizel.
We'd be really keen to hear your thoughts on this based on your own travels around New Zealand. Do you think Canterbury is NZ's most welcoming region? And are these our most welcoming towns?
Where in NZ have you been made to feel particularly welcome on your travels?
As usual, please put 'NFP' in your comment if you don't want it to be included in an article. Cheers.

More messages from your neighbours
3 hours ago

☔️ Where’d the summer go?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

It’s the talk of the town (and every coffee queue): the Canterbury "summer" has felt a bit wet this year! We’ve definitely had our fair share of grey skies and raincoats lately 🌧️ In fact, the Post reports that Christchurch experienced almost double our usual!

While the forecast is looking bright for this weekend (fingers crossed!), we aren't out of the woods ... there are a few more cold fronts lining up before winter hits.

We want to hear from you: What are your go-to rainy-day activities? Whether you’re a local legend at the indoor courts or a professional movie-marathoner, share your secrets with us!

Drop your favourite rainy-day tips or photos in the comments below! 👇

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9 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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17 hours ago

Get up to $30,000 back* with your new home

Ernest Rutherford Retirement Village

Sign up to an independent apartment or townhouse at a participating Ryman village by 31 March 2026 and receive a $30,000 credit on settlement or sign up to a serviced apartment and receive a $10,000 credit on settlement*.

Imagine a new smart TV, your next getaway or furniture for your new home. With more money staying in your pocket, it’s yours to spend!

Discover the lifestyle that awaits.

*Participating villages only, Terms and conditions apply.

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