Locals Top Things To Do and See in New Zealand
In this weekly blog series we chat with our friends across New Zealand to find out what they rate as their top 3 New Zealand experiences and attractions. Our friends span from the top to the bottom of the Long White Cloud giving us the low-down on what is the best of New Zealand and what is special to them.
I love seeing the differences between each person, it shows how diverse New Zealand is despite our small size.
As our previous post said, we hope for Kiwi's this can offer ideas as we look for ways to explore our own backyard and for future travellers to New Zealand, it can serve as travel inspiration of the best places to visit in New Zealand - for when you can next visit us.
This week we chat with Eliza Grigg. Eliza is normally pretty hard to pin down as she travels across the world chasing the snowy seasons with her team however, amidst the outbreak of COVID-19, ski fields in the Northern Hemisphere shut down early and she is back in the South Island with her family. Eliza grew up on a farm in Mid-Canterbury and has always loved the outdoors. Skiing since she was only 22 months and racing since she was 8 she has a fair amount of mileage under her belt. Now 23 and on the NZ National ski team where she spends most of her year competing in Europe.
Kapeka is proud to sponsor the New Zealand Ski Team - their feedback helps us innovate and assure we craft the best merino clothing for great performance. Read more on our sponsorships here.
"I couldn’t tell you when Kapeka started sponsoring me because for years I have not trained or raced wearing anything but their amazing base layers. I don’t know what I would do without their support, probably be very cold! Not only do they support the NZ National Ski Team but they also sponsor the team I train with, International Ski Racing Academy (Big win-win for me!). I love being able to explore different winter locations but always miss the serene landscape of home."
Eliza's Best of New Zealand:
(Also couldn't pick just 3!)
1. Ballooning Canterbury. The amount of the south island that you can see from a hot air balloon is astounding! They provide such a surreal and tranquil experience, watching the sun rise from that height.
2. Of course I'd be lying if I didn't say skiing was one of my top Kiwi adventures! Anything from commercial fields like Coronet Peak or Mt. Hutt to club fields like Broken River, if there's snow to ski, I'm game
2. Of course I'd be lying if I didn't say skiing was one of my top Kiwi adventures! Anything from commercial fields like Coronet Peak or Mt. Hutt to club fields like Broken River, if there's snow to ski, I'm game3. Any of the walking tracks in NZ. Awa Awa Reserve, Mid-Canterbury and Rakaia Gorge, Christchurch are up there among my favourites.
4.One of the things I miss most about NZ when I'm overseas is brunch. No matter what part of New Zealand you're in, at any local café, you are bound to find a good brunch menu. Better yet, go on a walk to a brunch spot! Like starting in Christchurch, walk over the Port Hills and brunch in Lyttleton!
Thanks to Eliza for providing this list, hopefully we will be able to catch up on the mountain this year. We will have to wait and see!
Stay tuned for next weeks guest to find out the best places to visit in New Zealand!
Take care and kia kaha!
The Kapeka Team