Let's Travel - Aug/Sept 2016 PREVIEW

ISSUE 43 AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2016

ISSUE 43 AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2016

Let’s Travel THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

9

771176

461001

$9.95 inc GST

The Golden Triangle INDIA | ABU DHABI Luxury stopover NEW ZEALAND’S Forgotten Journey | Downtown LOS ANGELES

from the editor

A

lmost eight years ago three of us sat down, over a few glasses of good red wine, and made a decision to publish “The Best Travel Magazine in NZ”. We took our time; we wanted to get it right…and 7 years this month Let’s Travel was born.

2009: Michael Jackson was still alive, along with many other great souls we have lost since then. Instagram had not even started; Facebook and Twitter were in their infancy and John Key had only just become New Zealand’s 38th Prime Minister.

In a day and age where everything is “instant this” and “tweet that” it’s with a huge sense of privilege and pride that we at Let’s Travel magazine celebrate our 7th anniversary. Yes, we have also embraced Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in to our portfolio of marketing options, especially when we are travelling, but almost without exception the reaction from readers and advertisers alike is the quality of the product we produce is without peer in the New Zealand market.

It’s also reassuring to see that the common symbol for a 7th anniversary is copper, and that copper has long had a traditional meaning of prosperity, good luck and good fortune.

But of course the three of us could not have taken this journey alone…no way! We have a team of very capable and (many) award-winning travel writers who have graced these pages, but perhaps the ones that deserve the most recognition are the design team at Element Design who have been our designers since inception. We thank you all.

Now, sit back, relax and enjoy the destinations in this issue that are as diverse as ever. From my trip to Nashville, Tennessee, to Tim Roxborogh’s first time exploration of Hawai’i and Mark Daffey’s journey through the Golden Triangle of India. Read about Shane Boocock’s Tahitian stopover and Deborah Dickson-Smith’s exploration of The Solomon Islands.

ISSUE 43 AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2016

ISSUE 43 AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2016

Live long and prosper

Let’s Travel THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Gary Dickson EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Golden Triangle INDIA | ABU DHABI Luxury stopover NEW ZEALAND’S Forgotten Journey | Downtown LOS ANGELES

9

771176

461001

$9.95 inc GST

Taj Mahal, Agra, india

“Successful people are the ones who are breaking the rules.” - Seth Godin (1960 - )

IFC www.letstravelmag.com From the Editor

T

M contents 20

5 BEYOND

74

19 ASIA 35 NEW ZEALAND 47 AUSTRALIA 59 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 73 PACIFIC ISLANDS 89 BUSINESS SECTION

36

64

M o A

2 www.letstravelmag.com Contents

*C is b dis cru ref be by as 20

Beyond Abu Dhabi 6 Europe - AP Touring 12 Paris 14

Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Mosque

Destination Abu Dhabi

6 www.letstravelmag.com Beyond, Abu Dhabi

Destination Paris, France

fotolia.com

14 www.letstravelmag.com Beyond, Paris, France

Un Voyage Gourmand (A gourmet journey) Words and image by Gary Dickson

Beyond, Paris, France

www.letstravelmag.com 15

Asia China 20 India 24 Macao 30

Imperial Palace, Beijing, Juneau, China Alaska

Destination China

Beijing by foot Words and image by Tim Roxborogh

Forbidden City

20 www.letstravelmag.com Asia, China

New Zealand Central North Island 36 Auckland Zoo 40 The Langham, Auckland 43 Queenstown 44

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 35

Destination New Zealand

Our Forgotten World Words and images by Tim Roxborogh

36 www.letstravelmag.com New Zealand, Central North Island

Australia Christmas Island 48 Elements of Byron 52 Moonlit Sanctuary 56

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 47

Destination Victoria, Australia

Moonlit Sanctuary • • • •

The closest wildlife park to Melbourne to cuddle up to a koala A huge range of up-close encounters and famous lantern-lit tours Close to Melbourne’s CBD and on the way to Phillip Island Learn about protecting Australia’s endangered and threatened species

56 www.letstravelmag.com Australia, Victoria

United States of America L.A. Downtown 60 Hawai'i 64 Nashville 68

Destination Los Angeles, USA

Downtown L.A. Confidential

By Shane Boocock

I

f you’re going to arrive at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Los Angeles, then make sure you do it in style…in a limousine. It was a first for me and a nod and a wink better than an UBER cab, which I had also never used, but it’s a mode of transportation that is never out of the headlines around the globe lately.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel name, however, is more than synonymous with exceptional service, and sophisticated style and their downtown L.A. property fits that category perfectly. The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE is located amidst the spectacular revitalisation of downtown, only steps away from the STAPLES Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball

60 www.letstravelmag.com U.S.A. Los Angeles

The Broad - Jeff Koons artwork

Destination Nashville, USA

Songs of the South Words and images by Gary Dickson

I

n 1953 a good looking young man, just 18 years old, walked in to Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee to record a song…for $3.98 (his own money). It was noted in the recording studio’s log “Good ballad singer: Hold”.

The song “My Happiness” didn’t exactly rock the socks off Sun’s

68 www.letstravelmag.com USA, Nashville

receptionist, Marion Keisker, (Sam Phillips wasn’t even present at the first recording) but a year later that was set to change when Elvis Presley recorded “That’s All Right (Mama)” while messing around with guitarist, Scotty Moore and double bass player, Bill Black. By early 1956 Phillips had signed over Elvis’s contract to one Colonel Tom Parker (for a record

breaking $40,000) and the rest, as they say, is history. Presley was now recording at RCA Victor records in Nashville, Tennessee.

Today, the RCA Studio tour is only accessible through the purchase of a Platinum ticket at The Country Music Hall of Fame in Downtown Nashville. The one-hour trip, in an air-conditioned van, to

fotolia.com

what is now called Studio B, takes you back to the halcyon days of recording music. Days when Elvis was King (when wasn’t he?), days when the likes of The Everly Brothers, Dolly Parton and Charley Pride were just starting out.

With recording maestro, Chet Atkins, behind the “desk” at RCA it’s no wonder these studios put out

more hits than you and I would ever remember.

Elvis was renowned for his late night recording sessions, often not even starting until he had personally had a chat with everyone and his whole entourage had been fed (with pizza usually)…then he would warm his vocals up. He was adamant the best time for recording his voice

was between midnight and 5am. In fact, the original recording of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” was done at RCA in one take…at 4am.

This and many other stories make for an enthralling hour (should be longer) at Studio B. You can sit at the same piano Elvis and Fats Domino both played: stand on the recording studio’s “sweet spot” Nashville Skyline

USA, Nashville www.letstravelmag.com 69

Pacific Islands Tahiti 74 Solomon Islands 84

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 73

Destination Tahiti

Le Taha’a Island Resort and Spa

By Shane Boocock

74 www.letstravelmag.com Pacific Islands, Tahiti

Business Section Abercrombie & Kent 90 Wrapt Weaving 96 Etihad Airways 9 8 Hotel Wyndham 1 02 Royal NZ Yacht Squadron 104 Camping 106 Contributors 110 New Products/Giveaways 112

Australia, Hamilton Island www.letstravelmag.com 89 New Caledonia

Abu Dhabi First Class lounge & spa Etihad Airways has officially opened its new flagship First Class Lounge & Spa at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal 3. The spectacular new space showcases the airline’s commitment to providing unparallelled and aspirational hospitality experiences.

Inspired by the world’s most prestigious hotels, private members’ clubs and fine dining establishments, the lounge is an ultra-exclusive lifestyle environment which tells the airline’s acclaimed guest experience and hospitality story with unrivalled design, style and comfort, world class dining, and bespoke beauty and relaxation services.

The lounge features 16 unique zones designed to ensure that guests can relax, re-energise and be entertained in total luxury before boarding their flight. An à la carte restaurant, showcase bar, fitness room, cigar lounge, Six Senses Spa, Style & Shave hairdresser, nail bar, TV room, secluded relaxation room, prayer room and children’s play room ensure that all guests receive a highly personalised experience and intuitive service.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our new First Class Lounge & Spa is the jewel in the crown of our new lounge offerings worldwide and represents the best of our home city of Abu Dhabi. It is a showcase of

98 www.letstravelmag.com Airline, Etihad Airways

intelligent product design, innovation and superlative hospitality and service. This is not just a lounge but the ultimate airline hospitality experience and one which perfectly mirrors Etihad Airways’ evolution into the best airline in the world.

Let’s

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Celebrating 7 years of amazing stories and photography

+ Hawaii + Tora Walk + Palazzo Versace + SeaWorld Orlando + Destination Taupo + Wellington with kids

461001

+ Tauranga + Dunk Island + Samoan Spas + Club Med Bali + Auckland Bars + Sunshine Coast + Classic NZ Wine Trail

771176

461001 771176

461001 771176

461001

+ Whakatane + Buenos Aires + The Hillary Trail + Tonga’s Vava’u Island + Bethell’s Beach Cottages + Wellington’s Museum Hotel + Queenstown Winter Festival + Holland America Line Cruising

Cover_Final_1.indd 1

9

9

9

9

9

9

9

771176

771176

+ Samoa + Milford Track + Ningaloo Reef + Cathedral Cove + Auckland Museum + Dart River Jet Safaris + Warbirds over Wanaka + Hokitika Wild Foods Festival

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOUNREY

+ Vanuatu + Wellington + Ipipiri Cruise + Singapore Airlines + Franz Josef Glacier + Club Med Sahoro Japan + Iririki Island Resort and Spa + Afghanistan’s Broken Buddhas + Loyalty Islands – New Caledonia

ISSUE 07 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010

ISSUE 06 JUNE / JULY 2010

$9.95 inc GST

ISSUE 05 APRIL / MAY 2010

August/September 2010

$9.95 inc GST

ISSUE 04 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2010

Issue 07

June/July 2010

$9.95 inc GST

+ Rarotonga + Ballooning + Hyatt Auckland + Club Med Phuket + Nelson Wine Trails + West Coast Luxury + Waiheke Island Festivals + North Queensland Rail Journeys

461001

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

Issue 06

April/May 2010

$9.95 inc GST

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOUNREY

461001

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

Issue 05

February/March 2010

$9.95 inc GST

ISSUE 03 DECEMBER / JANUARY 2010

ISSUE 02 OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2009

+ Akaroa + Hele-Dining + New Caledonia + Matakana Wineries + Waiheke Weekends + The Hollyford Track + Waikato by Houseboat + Tropical North Queensland + South Island by Campervan

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

Issue 04

December/January 2010

$9.95 inc GST

461001

$9.95 inc GST

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

Issue 03

October/November 2009

Issue 02

August/September 2009

771176

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

Issue 01

771176

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

23/7/09 2:31:10 PM

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

Issue 08

Issue 09

Issue 10

Issue 11

Issue 12

Issue 13

Issue 14

Issue 15

461001 9

9

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

+ Queenstown + Auckland Zoo + San Francisco + Hayman Island + Steamboat Springs + Edgewater Resort & Spa

771176

461001 771176

9

9

Cover_FINALVERSION.indd 1

21/09/10 5:14 PM

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

+ Dubai + Thailand + Colorado + Hamilton Island + Hanmer Springs + Tongariro Crossing

9

461001 771176

461001 771176

461001 771176 9

+ Gisborne + Las Vegas + Abu Dhabi + Fishing in Ireland + 5 Best USA train rides + Kayaking Rotorua’s Lakes

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

+ Wanaka + Ballooning + West Coast + South Australia + Cycling Bangkok + Papua New Guinea

ISSUE 14 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011

ISSUE 13 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011

Cover_Final.indd 1

October-November 2011

$9.95 inc GST

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

+ Singapore + Los Angeles + Papua New Guinea + A weekend in Kerikeri + Waitakere accommodation + Release Private Retreat Wanaka

August-September 2011

$9.95 inc GST

ISSUE 12 JUNE/JULY 2011

ISSUE 11 APRIL/MAY 2011

ISSUE 10 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011

ISSUE 09 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2010/11

ISSUE 08 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010

+ Dunedin in a day + Bustling Bangkok + Blowing the budget + Pacific Resort Aitutaki + Gold Coast Boys Weekend + Auckland’s 5 Top Tourist spots

June-July 2011

$9.95 inc GST

+ Taupo + Macau + Waihi Beach + Pullman Auckland + New York, New York + Sea World Gold Coast

461001

April-May 2011

$9.95 inc GST

771176

February -March 2011

$9.95 inc GST

9

December-January 2010/11

$9.95 inc GST

461001

$9.95 inc GST

771176

October/November 2010

21/03/11 6:24 PM

Issue 18

December-January 2011/12

Issue 16

Issue 17

February-March 2012

April-May 2012

June-July 2012

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Issue 20

Issue 21

August-September 2012

October-November 2012

December-January 2012/13

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

Issue 19

ISSUE 21 DECEMBER-JANUARY 2012/13

ISSUE 20 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

ISSUE 19 AUGUST- SEPTEMBER 2012

ISSUE 18 JUNE - JULY 2012

ISSUE 17 APRIL-MAY 2012

ISSUE 16 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2012

ISSUE 15 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2011/12

A WALKING TOUR OF MACAU

ON THE ROAD TO MOROCCO

EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISING

$9.95 inc GST

461001

461001

771176 9

9 $9.95 inc GST

Adventures in Hong Kong The splendour of Queenstown

461001 461001

$9.95 inc GST

771176 9 9 771176

461001 461001 771176 9 9 771176

461001 461001

9

9 9

771176 771176

461001 771176

461001 771176

Captivating Cape Town

California Dreaming

Fun on the Gold Coast Hiking the Hump Southland

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

9

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Bula from Fiji

ISSUE 28 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2014

ADVENTURES ON MAGNETIC ISLAND

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

CoverFINAL.indd 1

ISSUE 27 DECEMBER-JANUARY 2013/14

ADVENTURES IN BOTSWANA

Discover The Chatham Islands

Street Walking In Santiago

Singapore The Lion City

$9.95 inc GST

HAWAII’S BEST KEPT SECRETS

New York New York

Auckland’s Gulf Islands

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

HONG KONG’S BEST RESTAURANTS

JOURNEYING THROUGH INDIA

ISSUE 26 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2013

BOLIVIA’S HUSTLE AND BUSTLE

DISCOVER AUCKLAND’S WEST COAST

Classic Coromandel

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ESCAPE TO BRAZIL

Special 4th Anniversary Issue

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Shooting it up in Las Vegas

Thailand’s SOUTHERN JEWELS

TALOFA FROM Samoa

HOKITIKA WILDFOODS FESTIVAL THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

WONDERS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

ISSUE 25 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013

DRIVING TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

THE NEW FACE OF

JOHANNESBURG

Queensland’s Magical Isles

ISSUE 28 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2014

Let’s Travel

ISSUE 27 DECEMBER-JANUARY 2013/14

Let’s Travel

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ISSUE 24 JUNE-JULY 2013

ISSUE 23 APRIL-MAY 2013

ISSUE 22 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

SUNSHINE COAST GOLF FEATURE

Let’s Travel

Let’s Travel

June-July 2013

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

461001 461001

Issue 24

771176 9 9 771176

Issue 23 April-May 2013

$9.95 inc GST

BIKING AROUND SCENIC NIUE

25/07/12 12:33 PM

ISSUE 26 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2013

461001 461001

February-March 2013

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

771176 9 9 771176

Issue 22

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

GOLD COAST TRAVEL FEATURE

LIVE LIKE JAMES BOND IN THE UK

TEMPLE TOURS OF KOREA

771176

461001 771176

9

Cover_FINAL_.indd 3

ISSUE 25 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

WILD ATTRACTIONS IN PORT DOUGLAS

+ Korea + Sydney + Thailand + Columbia + Tasmania + Matakana

9

461001

+ Vanuatu + Beverly Hills + Port Douglas + New Caledonia + South Australia + Lord Howe Island

771176

461001 9

771176

461001 9

771176

461001 771176 9

+ India + London + Cruising + Thailand + Queenstown + Makepeace Island

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

+ Nepal + Malaysia + Maldives + Gold Coast + Queenstown + Martinborough

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

THE MAGAZINE THAT STARTS YOUR JOURNEY

+ Qatar + Paihia + Cairns + Huntly + Mongolia + Napa Valley

MAD HATTERS OF ECUADOR

THE MYSTERY OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA

28/01/13 3:49 PM

AN

Cover Change the top byline to – A mile high in - Denver – delete , Colorado Swap the 2nd and 3rd bylines over as 3rd one starts to blend with orange sunset

461001

461001

461001

771176

771176

9

9

461001 461001 771176 9 9 771176

Let’s Travel THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Spiralling down the WAITOMO CAVES

The Arid Eden NAMIBIA

AUSTRALIA Taking care of Business Ten things to do in CAPE TOWN

461001

THAILAND

Her best secrets

9

771176

Europe’s Jewel MONACO

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

9

ANAHEIM Family Fun TAHITI Luxury Cruising

771176

NEW ORLEANS

Jazz, Blues and Food

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

9

$9.95 inc GST

Let’s Travel

461001

LAKE TEKAPO Under the Stars Great Barrier Reef QUEENSLAND

ISSUE 42 JUNE-JULY 2016

ISSUE 41 APRIL-MAY 2016

On Safari In NAMIBIA

461001

$9.95 inc GST

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

771176

Natural Wonders of WESTERN AUSTRALIA

ISSUE 40 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2016

Let’s Travel

9

WAIHEKE ISLAND Top things to do

461001

461001

A tasty time in TAIWAN

771176

Gold Country CALIFORNIA

771176

771176

461001 461001 771176 9 9 771176

TAIWAN Treasures

NEW CALEDONIA A French Paradise

9

461001 771176 9

461001 771176

Lets Travel – April May 2015 issue – changes to text No 1

Monumental Milford Sound

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Bonjour AKAROA

$9.95 inc GST

Koh Samui Revisited

$9.95 inc GST

ISSUE 42 JUNE-JULY 2016

NORFOLK ISLAND Revisited

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

9

ISSUE 39 DECEMBER-JANUARY 2015/16

Let’s Travel

ISSUE 41 APRIL-MAY 2016

$9.95 inc GST

valued at over NZ$10,000

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

BOLIVIA’S Heavenly Gate

Silversea Discovery

$9.95 inc GST

Enter our Ultimate Anaheim Competition

ISSUE 40 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2016

$9.95 inc GST

HONG KONG Havens

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Cruising TAHITI

Lions of INDIA

Let’s Travel

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

AUCKLAND Kawau Island

Stunning SAMOA

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Bonjour NEW CALEDONIA

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ISSUE 39 DECEMBER - JANUARY 2015/16

NEW YORK The Big Apple

Let’s Travel

ISSUE 38 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2015

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ISSUE 37 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2015

ISSUE 36 JUNE-JULY 2015

Let’s Travel

Waitomo Underground California Wine Country

Riding on The Ghan

11/07/2014 4:40 pm

ISSUE 38 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2015

ISSUE 37 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2015

Thailand’s Top 10 Resorts

9

461001 461001 771176 9 9 771176

461001 461001 771176 9 9 771176

Cover_FINAL_1.indd 1

ISSUE 36 JUNE-JULY 2015

Castro’s Cuba

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

A mile high in Denver

$9.95 inc GST

Taupo Adventures

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

Cycling in France

Let’s Travel

Talofa Samoa Indulgent Thailand

$9.95 inc GST

$9.95 inc GST

Peru’s Inca Trail THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

London Calling

Hiking Switzerland

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ISSUE 35 APRIL - MAY 2015

An Insight into the Czech Republic

Oman Opulence

ISSUE 35 APRIL-MAY 2015

ISSUE 34 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2015

Let’s Travel

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

South Africa’s Blue Train

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ISSUE 34 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2015

Germany’s Oktoberfest

Pacific Paradise Fiji

ISSUE 33 DECEMBER-JANUARY 2014/15

Let’s Travel

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Cruising Antarctica

Rocky Mountain High U.S.A

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ISSUE 32 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014

Walking in Memphis

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

Luxury onboard Seabourn Cruises

Flavours of Oman

ISSUE 31 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2014

Stewart Island’s Natural beauty

ISSUE 30 JUNE-JULY 2014

ISSUE 29 APRIL-MAY 2014

Foodie Heaven in South Australia

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ISSUE 33 DECEMBER-JANUARY 2014/15

Let’s Travel

THE MAGAZINE FOR CORPORATE AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS

ISSUE 32 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014

Let’s Travel Let’s Travel

ISSUE 30 JUNE-JULY 2014

Let’s Travel Argentina’s Iguazu Falls

N 5 EDIVE TH IT RS IO AR N Y

ISSUE 31 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2014

ISSUE 29 APRIL-MAY 2014

A massive thanks to our advertisers, readers, contributors and staff

www.letstravelmag.com

EVENTS

w w w.thedifference.co.nz

CORPOR ATE

WEDDINGS

Whilst we can’t bring them all to you in one issue we can showcase them over the next few issues.

Showing you what makes them tick, what makes them leave their families (sometimes for weeks on end) to share with you their experiences in only the way a true travel writer can.

Liz Light

Liz Light, an Auckland-based travel writer and photographer, knew she would become a global person when she was 11 years old and her grandmother gave her a book, Peoples of the World.

In her gypsy years she travelled Australia’s east coast on a motorbike and spend six months sailing on a tall ship. She worked in a sapphire mine in Australia and in a cheese factory in England, sailed through the Caribbean, worked on super-yachts in France and Spain and backpacked through Central America.

Liz mixed travelling the world with serious study getting an MA in history and English. She always followed her passion for photography. Finally, she had the hard-earned skills to make a living as a photojournalist.

Two countries obsess her…New Zealand, her homeland, which she utterly loves and India with its ancient history, extraordinary architecture, long tradition of craft and textiles and diverse customs and culture.

Now, as well as photojournalism, Liz hosts special interest tours to India.

“Might as well leverage the knowledge gained in 15 trips to that incredible country,” she says.

Liz has had travel stories in Let’s Travel since the beginning with India often featuring. Quality is her middle name and she has won numerous awards for both her writing and photography. Happy birthday Let’s Travel magazine and may there be many more. Contributors love and need you. www.lizlight.co.nz

Graham Reid

Travel has been in my blood since we moved back and forth between my birthplace Edinburgh and Auckland a few times before I was eight. I grew up in New Zealand with a huge PanAm map of the world on the wall and my parents looking at an atlas and discussing where to go next.

My journalism years at the NZ Herald meant I travelled frequently for business (the US, Japan, Taiwan, China). In holidays I took myself off to places like Vietnam when it first opened for tourism. I have won a number of travel writing awards (some for my two books) and like nothing better than getting on an endless highway and driving through the US or the Outback of Australia.

I often seek the unusual…strange people and places, odd museums, the weird Graceland Too shrine to Elvis in smalltown Mississippi, and I enjoy roads less travelled. On a three-month trip across the US my wife and I relied on 1956 maps from National Geographic. We avoided all interstates but discovered tiny towns, a few of them abandoned.

Travel to me is about meeting locals (I rarely quote a tour guide or taxi driver) so I always carry a 1B exercise book. Sitting in a local bar scribbling away at the end of day is of interest to people off-duty after 5pm. It’s a great conversation starter. Most people are curious. I seldom have a laptop because it invites an immediate impression of a place or people. Hand-written notes allow for consideration and reflection before the typing begins.

For a back-catalogue of my writing – from short, humorous pieces to lengthy investigations of a place, its people and history. Have a look at my website: www.elsewhere.co.nz/travelstories My motto when out there? Be safe… and take risks.

To the good people at Let’s Travel, may I wish you sincere congratulations on this significant anniversary.

Tim Roxborogh

Happy 7th birthday Let’s Travel! I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be writing for this magazine since my 2014 trip to L.A. to see Bee Gee Barry Gibb in concert. Barry was performing at the Hollywood Bowl and as a lifelong fan of the brothers Gibb I decided to combine the gig with a holiday in one of my most-loved destinations, California. Luckily for me, Let’s Travel were interested in my ideas.

That was the starting point for me with Let’s Travel. From those first two articles on walking the streets of L.A. and the opulence of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Let’s Travel have helped me to explore southern India, Hawai’i, Oregon, China, Malaysia and up and down my own country, New Zealand.

For me, travel is about storytelling.

It’s hearing people’s stories and creating your own. It’s the fun when things don’t go entirely to plan. It’s being open to new experiences and the kindness of strangers. It’s about challenging stereotypes and misconceptions. It’s being unrelentingly curious; of wanting to know what’s down that street, what’s behind that door, what’s around that headland and what the view is like from that mountain.

I’ve been travel writing for more than a decade and I haven’t come close to scratching the itch I have for exploring and coming home with new stories to share. Building a relationship with Let’s Travel has been such a pleasure. This is a beautifully presented magazine that encapsulates so much of the joy of travel.

Happy birthday once again Let’s Travel! Thanks so much for helping me create and share these stories.

Tim is a media professional with more than 17-years experience in New Zealand broadcasting. He currently hosts radio shows on Newstalk ZB and Coast FM, has his own iHeartRadio station ‘Soul’ and commentates on his favourite sport, cricket, in the summer. www.roxboroghreport.com

Contributors www.letstravelmag.com 111

Pub ASX Thomson Reuters Charity Race Day_A4 01/04/2016 08:13 Page 1

MONACO

LIVE YOUR DREAM

www.facebook.com/visitmonaco