Voluntourism – volunteering while abroad – would seem to be a way of making your OE that little less self-indulgent, leaving the communities you visit better than you found them. But what is intended as an act of charity can leave long-term damage, writes Hannah Reid. If you are thinking about volunteering abroad, we need to … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Jimmy Hayes, co-founder of premium bags company Minaal, which has raised more than $700,000 USD in crowdfunding. ONE: How did Minaal start and what was the inspiration behind it? My co-founder Doug Barber and … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes took her family to Nelson care of the Interislander Kaitaki. She writes about what it’s really like for families on board. We were somewhere around Torea Bay, on the edge of Waikawa, when the screaming began to take hold. The baby had a sore tum and had been wriggling and … Read more
Chris Ingam took his kids to the Gold Coast and reviewed and ranked every single theme park show so you don’t have to. New Zealand loves the Gold Coast! So much so that Mediaworks spent loads of money making a reality show about it! And what New Zealand loves more than anything else about the … Read more
Madeleine Chapman flew to Los Angeles on United Airlines and flew back on Air New Zealand. One was better. You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. Is something that annoying people love to say out of context. But sadly it’s true, and no more so than when a New Zealander finds him or … Read more
Albert West goes sightseeing in Cairo, where the wonders of antiquity and the fragility of the modern world stand side by side. Omar led through an arcade of small shops to a large black door. Behind the door teenagers flounced across the bar with phones clamped to their ears. Others ignored them in favour of … Read more
Opinion: An illicit market has emerged for on-selling plane tickets, but instead of suffocating the idea, the airlines should be running it themselves, writes Wellington student Jack Close. My time as a student away from home at the University of Otago can be summarised simply: $500 return flights. Motivated by the “beauty of the price … Read more
Everyone’s looking for the next “must-go” holiday location. At The Spinoff we think we’ve found a place that will become a fixture on people’s travel bucket lists. Take a trip to 10,000 BC and prepare to have your pre-conceived notions bludgeoned to death. Traditionally visitor numbers to the Mesolithic Period have been low to non-existent. A recent … Read more
During a recent trip to Copenhagen, Wyoming Paul found the seamy crimes of The Killing and The Bridge were never far from her mind. // Scandinavian television has become Big, worthy of capitalisation, in the crime-thriller division. Shows such as The Killing, Wallander, Morden and The Bridge all bring a depth of darkness to our … Read more