• Feature

    New Zealand Summer Guide 2024-2025

    Everyone's favourite season of the year has arrived, and we're here to help you make it your best summer ever.

  • News

    Ten of the Most Blissful Waterfront Stays You Can Book in East Gippsland

    This regional gem is filled with idyllic waterfront retreats offering the ultimate antidote to city life.

  • News

    Twenty of the Best Airbnb Stays You Can Book in Tasmania

    Book one — or a few — of these cabins, suites and lodges as you plan a trip around the Apple Isle.

  • News

    Fifteen of the Most Unique Stays You Can Book Around New Zealand

    Spend a few nights in a leafy treehouse, a beautifully restored truck perched right on the bay or even a mountaintop cabin with views for days.

  • Feature

    A Southern Edge Road Trip: Follow a CP Writer's Ambling Foodie Adventure in Tasmania's South

    "While I love a scenic road trip with good company as much as the next person, this road trip truly rivalled almost every journey I can recall."

  • News

    Six Tassie Restaurants Championing Paddock-to-Plate Dining For if You Like Eating Straight from the Source

    Tasmania is home to some of the finest produce grown anywhere in Australia — here's where to sample it straight from the source.

  • News

    A Weekender's Guide to Kangaroo Island

    The South Australian island's wineries, beaches, oyster farms and accommodation are as beautiful as ever.

  • News

    A Weekender's Guide to Queensland's Bundaberg Region

    Watch baby turtles hatch, swim at the Southern Great Barrier Reef, then sample award-winning local gin and rum.

  • News

    A Weekender's Guide To Bowral and the Southern Highlands

    Stay at a country estate, taste locally produced wine and whisky, peruse a whole heap of art and feast at a hatted restaurant — all in just one weekend.

  • News

    The Essential Spring Long Weekender's Guide to Hobart

    For New Zealanders in search of epic adventures, incredible scenery, delicious gastronomy and damn good wine, you don't have to travel far.

  • News

    A Weekender's Guide to Wanaka

    Soak up the very best of 'God's Country'.

  • Guide

    The 14 Best Hotels In Melbourne

    Whether you're vacationing or staycationing, this lineup of the best hotels in Melbourne will help you live your best life — fine restaurants, premium spas and pillow menus await.

  • News

    The Best Places to Go Glamping in New Zealand

    Choose from seaside glamping spots, campsites in the mountains and tents scattered about countryside farms full of roaming sheep.

  • News

    The Most Romantic Places to Stay in Bali When Proposals and Honeymoons Come Calling

    Perfect for those looking to honeymoon or just run away with their special someone.

  • News

    Our Guide to the Best Glamping Sites Around Australia

    Stay in luxury tents scattered among remote deserts, lush rainforests and tropical islands at these Australian glamping sites.

  • Guide

    The Ten Best Hotels in Brisbane

    Whether you're vacationing or staycationing, this lineup of the top hotels in Brisbane will help you live your best life — fine restaurants, premium spas and rooftop pools for days.

  • Guide

    The Best Hotels in Sydney

    Whether you're vacationing or staycationing, this lineup of the top hotels in Sydney will help you live your best life — fine restaurants, premium spas and unbeatable views across the city await.

Travel

Get Concrete Playground's take on the latest travel news, events, places and trips
  • Travel & Leisure

    Repose's Luxe New Off-Grid Eco-Cabins Offer Stays with Breathtaking Views Around New Zealand

    Each cabin boasts an indoor fireplace, an outdoor bath and views that have to be seen to be believed.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Here's an Offer You Can't Refuse: Airbnb Wants You to Spend a Month in 'The Godfather' Mansion

    Fancy spending all of August in Staten Island, following in the footsteps of the most iconic gangster movie ever made? Now you can.

  • Travel & Leisure
    Auckland

    Voco Auckland City Centre, an IHG Hotel

    The new hotel boasts plush rooms with floor-to-ceiling views of Auckland city and a cosy all-day Italian trattoria — but it's the new rooftop bar that's bound to be the drawcard.

  • Travel & Leisure

    We're Giving Away a Wild Winter Escape For You and a Mate (or Date)

    Spoil your mate or impress your date with an unforgettable holiday this winter.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Wellington's First Movenpick Hotel Has Just Opened with a Signature Daily Chocolate Hour

    With chocolate treats galore and ice cream sundaes available 24/7, this new hotel offering in the heart of Wellington is offering sweet-toothed travellers the stay of dreams.

  • Travel & Leisure

    You'll Be Able to Slumber in the Sky in Air New Zealand's Lie-Flat Economy Sleeping Pods From 2024 

    The game-changing bunk bed-style economy skynest will feature on the airline's new Dreamliners, and will boast room for six sleepers.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Now You Can Travel to Fiji, Here's Everything You Need to Know Before Your Trip

    We asked the Tourism Fiji team all your burning pre-holiday questions, including where to stay, whether you'll need cash, and yes — what happens if you test positive for COVID?

  • Travel & Leisure

    Six Ways to Make Your Winter Trip to Hawke's Bay the Best One Yet

    The east coast winemaking region comes alive in the colder months.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Japan Has Officially Reopened to Tourists From Down Under — But Only As Part of Package Tours

    To make the trip, you'll need to wear masks everywhere, have private medical insurance to cover your visit and be chaperoned during your whole stay.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Australia's Highest Suspension Bridge Has Opened in the Snowy Mountains for Spectacular Alpine Walks

    Part of a new nine-kilometre track in NSW's Kosciuszko National Park, this new bridge is strung across Guthega and Charlotte Pass.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Attention Geminis: Jetstar NZ Is Giving Away Free Flights to Everyone Who Shares Its Birthday

    Plus they're slinging 60,000 dirt-cheap deals for flights across the country — and across the ditch.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Airbnb Wants You to Stay in the 'Scooby-Doo' Mystery Machine — and Matthew Lillard Will Be Your Host

    Celebrate the live-action 'Scooby-Doo' flick's 20th anniversary with a vanning holiday across Southern California.

  • Travel & Leisure

    New Zealand's First Off-the-Grid Unyoked Cabins Will Pop Up in Stunning Regions Next Month

    Providing all the creature comforts, these small houses and cabins will be right in the thick of some of the country’s most breathtaking surroundings.

  • Travel & Leisure

    QT Is Opening a Lush New Hotel in Newcastle with a Rooftop Bar and a Huge Suite Inside a Clock Tower

    Also big drawcards: harbour views and Newcastle's largest library of Japanese whisky.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Christchurch's Observatory Hotel Is Now Open As Part of Its $290 Million Arts Centre Quake Restoration

    With wild colours and textures throughout each of its 33 unique rooms, Christchurch's luxe new hotel marks a significant milestone in the central city's post-earthquake revival.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Qantas Has Ramped Up Flights From Australia to NZ Just in Time for Wintry Snow Holidays 

    The Australian airline has restarted five routes travelling across the ditch, including the first international flight into Queenstown in almost a year.

  • Travel & Leisure
    Merewether

    The Beach House at Merewether

    It's time you made a beeline for the laid-back coastal haven of Newcastle.

  • Travel & Leisure

    The Southern Hemisphere's First-Ever Super-Sleek Ace Hotel Has Finally Opened in Sydney

    The 257-room hotel is now welcoming in guests — and its ground-floor restaurant and lobby bar are serving up bites to eat and cocktails, too.

  • Travel & Leisure

    New Zealand's First Movenpick Hotel Has Just Opened in Auckland with a Daily Chocolate Hour

    The chain's 207-room site in the CBD joins more than 110 other Mövenpick hotels worldwide.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Come What May: You Can Now Spend a Night in the Moulin Rouge's Iconic Windmill Thanks to Airbnb

    Even better: your overnight stay in the Parisian windmill's secret room, which has never been opened to the public before, will only cost you AU$1.49.

  • Travel & Leisure

    New Zealand Ski Fields Are Preparing to Open for the 2022 Season

    Resorts across Aotearoa are starting to roll out plans for this year's ski season, which is set to be one of the biggest yet as the country finally welcomes back Australian tourists. 

  • Travel & Leisure
    Auckland

    The Cordis Pinnacle Tower

    From the higher levels of this luxury hotel's new $170 million tower, you can take in full-circle views of Auckland and its most iconic landmarks — best enjoyed with a pre-dinner drink and canapé in hand.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Seven Hotels in Sydney's CBD for When You Want to Treat Yourself to an Australian City Break

    Looking for a hotel that'll make you feel good about hitting snooze? We've found it.

  • Travel & Leisure

    A Brand-New Luxury Hilton Hotel Is Opening in Karaka South of Auckland This Week

    Boasting a cocktail bar, a pool and celeb chef Mark Southon at the restaurant's helm, this luxe new hotel offering is just 25 minutes out of the city.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Bali Has Reopened to Australian and NZ Tourists Without Quarantine If You're Dreaming of a Holiday

    Since early March, Bali has implemented a Visa on Arrival program for double-vaccinated visitors — with COVID-19 tests required before departing, and upon arrival at the airport.

  • Travel & Leisure

    New Zealand Is Reopening Its Borders to Double-Vaccinated Tourists Next Month

    Australian holidaymakers will be able to arrive in NZ without isolating from mid-April, before tourists from visa waiver countries follow suit in May.

  • Travel & Leisure

    A Second Super Nintendo Theme Park Will Open in 2023 So You Can Play 'Mario Kart' IRL in Hollywood

    You'll soon have two Nintendo-themed amusement parks to visit, with the new addition to Universal Studios Hollywood joining its sibling site in Osaka.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Kiwis Can Return Home to New Zealand Without Isolating from Midnight This Wednesday

    The country's current Omicron outbreak has caused Prime Minster Jacinda Arden to bring forward the five-step border re-opening plan.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Western Australia's Turquoise Bay Has Been Named the Best Beach in the South Pacific for 2022

    Beaches in Australia and New Zealand took out nine of the top ten spots.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Queenstown Music Festival and Ski Trip Snow Machine Has Launched Its Full 2022 Lineup

    Four snow-filled days of music, skiing and adventure awaits.

  • Travel & Leisure

    All of the Best Inner-City Airbnbs Around Australia with Breathtaking Views

    Spend your next break over the ditch eating your way around Sydney, shopping until you drop in Melbourne, or soaking in city views from beside the pool in Brisbane.

  • Travel & Leisure

    New Zealand Is Scrapping MIQ for Double-Vaxxed Kiwis Coming From Australia This Month

    It's the first stage of the Government's five-step plan for opening to the world this year.

  • Travel & Leisure

    QT Is Sharing the Love This February with a Chance to Win a Hotel Room for the Month

    Head in for a romantic one-night hotel staycation, emerge 17 days later.

  • Travel & Leisure
    Auckland

    Gibbs Farm Visit with Auckland Art Gallery

    The 400 hectare farm featuring an incredible collection of works and exotic animals is only open to the public a few days a year.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Airbnb Wants You to Spend a Year Living Rent-Free in a Gorgeous Sicily Townhouse

    The house-sharing platform is giving one person the chance to spend 12 months living rent-free in the rural village of Sambuca.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Air New Zealand Has Been Named the World's Safest Airline for 2022

    For the first time since 2013, Qantas didn't take out the top spot.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Ten Epic New Zealand Beaches You Need to Visit at Least Once in Your Life

    Not mentioned: Oriental Bay, Mission Bay and Mount Maunganui.

  • Travel & Leisure

    New Zealand's Three-Step Border Reopening Plan Has Been Pushed Out Until February

    As the threat of the Omicron variant continues to grow, the Government has pushed the country's proposed three-step border reopening plan by at least a month.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Aucklanders Can Now Enter to Win One of 100,000 Vouchers to Spend Around the City This Summer

    The new scheme is designed to say "thank you" to Aucklanders who have been doing it tough, as well as inject a boost into the local economy.

  • Travel & Leisure

    Nine Spots Where You Can Camp, Hike and Swim with Your Dog in the North Island

    Check out geothermal attractions, bush tracks and rugged stretches of coastline with your best mate by your side.

Tap and select Add to Home Screen to access Concrete Playground easily next time. x