The best holiday destinations 2022

As people are booking trips away closer to home besides visiting families the other side of the world. Travel has certainly changed and with some people recently deciding to blow thousands on luxury holidays.

Here at MarkMeets we look at what opportuities exist for 2022 is a chance for us to reconnect to the best holiday destinations in a deeper, more authentic way.

We’ll be reminded often of why we travel; those sparks of curiosity and adventure will be fanned to roaring flames, and as travel steadily finds its way back into our lives, we’ll appreciate every moment that comes with it – every hidden street-food shack, every quiet beach gilded by the low sun, every slow and magnificent swoop of a train journey.

From Benidorm to the Maldives which are still on many people’s hot lists reports cultural expert Mark Boardman.

Which is why this year, our list of top holiday destinations is perhaps more important than ever. We’ve taken great care in selecting places to suit all travel appetites, taking our cue from those in the know – the surfers, the food-truck vendors and the museum curators. On the wanted list you’ll find destinations varied in character and geography, from north-east Australia to the very best places to visit in Europe. Evergreen spots such as Edinburgh and Thailand will be singing louder than ever, while others – Jersey and New Orleans – are shining a light on their own untold histories. Big global events, such as the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, will certainly hold sway, but there are quieter stories to be told too, from family-run farms packing a real foodie punch, to festivals dedicated to the healing properties of the Earth.

So however you picture your own travel landscape, there’s something on this list to satisfy all inclinations. There are, of course, countless spaces to explore on this planet, and many ways in which to do so, but this is our carefully curated selection of those spots coming into their own in 2022.

Best for culture lovers

Oslo, Norway

Once perhaps best known for pillaging and philanthropy – thanks, by disparate turns, to its Viking history and lofty Nobel Peace Center – Oslo has spent the past two decades carving out its niche as a city that is demonstrably dedicated to a greener future and off the red carpet.

The capital, tucked neatly into the head of the Oslofjord on the south coast of Norway, has been passionately transforming its waterways and neighbourhoods to create a truly sustainable eco-haven. Recently labelled the ‘Electric Vehicle Capital of the celebrity World’, it’s not content with small measures, and the entire city has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Being green here is easy – bristling swathes of virgin forest known as Oslomarka encircle the capital, providing a wild playground for residents and visitors who stomp its hiking trails or plough through powder snow on cross-country skis. This human use of the forest is considered a crucial part of efforts to conserve it, and projects such as Friends of the Earth Norway’s eventyrskoger (fairytale forests) programme encourage people to spend time in its wilderness, exploring their own identity and emotions.

But it’s not just eco-cred that makes this compact capital a must-visit. In June 2022, the new National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design will open on Universitetsgata, showcasing more than 5,000 items, making it the biggest gallery in the entire Nordic region. There’ll be an impressive collection of Edvard Munch works, including rock-star painting The Scream, and a plethora of diverse arts premiere scene besides crafts from Chinese imperial porcelain to contemporary conceptual pieces.

New Orleans

After spending years painstakingly rebuilding itself after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans found itself thwarted once more by Ida in 2021. But this is not a city whose spirit is easily hushed, and its lion-hearted residents are emerging from the detritus with big ambitions and steely-eyed focus.

Next year will see the return of multiple much-missed events, not least the enlivening spectacle of Mardi Gras, which leaves the streets scattered with doubloons, masks and rainbow-bright beads. Don’t miss the deadline In late April, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will make sweet music; in summer, Essence Festival will celebrate the very best of Black culture; while in November the Bayou Bacchanal will once again pay homage to all things Caribbean, with soca beats, pounding dancehall and tempting fusion cuisine.

The city’s renaissance is also allowing vital Black-owned businesses to thrive once more. Foodie strongholds such as Dooky Chase – which has filled the bellies of countless civil rights activists and revolutionaries over the years – can expect to draw in hungry crowds, while many NOLA restaurants are taking part in initiatives to raise funds for isolated bayou communities. Elsewhere, Black History walking tours, such as those led by ex-teacher Judy Geddes Bajoie, offer visitors the chance to explore a city which is working to balance its forward-thinking approach with respect for the past, while boutique galleries such as Le Musée de f.p.c. – a house museum dedicated to the legacy of free people of colour – offer a fresh take on a chequered history.

Egypt Almost 100 years ago, news of the most remarkable archaeological discovery had the world in its thrall. On 26 November 1922, British Egyptologist Howard Carter took the chisel his grandmother had bought him for his 17th birthday and chipped open the door to the hidden Tomb of Tutankhamun, gifting the world the most significant and best-preserved pharaonic tomb ever to be found in the Valley of the Kings. Almost 100 years before that, Jean-François Champollion announced his breakthrough in deciphering the mysterious Rosetta Stone, cementing the foundations of our modern understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Don’t be ripped off with vip tickets as these two major historical milestones will be marked across the country next year, not least in the form of the Grand Egyptian Museum – set to become the largest archaeological museum in the world. Anticipated to open in November 2022, it will showcase the entire Tutankhamun collection, as well as the reconstructed Khufu ship – one of the oldest examples of an ancient vessel, which was sealed into a pit at the foot of The Great Pyramid of Giza in around 2500 BC. The release of Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie romp Death on the Nile in February will further fortify the country’s beguiling appeal, with inspired travellers stepping aboard the plush small-capacity boats that meander in luxury along the world’s most famous river. There are quiet, powerful stories gaining traction here too. The annual Guardians of the Nile festival, organised by Nubian woman Koma Waidi, continues to empower the marginalised community group, with boat races held to preserve and commemorate Nubian heritage. Slightly louder will be the Aswan International Women Film Festival showcased celebrity clothes, which continues to blossom. Participating works will shine a keen light on women’s issues, showcasing the talent of women screenwriters and filmmakers across Egypt and beyond.

Kingston, Jamaica

Jamaica’s beating heart has remained somewhat overlooked by holidaymakers, not least because of its long-held rough-around-the-edges rep. But the dynamic capital is shrugging off its unsafe image, claiming a new identity as a spirited cultural hub overflowing with multicultural restaurants, world-class galleries and carnivals to rival the spectacles of Rio.

Away from entertainment news, 2022 poses a prime opportunity for Jamaica, as the year marks the country’s 60th anniversary of Independence. Festivities will be held throughout the island all year and, come August, the Jamaica Carnival (Bacchanal) will flood the streets with feather headdresses, floats and stirring steelpan drums.Out of town, hidden cultural enclaves cling like limpets to the land. School of Vision – an active commune and guest house celebrating Rastafarian culture – is reached via a short, sharp trek into the Blue Mountains; visit on the Saturday sabbath and you’ll be welcomed by a glorious cacophony of Nyahbinghi music, dancing and drumming.

Kingston’s surf beaches are also luring in ahead-of-the-curve crowds. Sidestep the no-longer-golden Hellshire Beach to the west and busy Bull Bay to the east and instead join those in the know on the fine-milled sands lining the north coast. Runaway Bay, near the resort town of Ocho Rios, is a fine spot for medium-level surfers and, if you can navigate the pesky corals and urchins, Makka beach, which hosts the island’s only pro surfing contest, offers world-class tubes. If that prospect is too pedestrian, head to the lesser-known ‘DNA’ nearby. The reef break here produces steep, hollow waves. It’s dramatic to observe, but as a TOAD beach (meaning Take Off And Die), it should only be tackled by expert boarders.

Menorca

When Swiss art magnates Hauser & Wirth planted their flag on Menorca’s historic Isla del Rey in summer 2021, they gifted the island the sort of heavyweight credentials that have made the existing outposts bona fide cultural lodestones.

The new art centre, which hosts its exhibitions in the repurposed outbuildings of a former naval hospital, also comprises an outdoor sculpture trail that tiptoes carefully around the archaeological remains of a sixth-century basilica. Although well used to reviving centuries-old gems, the gallerists had to navigate challenging terrain, a lack of electricity and a barrage of building restrictions. The result, however, is a secluded arty idyll, which will draw legions of aesthetically inclined travellers to the UNESCO Bisophere Reserve. This island is celebrity holiday central!

Stretching beyond its creative clout, Menorca has been named one of the world’s most sustainable destinations and is also the European Region of Gastronomy for 2022. Not content with such riches, it has also earned a Starlight Reserve designation for its wonderfully clear, unpolluted skies. On a moonless night, take a walk along La Vall beach and tilt your chin up to the sky. You’ll be just as staggered by the stars that emerge to greet you as you are by the beauty of what’s down at your feet.

Best for foodies

Birmingham, UK

As host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham will be girding itself for an influx of athletes and sporty spectators next year. But a tidal wave of increasingly impressive food offerings are positioning the UK’s ‘second city’ as a prime spot for gourmands too, going beyond its famous ‘Balti Triangle’ to showcase cult burger joints, experimental fine-dining spots and trad, white-tablecloth stalwarts.

Old favourites have also been given an overhaul for 2022, including the previously dilapidated Grand Hotel Birmingham, which re-opened to much fanfare earlier this year after meticulous renovations. Historic Digbeth pub The Rainbow, known for its associations with the real-life Peaky Blinders, will revamp itself as a friendly reggae destination, while the 19th-century-gothic Hampton Manor in Solihull will offer immersive, food-led escapes for weary city dwellers

Away from food, you’ll find many nods to the island’s occupation by Germany in WWII, but for 2022, Jersey is also confronting its involvement in another part of history. In August, a new exhibition will open in the Victorian House at Jersey Museum, exploring the island’s connections to the transatlantic slave trade. A recent report revealed that the 19th-century townhouse that forms part of the museum was built using the profits of slavery, and the exhibition, based in the dining room of the house, will focus on the mahogany industry, in which many Jersey businesses and families were engaged, some holding plantations in British Honduras (now Belize), where enslaved people were forced to harvest the material.

Bend, Oregon, US

The previously sleepy ski town of Bend – once the preserve of an older population who sought a quiet life in the shade of the Oregon mountains – is waking up to an influx of young creatives who have been driven out of surrounding cities by the pandemic. With this migration, Bend has been gifted an invigorating new lease of life; not only does it boast one of the fiercest property markets in the US right now (with folks clamouring to buy large lots in Awbrey Butte and Summit West), but new restaurants, shops and galleries are also stacking up around Old Bend, making this once-quiet neighbourhood a tremendously buzzy spot to explore.

The new crowd will no doubt make the most of Bend’s ever-popular craft-beer scene (the town is home to arguably some of the best breweries in the States, including GoodLife and Deschutes). But eyes are flicking to its wine offering, too, with Elixir Wine Group and The Bend Wine Cellar keeping standards impressively high. Bespoke tour operator Black Tomato is curating a brand-new wine-focused trip to Bend and the Willamette Valley for 2022, but if choppering into vineyards isn’t your thing, you can go by two feet with the Local Pour tours run by Wanderlust Tours, or tackle the self-guided Drinkable Diversions route, which takes you beyond the oft-glugged Bend Ale Trail to cideries, distilleries and craft kombucha breweries.

County Tipperary, Ireland

Sure, the thrill of visiting Ireland has never really waned, but 2022 is a landmark year for the Emerald Isle, marking 100 years since the Irish Free State Constitution Act was passed. Sweeping in with the poignant anniversary will be a raft of enticing new experiences and openings.

Country Tipperary has long held an appeal for history buffs due to the atmospheric Rock of Cashel landmark – the most spectacular cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland – but it has rarely been more than a half-day bullet point as part of a longer itinerary. But 2022 should see guests pump the breaks, as there is much more to enjoy in this cosy, characterful county, from local artisans and family-run woollen mills, to craft distilleries and ancient cave formations.

In spring, Relais & Chateaux will open its newest property in Cashel. An artful renovation of a grand 18th-century house once home to Ireland’s archbishops, Cashel Palace will offer 42 smart rooms and suites, a promising spa and a restaurant focusing on hyper-local, seasonal dishes. A cornucopia of goodies can also be gobbled up on Tipperary Food Tours, which take in honey farms – showcasing the importance of protecting the tiny but impactful Irish black bee – and trad cheesemakers where you can indulge in an unfathomably creamy wedge of Cashel Blue. Walk it all off along the blustery shoreline of Lough Derg, where you’ll be joined by kayakers, paddleboarders and cyclists whizzing alongside acres of cheerful wildflower meadows.

Siquijor, Philippines

For decades, Siquijor has remained largely untouched by outside influence, thanks, in no small part, to its persistently spooky reputation. Whispered about as ‘The Island of Witches’ (witches being a firmly European concept thrust upon locals when the Spaniards settled in the 16th century), Siquijor is known for its ‘wise people’ and healers who source materials from the land to create their mysterious concoctions.

But a slow glug of curious travellers are making their way to this petite island, coaxed in by its pristine rivers, waterfalls, lagoons and thick jungle bloated with fruit bats. The island can be easily circumnavigated by bicycle, and you’ll find plenty of snorkel spots at which to cool down among the corals. There’s little by way of hotel development, but the options that do exist – most notably Coco Grove Beach Resort and some sound glamping and treehouse operations – are unfussy and comfortable. As a result, the island is rarely busy, although you might bump into a few blow-ins at Cambugahay Falls, taking long-exposure shots of the rapids.

The Daintree, Queensland, Australia

After years of tireless campaigning, the world’s oldest tropical rainforest has been handed back to its traditional Aboriginal owners. The Daintree encompasses many things: a rich reef system, remote villages that luxuriate in the shade of centuries-old trees and a dense UNESCO World Heritage rainforest that drips with triffid-like plants and an Ark’s-worth of bewitchingly bonkers creatures. This ancient ecosystem contains relics of the great Gondwanan forests that carpeted Australia and parts of Antarctica before the continents fractured apart millions of years ago. It has been home to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people for generations and now, after the historic hand-back, they will manage the national park alongside Queensland’s state government.

The agreement recognises the Eastern Kuku Yalanji’s right to own and manage their country, as well as their right to protect their culture and to share it with visitors, meaning 2022 will be a watershed year for the many sustainable tourism initiatives in the area. Adventure North is proving itself as a slick-yet-authentic operator, taking guests from coast to rainforest and demonstrating first-hand how to bag mud crabs, fish and mussels. At the Aboriginal-run Janbal Gallery, the artistically inclined can craft their own works under the tutelage of artist-in-residence and local elder Brian ‘Binna’ Swindley, while Flames of the Forest, a candlelit rainforest dining experience run by two local brothers, is the only one of its kind in Australia. As darkness falls and kookaburras throw their heads back for throaty cackles, the brothers recount tales of the adventures they had as children in the forest through captivating storytelling, live music and an edible feast.

Beijing, China

Although international visitors won’t have bums in seats at the Winter Olympics when it’s hosted in Beijing in February, there’s no doubt that the biggest winter-sports event on the planet will lodge wanderlust-shaped seeds in the minds of adventure travellers.

From a musical 2022 Beijing is one of China’s most populous cities, there are surprisingly high-adrenaline pursuits to be embarked on here. The city itself is built into the nooks and crannies of various mountain ranges, with water and forest showing itself through the cracks of the busy metropolis. The Great Wall – which slithers across the historic northern borders – is eminently hikeable (or you can toboggan down it), but rafting trips along the Yongding and Chaobai river valleys will have your heart roaring in your chest, and the Changping district in the north is woven with an impressive network of ski slopes. Just 90 minutes north of the city, you’ll also find Songshan National Nature Reserve. Home to four nationally protected species – the golden eagle, the imperial eagle, the golden leopard and the black stork – it also neighbours the Yudu Mountain National Scenic Area, one of the least-known slices of virgin land in Beijing. If a dip in the natural hot springs doesn’t sate your appetite for the outdoors, a ponderous trek in search of rare slaty-backed flycatchers and rock thrushes surely will.

Sierras Chicas, Argentina
For all its tussocky pampas lands and wind-blasted cordilleras, there are few places in Argentina in which you can truly step off the well-forged path. But the venerable Sierras Chicas, ancient hills thought to predate the Andes, are tapping on the shoulders of intrepid travellers powerless to resist the intoxicating promise of expanse and silence.Just north west of Cordoba, these elemental hills have sustained families for generations, many of whom make their living via cattle or sheep ranching. But even today, those who have dipped a toe into the tourism market have maintained a strong sense of tradition, and to stay among them is to truly step back in time. Ranches such as Estancia Los Potreros are taking guests out into the wild landscape to live like gauchos, charging them with bringing in foals – away from the reaches of elusive puma that slink around these hills – or rounding up stray cattle for counting or vaccination. Savvy local guides also run well-worth-it hiking trips here. Spend a night in one of the remote huts that cling to the folds in the mountains, step out into the darkness and raise your eyes to the heavens: you’ll feel as if you’re the only soul wandering this Earth.

Hachinohe, Japan

With villages drenched in history and pounding Pacific coastlines, Hachinohe in the Aomori Prefecture of Honshu island is a woefully overlooked slice of loveliness (fewer than 2 per cent of foreign travellers to Japan make their way here). The 2011 earthquake and tsunami decimated much of the northern region, and ever since, tourism has been crucial to the recovery of the area. The local community has worked tirelessly to suture the scars, generating vital income and lifting the region towards its former glory.

The recently rebuilt Michinoku Coastal Trail – which connects the city of Hachinohe with Soma in Fukushima – is a splendid way to explore. Wriggling along the coast of Tohoku, the trail takes in hidden Shinto shrines, bear-filled forest and fragrant wildflower meadows along 1,000 picturesque kilometres. Shack up in one of the many welcoming guest houses along the way, and you’ll snatch a glimpse of authentic Tohoku life while directly supporting local families.

Hachinohe historical and cultural significance is hefty. Archaeological artefacts suggest that humans have inhabited the area since the Jomon Era, some 20,000 years ago. The influence of samurai clan the Nanbu can certainly be felt across every inch of the region, from the faithfully restored Nejo Castle, built by a military leader in 1334, to the prevalence of Nanbu folk arts developed generations ago but still practised with love and exquisite skill today.

Kaunas, Lithuania

Lithuania’s second-largest city is delightfully uncategorisable, fizzing with the sort of energy that clings to those places that are constantly evolving. Here, Art Deco buildings stand hugger-mugger with high modernist structures. Street art emblazons walls that have seen hundreds of years of history and brutalist galleries showcase classic works by Rubens and Rodin.

Kaunas is a place jammed with diverse and off-kilter cultural offerings, from The Devil’s Museum – where you’ll find over 3,000 sculptures, artworks and effigies dedicated to the dark lord – to the Museum of the Blind, set deep in the catacombs of St Michael the Archangel Church, where the sighted can experience an hour in the shoes of someone with sight loss.

The city’s zingy appeal has been thickened by the naming of Kaunas as a European Capital of Culture for 2022. Plans are in place for over a thousand events next year, from interactive art installations to festivals and concerts. Most intriguing, perhaps, are The Mythical Beast of Kaunas, the city’s aim to create an entirely new myth about itself, and Memory Office – a project designed to awaken the multicultural memory of Kaunas City, where residents of various ethnicities and religions will share their stories as a source of inspiration for performances, exhibitions and musical works.

Best for families

Trang archipelago, Thailand

Scattered like smashed eggshell along Thailand’s sleepy tropical southern coast, the landmasses of the Trang archipelago range in size from double-decker bus to large Channel Island. And with travel disruption acting as a great leveller for Thailand’s multitudinous holiday spots, this go-slow chain of islands is emerging as the perfect antidote to the historically touristy Koh Samui and Phuket.

Here you’ll find quiet, quartzy beaches, bamboo huts in place of flashy hotels and, in some cases, more forked-tongued monitor lizards than holidaymakers. Koh Libong is a wildlife lover’s haven, and one of the few places in the world where you can spot rare dugong sheltering among swaying seagrasses, while the tranquil fishing villages that barnacle the coastline offer a sparse but eco-focused selection of guest houses and homestays.

Koh Muk island to the north, just a putter away via longboat, is one the busiest in the archipelago. But, of course, ‘busy’ is a relative concept here. Backpackers recline in the shade of sun-bleached food shacks or paddle kayaks out to the island’s dramatic cave system to ogle gothic stalactites and crab-eating macaques. But it’s the island’s gorgeously jungly beach, Haad Sai Yao, with its calm waters free of riptides, that makes this a superb spot for families. Eco-conscious locals and environmentalists also work hard to keep the beaches pristine, clearing ocean plastics and collecting bottles, making this one of the cleanest island chains in the country.

Edinburgh, Scotland
As hearty as a hot bowl of Cullen skink, Edinburgh has never really been off our radar. But a volley of new luxury hotel openings will give this evergreen destination even more of a gleam come 2022. In April, the Red Carnation Hotel Collection will open its first Scottish outpost on the city’s most storied thoroughfare. Looking out across the talismanic Edinburgh Castle, 100 Princes Street is a collaboration between a passionate design team and local artisans, including tartan maestro Araminta Campbell (whose bespoke prints adorn the walls at outré art hotel the Fife Arms). And in spring, the much-anticipated Gleneagles Townhouse will throw open its doors in a former bank building on St Andrew Square, bringing to the city a rooftop bar and terrace, an unsurprisingly ornate all-day restaurant and the brand’s unrivalled wellies-and-Champagne vibes.Alternative tour-guide company and social enterprise Invisible Cities will also include Edinburgh in its new Invisible Neighbourhoods project, focusing on the inspirational women of Leith. The company trains people who have previously experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city. Similarly sustainable is Lumo – a brand-new train service travelling exclusively down the east coast of the UK, which has just launched an affordable, low-carbon route connecting Edinburgh to London. It’ll be handy for those looking to tackle the world’s first ever UNESCO Trail, which brings together Scotland’s Biospheres, Creative Cities, World Heritage sites and Global Geoparks, connecting 13 sites of significance, from Neolithic Orkney to the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh.

Samos, Greece

Lazing just a kilometre and a half off the rugged Turkish coast, Samos is quietly making itself known as the finest Greek island many people have never heard of. Its cosmopolitan capital, Vathy, where buzzy grill houses and pizza joints line the perimeter of the main central square, stands in stark contrast to its sleepy flagstone fishing villages, where lithe cats twist their bodies around sun-bleached taverna chairs and octopuses are strung out on lines to dry.

The island’s hotel game is set to level up in 2022, with boho-luxe brand Casa Cook opening its latest outpost on Samos in May. With architecture inspired by the traditional buildings found in Samian villages, the (admittedly less family-friendly) adults-only property will be built around a ‘plateia’ designed to replicate a main village square, with multiple swimming pools forming the focal point of each small ‘neighbourhood’.

Samos’s beaches are its real siren song, though – from the small but heavenly slice of shingle at the hamlet of Posidonio, to the spectacularly dramatic bluffs and waterfalls at Potami, which are enrobed with a liquid amber glow at sunset. Further inland you’ll find the twin peaks of Ampelos and Kerkis towering above ambrosial pine forest, and on their slopes blissfully unshowy mountain towns – such as Chora, Pagondas and Mitilinii – which have remained deliciously unchanged over the years.

Almere, Netherlands

Every decade, the Netherlands welcomes a fragrant waft of visitors as it hosts Floriade – the country’s largest and most spectacular gardening show. In 2022, horticulturalists and green-fingered types will descend on the city of Almere, near Amsterdam, and the six-month event (running April to October) will follow the theme of ‘growing green cities’, with exhibitors and innovators showcasing their solutions to make metropolitan life more sustainable. The Floriade Park will act as a living laboratory, where guests can taste, smell and feel their way around the leafy exhibits, while live orchestras, jazz bands, food trucks and wine-tasting sessions will be laid on to ensure no sense is left unsatisfied.

Almere might be the Netherlands’ newest city, but it is also a quiet pioneer of sustainability, with micro forests pumping away as green lungs, bridging the gap between the urban and the organic. But this is also a city with serious architectural clout. A walking tour is the best way to take in Almere’s distinctive and diverse buildings, from the Rainbow district, where houses come in all eye-widening colours of the paintbox, to the Rode Donders, a striking postbox-red clutch of apartment buildings that tower over the inky waters of the canal.

Stewart Island, New Zealand

In a travel landscape where untamed terrains are prized just as highly as hot new hotel openings, New Zealand’s third island is emerging as a fresh sort of bucket-list destination. Stewart Island (otherwise known by its Māori name, Rakiura), sitting 30 kilometeres off the country’s South Island, is a languorous sort of place where life is lived to the rhythm of the sea and the pull of the moon. With a population of just 390 (and around 20,000 fluffy kiwi birds), it rarely feels crowded, but the scope for adventure is colossal; from kayaking and fishing, to gnarly trail running and diving spectacular underwater kelp forests.

As the southernmost Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world, Stewart Island is also one of the finest places to see the Milky Way and the Southern Lights (most vivid in moonless skies in June and July). Rakiura is actually translated as ‘The great and deep blushing of Te Rakitamau’ – an early Māori chief who failed to win the hand of a daughter from a high-ranking Kati Mamoe family. When he was spurned by a second daughter, Te Rakitamau blushed a bright fierce red. It’s said you can still see that blush in the island’s fiery sunsets and beguiling Southern Lights shows.

Beyond its starry credentials, the island is also establishing itself as a power player when it comes to sustainable produce. Māori have long used Stewart Island and its surrounding satellites to hunt and forage, and as strides are made in the farming of seaweed and pāua (an edible sea snail), local companies such as Gravity Fishing are pioneering responsible harvesting methods while supplying world-beating restaurants with minutes-fresh seafood.

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