New Zealand MPs reveal their favourite summer destinations

Some readers would have perhaps preferred the headline ‘What places to avoid if you don’t want to see a politician this summer’, but I’m no scrooge. It’s been a tough year for everyone, even our MPs – whether you love them or loathe them.

Over the summer months, as we take some time to relax, most of us will be seeing much less of even the most familiar faces from inside Parliament.

Our MPs deserve a break, too. Just as much as we might be tired of hearing from them, they are likely to be tired of making sure they stay “on message” every single day. MPs on Twitter are almost certainly sick of hearing from us.

So where do New Zealand’s Members of Parliament choose to spend their summer break? Newshub Travel got in touch with our most well-known MPs to find out.

Michael Wood’s childhood memories from Rotorua

“We love heading to Rotorua. I spent nearly every childhood school holiday visiting there as it’s where my grandparents lived,” Wood said.

“With its lakes, bubbling mud pools, tourism operations, and proud Māori culture and identity, it is such a unique place – and really easy to get to from Auckland.

“It’s an old favourite of many people, and if you haven’t been for a while I recommend a return visit!”

Nicola Willis pines for the beach

“I love spending summer days at Riversdale Beach on the Wairarapa Coast – it’s a simple low-key surf beach, dotted with Norfolk pines and classic Kiwi baches,” Willis said.

“The centrepiece is a brilliant Surf Lifesaving Club that runs an awesome ‘nippers’ junior lifesaving programme that our kids take part in the mornings to kick-start the day. They then bodyboard and surf through the day and bike around the safe streets, making missions to the one shop for iceblocks and lolly mixtures.

“People go fishing and crayfishing, and the beach is often a Richard Scarry-type scene with tractors, side-by-sides and beach cricket games on the go. There’s always a super friendly relaxed vibe.

“The magic comes from some energetic community volunteers who put on great events over January, a market day, fish auction, triathlon, a big dig, and a nippers carnival. All things to look forward to. Little traditions that make it special.”

David Seymour’s bay dreams

“I like to go to a beach just south of the Bay of Islands where my family has been going for over 40 years. It is a quiet family beach with white sand and many happy memories,” Seymour said.

Rino Tirikatene likes to head south

“My favourite summer destination has to be the Catlins. A region in Southland with numerous beautiful beaches, amazing bush walks and stunning scenery,” he said.

“If you’re travelling south this summer make sure you add the Catlins to your itinerary. It truly has the Te Waipounamu ‘wow factor’!”

Kiri Allan has  summer sorted

“The best place to spend summer is, without a doubt, the East Coast. Why? Let me count the ways…paua pies, the best diving, the best music, the best people, and the best and most sunshine,” she said.

The only place Luxon likes to flounder

“One of my favourite places to spend summer in New Zealand is Duvauchelle Bay, on the road to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula. When I was living overseas, I would head there with the family each and every year. It’s a fantastic place that really comes to life over Christmas, with a beautiful beach – you can head out onto the water and catch some good flounder,” Luxon said.

After some curious investigation, I found the name Duvauchelle comes from the surname of two brothers Jules-Augustin and Louis-Benjamin Duvauchelle who lived on the land working as part of “La Compagnie de Bordeaux et de Nantes pour la Colonisation de l’Île du Sud de la Nouvelle Zélande et ses Dépendances”, a company started in France in 1839 to build a French settlement on Banks Peninsula.