Incredibly hard to locate but worth it when you get there, The Bunker is often described as one of the world’s best bars. This cocktail lounge features comfy leather couches and a fine selection of drinks.

This lounge and nightclub goes off any night of the week. It’s fun and pretty wild so be warned!

A quirky and alternative spot to grab a drink in Dunedin. Located in Maori Hill, the tapas here are epic and the staff are really great too!

One of the best places to grab a pint in Oamaru. The regular live music here is excellent (this is where gigging musicians come from around the country to play). It’s only open a couple of nights a week so don’t be surprised if it’s not open when you drop by

Grab a glass of wine at Birdlands in the Victorian quarter in Oamaru. There is a great selection of wine here and the setting is truly magical. They’re even making their own wine in large vats out back (go see for yourself)

Expect the classics here at Sombreros - chilli con carne, quesadillas, nachos, tacos, enchiladas, burritos and sizzling fajitas topped off with tasty cocktails and Coronas. And yes there are sombreros for you to wear too!

Light and tasty Mexican food is on the menu here. The restaurant is cool and very Mexican-themed and is all-in-all a really fun night out.

Set in a new location in the beautiful Wanaka, Coyote Grill is a tasty Mexican experience although a little on the expensive side.

Expect Mexican food with a bit of Mexican culture here at Del Sol. The filling food with great Mexican flavours and noisy atmosphere makes the experience pretty authentic. There’s a great range of tequilas, cocktails and Mexican beers available too.

Arguably Dunedin’s best Italian restaurant, it’s been in operation for over 17 years. The menu has a Tuscan-bent best enjoyed with a large glass of Italian red.

A classic Italian restaurant now in the heart of Dunedin, this is where you should go to stuff yourself with delicious servings of pasta and pizza. A restaurant that is always busy and for good reason.

Sasso is a lovely restaurant serving Italian restaurant using fresh local ingredients. The Otago wines are also perfectly matched to the meals.

A large space with wooden floorboards and high ceilings, this authentic Italian restaurant is a lovely dining experience. The flavours are traditional and contemporary and the menu is diverse.

One of Queenstown’s most popular Japanese restaurants. Serving up classic Japanese dishes as well as sushi, this place is a must visit for anyone passing through!

Fresh and flavoursome, the Japanese food at Hikari Izakaya is truly excellent. There is a great atmosphere in the restaurant and with the food being so healthy it’s like the perfect dining experience.

A Korean BBQ and Japanese restaurant in one is certainly an interesting mix, but hey, it works! The menu is surprisingly simple but delicious all the same. Go try their excellent tempura!

It’s certainly hard to find Japanese food south of Dunedin but we did find sushi at the Fiordland Food Cart in Te Anau! There’s also pork rolls and crayfish for you to devour. Located in a great setting by the lake front by Lions Park.

Located in Oamaru by the train station and in a building that is certainly no-frills, this Japanese restaurant is divine. Great friendly service and an excellent menu. Definitely worth a stop on your road trip south.

When Washington-born Katie Turner wanted to start her very own yoga studio in Christchurch the only place she had in mind was The Tannery in Woolston. Setting up shop with her husband and business partner (Berin Turner, a neuro-muscular therapist), Grassroots Yoga and Health offers a serene haven for those with busy lives who want a physical and mental workout, with a side of “hands on” body therapy.

Bending and stretching for 90 minutes in a 30 degree room may sound like hell to you but Hot Yoga is actually very popular in Christchurch. To some, yoga is considered a luxury, to others it’s a way of life, and it’s not until you give it a go that you realise that sweating out all the toxins in your body can make you feel really good. The great thing about the Flow Hot Yoga studio is that if busting out yoga moves for an hour and a half doesn’t appeal, there is always the 60 minute class option. After your work out choose from a selection of flavoured coconut water, books about the benefits of yoga or some stylish workout gears.

Escape from the stresses of everyday life at this Blenheim-based yoga studio. The small well-equipped studio is perfect for anyone starting out or yoga pros.

This Greymouth Yoga retreat will help you centre mind, body and soul. A great getaway and opportunity to take time out. The Retreat also offers a bed and breakfast service.

The only place you can go for yoga in Hokitika. Essentially a fitness studio, Bodyworx offers a great opportunity to sweat it out during a work out then a nice warm down in a yoga session.

Just down the road from C1, Gapfiller’s RAD bikes is another amazing project to emerge out of the Festival of Transitional Architecture, typical of the ground-up community-oriented initiatives flourishing in Christchurch at the moment. Brainchild of Richard Sewell, the RAD, or ‘Recycle a Dunger’ space provides a workshop, tools, and even some spare parts, to maintain, repair and restore your bicycle, along with friendly volunteers on hand to offer expert advice and assistance. As well as helping to keep the city’s cycle fleet healthy, RAD also runs a programme restoring unwanted and neglected bikes into good working order to donate to Christchurch’s vulnerable and under privileged.

Definitely one of the most exciting things going on in Christchurch at the moment, Agropolis Urban Farm has brought the urban agriculture movement to Christchurch with a scalable transitional urban farm located just across from C1. The project takes food waste from central city cafés and restaurants to create rich compost in which to grow organic fruit and vegetables. By localising the ground preparation, sowing, planting, harvesting, cooking and distribution of produce within a community- driven context, Agropolis challenges our approach to food resilience, land use and food production and distribution in relation to Christchurch’s future.

Made from 3000 recycled wooden pallets in an eye catching bright blue, Pallet Pavilion is a unique take on the city’s penchant for transitional architecture. The Pavilion is home to a café (where volunteers lend a hand on the espresso machine), a sometime market and a stage which hosts anything from live acoustic music (nothing over 55 decibels, thank you Council) to film screenings, talks and paper scissors rock tournaments. Support this community initiative by heading along any night of the week. It’s hard to miss.

A community initiative on a tiny scale, the Escapist Library is an easy-to-miss cabinet of books featuring titles by Danielle Steel, New Zealand writer C.K Stead and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, Anne Tyler. In need of books to keep the library ticking along, please drop your unwanted books off any hour of the day to its location at 24 Hereford Street. The library is 24 hours after all …