New Zealand

English by birth, Australian by chance, All Blacks fan by choice : Charles Rawlings-Way's early understanding of Aotearoa was less than comprehensive (sheep, mountains, sheep on mountains...). He realised there was more to it when a wandering uncle returned with a faux-jade tiki in 1981. Mt Taranaki's snowy summit, Raglan's point breaks and Whanganui's raffish charm have enthralled. He's once again smitten with NZ's phantasmal landscapes, disarming locals and determination to sculpt its own political and indigenous destiny.
On his third research trip to the "mainland", Brett Atkinson explored Maori rock art, stayed in a historic cottage in the Gibbston Valley, and negotiated a penny-farthing bicycle around Oamaru. Two weeks researching earthquake-damaged Christchurch left him even more impressed with the resilience and determination of the people of Canterbury. Brett has covered ten countries for Lonely Planet, and more than 40 countries as a freelance travel and food writer.
Raiseda the top of the South. Sarah Bennett migrated to Wellington at 16 and has lived there ever since, except for various travels and a stint in London working at Lonely Planet's UK office. During research, she strives to find fault, particularly in relation to baked gonds and beer selection. Sarah is joined in this endless quest by ber husband and co-writer, Lee Slater. English by birth and now a naturahsed New Zealander, Lee's first career as an engineer has seen him travel extensively around Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus.
Sarah and Lee are co-authors of Let's Go Camping and The New Zealand Tramper's Handbook. They are also freelance feature writers for newspapers and magazines, including the Dominion Post and Wilderness. After nearly a decade working for off-shore publishing companies, Peter Dragicevich's life has come full circle, returning to West Auckland where he was raised. As Managing Editor of Auckland-based Express newspaper he spent much of the 90s writing about the local arts, club and bar scenes.
This is the third edition of the NewZealand guide he's worked on and, after dozens of Lonely Planet assignments, it remains his favourite gig.