Stunning schist design: Draftline Architecture

An eye-catching new building has been evolving at stunning Lake Tekapo. Dubbed the “Hocken Motel” this beautiful, natural schist-clad accommodation is the work of Timaru-based architectural design company Draftline.     Company Principal and lead designer Pat Coll says the developers, Andrew and Grant Hocken “pretty much gave Draftline free rein” to use its experience […]

Love of landscapes

For Struan Macdonald, art is like second nature to him. And it’s the New Zealand nature such as Mount Aspiring Nation Park, the Otago High Country, Abel Tasman and the West Coast that inspires this landscape painter.   “It can be the afternoon light on a mountain side or some kind of weather effect,” he […]

Where to go south

In a year of travel plan disruptions, shake tradition and choose a new place to explore, a place closer to home. In the South Island, options abound. Here are Metropol’s picks of where to go, when going south.     THE CATLINS Tucked down the southeast corner of the South Island, The Catlins region is […]