{"id":86778,"date":"2025-10-18T18:23:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T18:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/86778\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T18:23:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T18:23:07","slug":"travel-alerts-explore-morwell-tutukaka-auckland-and-canberras-newest-escapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/86778\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Alerts: Explore Morwell, Tutuk\u0101k\u0101, Auckland and Canberra\u2019s newest escapes"},"content":{"rendered":"

A weekend of roses and wonder<\/p>\n

The International Rose Garden Festival Morwell returns in full bloom to Victoria this November 7 and 8, marking one of Australia\u2019s most charming spring celebrations. Set in the award-winning Morwell Centenary Rose Garden, home to more than 4000 roses across four acres, the festival bursts with colour, creativity, and community spirit. Visitors can look forward to free, family-friendly fun, including workshops, market stalls, live music, and a cut rose competition.<\/p>\n

Special guests Costa Georgiadis and the beloved dirtgirl and scrapboy from Dirtgirl World bring the garden to life with shows and storytelling, while acrobatic performances and roving entertainers add to the lively atmosphere. As night falls, the AGL Loy Yang Night Lights Show transforms the gardens into a kaleidoscope of colour and magic. irgfm.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n

\"WatchWatch the flowers bloom beautifully for a whole weekend. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

New Mediterranean-inspired lounge bar <\/p>\n

Kiwis craving a Mediterranean escape can now find it in the heart of Auckland at Estelle\u2019s, the city\u2019s newest lounge bar. Opening on October 24 at the Grand Millennium Auckland, this new bar serves Spanish-inspired bites, bold cocktails, and a touch of European flair. <\/p>\n

Think jam\u00f3n carved tableside, soupy sangria, and cocktails like the Dirty Negroni made with Manuka-smoked gin. The atmosphere, designed by designer Paul Izzard, oozes glamour, while the menu by James Kenny and Aaron Hyett celebrates the joy of sharing. With elegant desserts like Cr\u00e8me Catalana and a mocktail list that\u2019s anything but boring, Estelle\u2019s redefines what it means to linger over good food, good wine, and great company. estelles.nz<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"IndulgeIndulge in Spanish-inspired bites and cocktails at Estelle’s. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

Michelin Keys comes to NZ<\/p>\n

A Michelin star has long been a universal sign of top-quality dining. In 2024, the Michelin Keys were launched, marking outstanding hotels in several countries. This year, the list of 2457 hotels is worldwide and includes 19 right here in Aotearoa. Even better, of the 572 hotels that earned two prestigious keys, 7 are in New Zealand. <\/p>\n

Two Michelin Keys: Wharekauhau Country Estate in Wairarapa, Otahuna Lodge in Christchurch, Rosewood Cape Kidnappers in Hawke\u2019s Bay, Blanket Bay in Lake Wakatipu, Rosewood Kauri Cliffs in Matauri Bay, Huka Lodge in Taup\u014d and The Lindis in Omarama. <\/p>\n

One Michelin Key: Bay of Many Coves, Azur, Rosewood Matakauri, Solitaire Lodge, Eichardt\u2019s Private Hotel, Delamore Lodge, Eagles Nest, The Hotel Britomart, Stoneridge Estate, Gibbston Valley Lodge and Spa, Park Hyatt Auckland, Hotel Fitzroy by Luminous.<\/p>\n

\" The Pods at The Lindis are just 18sq m but feature king-size beds and alfresco tubs. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

Canberra\u2019s lakeside sauna escape<\/p>\n

Canberra has a new reason to make a splash with the arrival of its first floating sauna on Lake Burley Griffin. Anchored at Yarralumla Beach, just 10 minutes from the city centre, this Nordic-inspired experience combines heat, water and nature in perfect harmony. The two off-grid, wood-fired saunas sit on a pontoon with sweeping lake views through floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, the temperature rises to 90C as guests embrace the Finnish tradition of alternating between hot sessions and refreshing cold plunges in the lake. floatingsauna.com.au\/lakeburleygriffin<\/a><\/p>\n

\"EnjoyEnjoy a day in the sauna. Photo \/ 123rf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A weekend of roses and wonder The International Rose Garden Festival Morwell returns in full bloom to Victoria…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86779,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[433,18086,95,12889,51,27245,65802,8908,24392,65803,8815,71,65804,65805,700,65801,111,10511,43,139,1536,69,544,274,36330,686,1959],"class_list":{"0":"post-86778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-adventure","9":"tag-alerts","10":"tag-and","11":"tag-aotearoa","12":"tag-auckland","13":"tag-beyond","14":"tag-canberras","15":"tag-check","16":"tag-each","17":"tag-escapes","18":"tag-explore","19":"tag-from","20":"tag-happenings","21":"tag-inspire","22":"tag-latest","23":"tag-morwell","24":"tag-new-zealand","25":"tag-newest","26":"tag-news","27":"tag-newzealand","28":"tag-next","29":"tag-nz","30":"tag-some","31":"tag-travel","32":"tag-tutukk","33":"tag-week","34":"tag-your"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}