Anjali Kay

As a New Zealander, I've spent my whole life exploring up and down our beautiful country. I've lived on both and North and the South Islands for many years, and when I was living on one, I visited the other every single year. While there's so much to see and I'll probably never see it all, this list is all from my personal experiences around the North Island - Te Ika-a-Māui - and some of the things I've done and recommend you check out if you're visiting. I'll be adding to this, too!

As a New Zealander, I've spent my whole life exploring up and down our beautiful country. I've lived on both and North and the South Islands for many years, and when I was living on one, I visited the other every single year. While there's so much to see and I'll probably never see it all, this list is all from my personal experiences around the South Island - Te Waipounamuu - and some of the things I've done and recommend you check out if you're visiting. I'll be adding to this, too!

I will be the first person to complain about Auckland. I've lived here for over 10 years now, and it grates on me. Buuuuut I need to get better at recognising the good things and not just be angry at the traffic and the public transport all the time (we're honest around here). So here is a collection of things that I have done in Auckland and actually recommend checking out if you're visiting.

A list of all my favourite books from the years that they were released. These aren't necessarily the best books out there; they're just ones that have all been 4 or 5-star books for me. You can find more book reviews on my blog, This Splendid Shambles. I've also limited this list to just those books released since 2015. Coz otherwise we'd be here forever.

I never used to like graphic novels (perhaps I had never found the right one!), but over the years I've really warmed to them and will often pick one up. I definitely like a certain type of illustration, so Iam definitely drawn to the cover 🙈 and the author of the book. But here is a list of some of my favourite graphic novels that I think are great for people just dipping their toes into the graphic novel world!

While Halloween in New Zealand isn't nearly as popular as it is in other places, I still like to season-read and pick up some spooky books in the October/November sort of months. Here are some of the books I reckon you could read this Halloween.

I've been blogging since 2009, and over that time, I’ve definitely used a range of tools and platforms to help me run my blog and the blogging-adjacent things I need to do. Some I’ve been a die-hard fan of and will never give up, and some have come and gone, depending on what I needed at the time. Finding the right tools for you can be tricky, so I hope this list of all the platforms and tools and resources I’m using at the moment is really helpful for you. I hope you find your next favourite tool!

I've been devouring books since my parents put titles like Dear Zoo and Where's Spot into my young hands. But in 2010, when I really started blogging, I started writing book reviews for publishing companies and it really took off from there. I was able to review books for world-class publishers, and continue to create bookish content on my blog. Here are some of the tools I use for Book Blogging!

Ikea has only recently (Dec 2025) appeared in New Zealand, but I did live in England for a few years and went to Ikea there, too. So many of my decor and furniture was from Ikea even before it arrived in Auckland. Buuut now that it's hear, my Ikea loves have grown! Here are some of my favourite items.