Welcome to NZ Pocket Guide, your ultimate travel companion for exploring Aotearoa New Zealand. Founded by Robin and Laura, NZ Pocket Guide is a labour of love and passion for sharing the hidden gems of this remarkable corner of the planet.
Our Values
At NZ Pocket Guide, we’re not chasing likes or superficial trends on social media. Instead, our mission is anchored in delivering factual and insightful information derived from rigorous research, firsthand experiences and unwavering journalistic integrity. We’re here to assist travellers from all backgrounds in planning their journey to New Zealand, going beyond the allure of pretty photos to offer practical guidance.
Our core values form the foundation of our work:
- Empowering Local Tourism Businesses: We strive to promote local tourism enterprises, advertisers or not, recognising their invaluable contributions to New Zealand.
- Comprehensive Representation: We present our readers with a complete overview of tourism operators and accommodations. That way, they have diverse options that suit their preferences and needs.
- Inclusivity: Our platform caters to travellers, no matter your nationality and socio-economic background, providing a range of options to facilitate enjoyable experiences for all.
- Informed Decision-Making: We empower travellers to make informed decisions by offering transparent and unbiased information, enabling them to craft personalised itineraries that align with their interests.
- Sustainable Travel: We advocate for a positive relationship between travellers and destinations, emphasising the importance of environmental conservation and social responsibility in travel experiences.
- Thorough Fact-Checking: Our team consists of seasoned journalists who thoroughly fact-check all the information we receive. We personally experience most activities and services ourselves to ensure we provide accurate first-hand insights.
More about our standards can be viewed on our Editorial Standards Page.
Why Trust Us For Your Trip to New Zealand?
NZ Pocket Guide isn’t just another travel website—it’s built on real, on-the-ground experience. Our team not only lives in New Zealand but also explores the country regularly, staying in accommodations, taking tours, and testing travel services first-hand to ensure every recommendation is worth your time.
Our Journalistic Approach
We meet strict journalistic standards, fact-checking every detail and keeping our content up to date. Unlike AI-generated articles or crowd-sourced reviews, our insights come from genuine research and professionalism – because great travel advice should be as reliable as it is inspiring.
Trusted by Government Organisations
Government organisations like Tourism New Zealand and regional tourism boards, trust us to provide accurate independent advice. We’ve also partnered with the Pacific Tourism Organisation since 2019. These partnerships help us bring you the most up-to-date and credible travel information.
Trusted By Our Readers
With millions of readers each year, NZ Pocket Guide is New Zealand’s most trusted travel resource. Don’t just take our word for it—glowing reviews on Trustpilot and social media prove that travellers rely on us to plan their dream trip with confidence. We’re also the “#1 Best New Zealand Travel Blogs & Websites” on FeedSpot.
On the Ground Experience
Not only have we travelled New Zealand extensively but we live in New Zealand, ensuring we always have a pulse on the tourism landscape.
Journalistic Standards
Our team are qualified journalists, bringing professionalism and a more objective perspective on travel experiences in New Zealand. See Our Standards page to learn more.
Government Partnerships
We work with with official sources to ensure our advice is something you can rely on. We've worked with 14 government entities, 11 of which were RTOs.
Readers Feedback
According to our reader's survey, we have 93% readers satisfaction rate. We're pretty pleased with that, and we love to hear about ways we can improve.
Next Level Readership
NZ Pocket Guide enjoys approximately 10+ million readers each year. That's a fair few people who like what we do and keep coming back for more. Thanks for sticking with us!
4.6 Stars on Trustpilot
The best people to describe who we are and what we do are our amazing website readers and YouTube viewers. See what they have say (and have your say) over on Trustpilot.
Our Collaborations: Working with the Best to Bring You the Best
At NZ Pocket Guide, we’re proud to have strong relationships with a diverse range of organisations and companies, from nationally recognised institutions to small family-run businesses. Whether it’s partnering with major government bodies, such as the Department of Conservation, Immigration New Zealand or MBIE, or working with independent operators, such as Epic Campers and the Great Rides App, we’re passionate about creating authentic, reliable and accessible content for travellers.
Partnering with Institutions
Our collaborations with institutions allow us to pass on vital information, such as government policies, regulations and conservation initiatives, in an easy-to-understand and engaging way. From detailed articles on our website to information-rich videos on our YouTube channel, we ensure their messages reach and resonate with our audience.
Supporting Local Businesses
We equally value our partnerships with smaller operators, including “Mom and Pop” shops and boutique companies. The New Zealand tourism industry wouldn’t be what it is today without these incredible businesses for us to showcase.
A Growing Network of Partners
Since our inception, we’ve had the privilege of working with over 220 organisations and businesses across New Zealand, creating a collaborative ecosystem that helps travellers plan unforgettable experiences while staying informed about the country’s tourism landscape and travel regulations.
© NZPocketGuide.comOur Team
(The awkward part where we write about ourselves).
Robin and Laura, alongside a team of dedicated travel writers, spearhead our efforts to provide travellers with a comprehensive and authentic travel guide.
Their experience living, working and extensively travelling New Zealand, combined with an honorary journalism background, brings a wealth of knowledge and insights to NZ Pocket Guide.
Laura (Editor-in-Chief)
Laura is the content wizard behind NZ Pocket Guide. A trained journalist, editor-in-chief of five additional travel guides for the South Pacific, and co-host of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube, she ensures that your eyes and ears only receive the content of the highest standard. Learn more about Laura.
Robin (Operations Manager)
… And unofficial “Travel Manager”, Robin knows all things logistics when it comes to planning a trip to New Zealand. He consistently liaises with key stakeholders in the local tourism industry and relays vital information to viewers/readers between NZ Pocket Guide and our YouTube Channel. Learn more about Robin.
NZ Pocket Guide on YouTube
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© NZPocketGuide.comOur Sustainability Commitment
At NZ Pocket Guide, we believe responsible travel starts with informed choices. As an SPTO-recognised guide, we showcase all options but prioritise:
- Eco-conscious operators
- Locally owned tours and accommodations
- Reducing over-tourism by promoting lesser-visited areas
Beyond travel recommendations, we take action:
- Our servers run on fossil-fuel-free energy
- Our team supports Project Tongariro through tree planting and more
- We minimise travel impact by researching locally and batching research trips to avoid unnecessary flights
- We contribute to environmental and social initiatives across the South Pacific – learn more in our regional guides found at SouthPacificPocketGuide.com
Sustainability isn’t just a commitment – it’s how we operate.
© NZPocketGuide.comThe Story of NZ Pocket Guide
Our labour of love began in 2014 with a clear mission: to sustainably guide travellers across New Zealand. Here’s our journey:
- 2014: Launch of BackpackerGuide.NZ
- NZ Pocket Guide started as a travel guide for backpackers called BackpackerGuide.NZ.
- We focused on sustainability and low impact from the outset.
- The site grew rapidly in its first year, reaching over 250,000 travellers in the first year, defying our expectations.
As we navigated through our early years, our vision expanded to embrace a broader audience and deeper content:
- 2015-2016: Expansion and Engagement
- We launched “New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year” on YouTube, a challenge where we completed 365 activities in 365 days. This helped us showcase the huge offering that New Zealand has in stock.
- Then Laura shifted focus from solely creating content to building a flexible travel writing team and a fact-based editorial line.
- In the meantime, Robin got a web-dev team together.
- We were now creating content for all types of travellers, not just backpackers.
Our dedication to sustainability and authentic experiences drove us to explore new horizons:
- 2017-2018: Brand Evolution and Pacific Exploration
- We introduced Fiji Pocket Guide, expanding our reach to Pacific nations.
- We launched the NZ Travel Show on YouTube, allowing travellers to ask questions live to New Zealand travel experts to plan their trip with ease.
- After a lot of preparation work, we transitioned our website from BackpackerGuide.NZ to NZ Pocket Guide with fresh branding.
- And we celebrated our 500th activity review!
Our journey continued with a focus on partnership and local engagement:
- 2019-2021: Local Partnerships and COVID Adaptation
- This was the first year (of many!) we partnered with the SPTO to promote sustainable tourism in the Pacific.
- We launched Tonga Pocket Guide and Niue Pocket Guide in collaboration with local governments.
- We ran small-scale sustainable tourism programs, which were incredibly fulfilling, and held local industry training in Tonga and Niue.
- COVID-19 hit, so we updated our content to reflect the changing landscapes of travel during the pandemic.
Skipping to post-pandemic and looking to the future, we’ve not slowed down, continuing to share the beauty of the Pacific:
- 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and beyond: Expansion and Continuous Engagement
- We launched Cook Islands Pocket Guide and Samoa Pocket Guide, partnering with local governments.
- We celebrated over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.
- Some of our team gained international certifications in drone piloting and scuba diving to provide more unique perspectives on our travel coverage.
- And, of course, we are looking forward to more adventures and guides in the coming years.
Whether you’re an adventure seeker, a nature enthusiast, a cultural explorer or simply seeking a tranquil retreat, NZ Pocket Guide has been your biggest source of New Zealand trip-planning information for more than 10 years, with more than 2,000 articles. Join us in creating meaningful connections between travellers and this breathtaking destination. Free. Independent. For everyone.
To become a contributor, advertise or provide feedback, please refer to our Contact Page.