About NZ A to Z

An independent New Zealand travel guide built by a local who knows the country inside out.

Glenn Bongartz

Founder & writer — based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Glenn has been exploring and writing about New Zealand for over two decades, from the Bay of Islands to Stewart Island and everywhere in between.

Our Story

NZ A to Z started as newzealandatoz.com — a personal project to share honest, practical travel information about New Zealand with visitors from around the world. Over the years it grew into a comprehensive guide covering destinations, driving tips, itineraries, accommodation, Māori culture, and all the practical stuff that guidebooks often miss.

In 2025, the site was rebuilt from the ground up with a modern design, updated information, and a focus on being the most useful New Zealand travel resource on the internet. Every guide is written from genuine first-hand experience of living in and travelling around Aotearoa — not recycled from press releases or generated by someone who's never been here.

What Makes Us Different

Written by a local. Not a content farm, not a faceless media company. This site is written by someone who lives in New Zealand, drives these roads, visits these places, and knows the difference between the tourist version and reality.
Honest recommendations. If something isn't worth the money, we'll tell you. If a place has closed down (like Fleurs Place in Moeraki), we update our guides rather than sending you to a dead end.
Practical first. We focus on the stuff you actually need to know — driving rules, where to fuel up, what a WOF is, how marae protocol works, which side of the road to drive on. The beautiful scenery speaks for itself.
Regularly updated. New Zealand changes. Restaurants close, roads get rebuilt, prices go up. We keep our information current so you can trust what you read.

How We Earn Money

NZ A to Z is free to use. We earn a small commission when you book hotels, tours, or car hire through the affiliate links on our site. This comes at no extra cost to you — you pay the same price whether you use our link or go directly. These commissions are what keep the site running and allow us to keep creating free travel guides.

Our affiliate partners include Booking.com (via Stay22), GetYourGuide, Viator, and DiscoverCars. We also display Google ads on some pages. We only recommend services we'd use ourselves, and our editorial content is never influenced by affiliate relationships.

For full details, see our Affiliate Disclosure and Privacy Policy.

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Get in Touch

Got a question, spotted something that needs updating, or want to suggest a topic for a new guide? We'd love to hear from you.

Email: [email protected]

Or visit our Contact page.