Someday you’ll find it, the rainbow connection — but why not today? Trip out on a European holiday full of colour: from vibrant paintings, to blue lagoons, we’ve found a spectrum of sojourns to brighten your day. Leprechauns and singing frogs not included. Read more »

Stop that rumbling! Tantalise the taste buds with some food frolics and wine ramblings across Europe. From the elegance of candlelit dinners to rustic picnics at regional foodspots, there’s enough to satisfy the lustiest appetites. Read more »

Put down the knife! It’s time to let someone else do the slicing and dicing for you on a multicultural selection of food and wine holidays across New Zealand.

Do your soufflés fall flat and your mash turn to mush?  You can learn from the best and eat scrummy food too at the Food Show in Wellington from 8-10 May 2009. Watch internationally renowned cook, Donna Hay, whip up a ‘no time to cook’ demonstration feast, and witness the battle of the steak knives as Ramsey wannabes compete for the Chef of the Capital title. Return to the InterContinental Hotel Wellington for a whirlpool, sauna and some good ole TexMex food at the Arizona Bar and Grill.

Get your rocks off in Rotorua with a traditional Maori Hangi feast where The Heritage Hotel offers culinary fare of the more European kind at Chapmans restaurant, including smorgasbord and à la carte menu, as well as exceptionally stunning views of the geothermal wonders of this special city.

You might spot a wobbly hobbit while on a personalised Gourmet tour of Central Otago’s wineries.  At a maximum of 10 people, your guide takes you to an underground wine cave and the ‘Big Picture’ experience – an innovative way of exploring wine via visual and aroma cues – and a great way to stimulate your appetite for the cheese tasting and gourmet lunch platter (technically known as ‘getting the munchies’). Over 7 hours, you’ll soak up the beauty of the Kawarau Gorge, Otago Goldfields, and Lake Dunstan. With senses and tummies satiated, it’s time to sleep like a sloth at Peppers at the Beacon hotel on Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu. Ok, maybe after a sauna and massage.

Easter eggs, bunnies and shows may have come and gone, but does that mean chocolate should  feel neglected and unappreciated for the rest of the year? Why not show how much you care with a tour of Cadbury World in Dunedin, complete with its irresistable five-storey high chocolate fall and Wonka-like gift shop. Take your newly adopted goodies back to the Cable Court Motel, where you and the family can devour and concoct chocolate creations to your heart’s content.

Who needs Nigella and Jamie when you can have your own hot and spicy experience with these Aussie foodie getaways? From tastings to titbits, morsels to feasts, you’ll not only indulge your senses, but learn how to teriyaki like Tetsuya and glaze like Gordon.

Test your 10,000 taste buds under the glorious sunshine of the Noosa Wine and Food Festival from May 1-3 2009. Over 150 contributors will tempt you with tasters, share recipes and show you new and wonderful foods, wines and ways to enhance your gastronome fixation. This year’s Australian/Italian theme includes a grand degustation where you can crunch on cannoli, slurp on spaghetti, feast on fettucini and nibble on gnocci whilst listening to Kate Ceberano and exploring over 100 events. After buying up big, try out your new skills in your own kitchen at the Horizons at Peregian, which has direct beach access, surf lessons and a fitness centre to work up an appetite for your culinary creations!

Cook it again Sam. Enjoy a night of candles, couches, chords and cous cous on a Mystical Moroccan Cooking Class to Music in Melbourne. The mood is set with a dash of live music, champers and cheese, before enimatic chef Bart Beek reveals his secret to cooking Moroccan delights such as spiced chicken, chermoula salmon, kataifi pastry nests and more – with wine to match every course. Spend the next day enjoying an epicurean odyssey in Melbourne before indulging at Collins Kitchen at the Grand Hyatt, which has 5 different cooking concepts, and allows guest interaction with the chefs. Maybe you’ll feel like sushi, or a patisserie treat, or just a drink at the RU-CO bar with its 2700 bottle wine room.

Béchamel, blanching, sauté, julienne, bouquet garni—it all seems like another language. Translate it into your mother tongue with a Learn to Be a Chef lesson in Sydney. Slice, dice, and learn the basics of chopping, sauce making and stock preparation - and yes, you do get eat what you make, be it paella, duck or any one of many culinary themes offered. And for dessert, return to the Establishment Hotel for cookies instead of turndown mints, and over 7 bars of sweet and savory cocktails, including the renowned Hemmesphere.

Red, white, rosé, isn’t it all the same? Heavens no! Wine lovers know the difference between bubbles and botrytis and no matter your expertise, you too can be a winemaker for a day at various vineyards in the Swan Valley near Perth. Have a cheese and wine tasting, then go to another estate to blend your own wine, followed by a platter lunch overlooking a picturesque brook. Oh yes, and there’s also some chocolate tasting in there, perfect with the fortifieds. The coach drops you back in Perth, and you can totter over to the Hilton Hotel Perth Parmelia, with its renowned Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant, stocked with over 350 different wines.

Beep! Whir! Wail! Brrrrrnnnng! are the noises that assault on our senses in our fast-paced world of technology – anyway, you know what we mean. Imagine if you could go back in time to peaceful horseback riding, tram travel and farming? Take in the fresh air and appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of your surrounds with these NZ old time getaways and traditional hotels.

Trundle your way down history with a tram tour and dinner aboard the Christchurch Tramway Restaurant, which rolls past such sights as the Botanical Gardens and Cathedral Square. The exquisite olden times experience is enhanced by a cathedral dinner package, which includes a five-course meal with quality New Zealand wines. Sleep soundly at the Argyle on the Park overlooking Hagley Park — beautiful in any season and complete with an 18-hole golf course upon which to potter with your putter.

The beauty and tranquility of the olde days in Middle Earth come to life on a guided full day tour of the Lord of the Rings locations near Wellington. See over nine locations from the movies, such as Hobbiton woods and Helm’s Deep, and enjoy a picnic lunch at Rivendell (wearing the elf ears if you like). Retreat back to a more salubrious Hobbit’s den at the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor, boasting views of the harbour and nearby Botanic Gardens.

Before computers and machinery took over industry (and our lives), farming was where it all happened. You can check out some shearing, sheepdogs and spinning wool on a Walter Peak High Country Farm Tour near Queenstown. The tour begins with a cruise on the vintage steamship, TSS Earnslaw, including complimentary tea and coffee and a pianist who entertains with sing-along tunes. After your day of fresh air and old time ways, continue the unique experience at The Spire, a sophisticated boutique hotel with 10 individually styled rooms.

Urban cowboys and cowgirls will love the  Mackenzie Alpine Horse Trekking tour near Mt Cook, including a custom fit saddle and riding safety tuition before heading off on a scenic adventure. On an overnight ride, you’ll see the amazing colours of Lake Tekapo, sleep under the stars and watch the sunrise strike Aoraki Mt Cook in the early morning. Rest those galloping glutes at the Grosvenor Hotel. Known as the Grand Old Lady of the South, the Grosvenor comfortably blends yesteryear and today, with its centuries-old styling and modern amenities.