Julia Gessler

New Zealand

Digital Producer at Viva NZ

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Articles

Room check: Staying at Scenic Matavai Resort Niue, the island’s only resort

Aug 5, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Julia Gessler

The Scenic Resort Matavai Niue sits on a cliff edge on the island's southwest coast. Julia Gessler checks into Niue’s only resort, a clifftop vacation spot secluded between the palms. Location: Tapeu-Porritt Rd, Tamakautoga, on the southwest coast of one of the world’s largest coral atolls. Getting there: The resort offers free transfers from Niue’s Hanan International Airport (the only airport), a 10-minute drive.
The South Pacific island with so few people, it's pristine year-round

Jul 8, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Julia Gessler

Home / TravelBy Julia Gessler Multimedia Journalist, Viva and NZ Herald Lifestyle VIEW PROFILESaveshareShare this articlefacebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemailNiue is a small island as appealing for its diving as it is for quiet escapism – the definition of an easy-to-reach getaway for anyone willing to go in search of it, writes Julia GesslerIn Niue, we’re floating in deep blue waters. As pristine as it is all-encompassing.
The thrill of a great Niuean restaurant isn’t just the food. It’s the view

Jun 24, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Julia Gessler

The slow-paced Pacific island, one of the world’s smallest countries and loved for its pristine waters, has food and a view worth travelling for. Some of the best food I have eaten in the gamut of my travels as a journalist has come from recommendations in interminably long airport queues.
Visiting Queenstown’s Walter Peak: Steamboat Sailing On Lake Whakatipu & A Gourmet Buffet Set Ashore

Jun 23, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Julia Gessler

Julia Gessler heads to Queenstown to experience Walter Peak high country farm, its Colonel’s Homestead Restaurant, executive chef Will Eaglesfield’s gourmet barbecue buffet, and the main mode of transport: the coal-fired TSS Earnslaw. Walter Peak sprawls across the shorefront of Lake Whakatipu. Walter Peak can feel like a buffet at the end of the world, or the beginning of it.
Must-Have Dishes To Eat In Wellington

Jun 13, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Julia Gessler

This is where Wellington’s food lovers go when they want a good meal. Ask anyone about their favourite dish in a city and it’s a question of specificities: Who are you when you are eating, when you are unburdened by price or place or time, when you have to distil everything into something?
Everything the Viva team is buying in May, from rain coats to snazzy sneakers

May 30, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Dan Ahwa |Julia Gessler |Ashleigh Cometti |Stephanie Holmes

What caught our hearts this month. The things that pulled on our heartstrings ranged from practical jackets that could ward off the rain, to a chic pepper mill that doesn’t need to be cleared off the dinner table, and a traditional Mexican molcajete that’s ideal for heating sauces and serving guacamole. Read on for these and more brilliant things we loved in May.
11 stylish autumn jackets, because it’s cold out there

May 11, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Julia Gessler |Annabel Dickson

These jackets will make you both the coolest and the warmest person at brunch. It’s the time of year to find yourself some good outerwear. In many ways, it is a calibre of insistent warmth — of dependable wool and delicate cashmere, of jackets that make you feel as though you’re still ensconced in your favourite blanket. Whatever outerwear you need, swaddle yourself in these cosy options selected by fashion assistant and stylist Annabel Dickson.
Go long: 10 dresses you can wear in the winter (just add tights and boots)

May 8, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Julia Gessler |Annabel Dickson

Just because it’s autumn doesn’t mean you can’t wear a dress. It may be time for heavy-duty jackets, but there’s a lot to be said for a dress in your everyday winter apparel. Consider a long-sleeve iteration as your foundation for layers. The swaddling, the supportive, the elegantly armoured.
The best looks at the Met Gala: Zendaya’s gothic gamble, Lana Del Rey becomes an antler queen and more

May 6, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Dan Ahwa |Julia Gessler

Who served the best looks at this year’s Met Gala? Dan Ahwa and Julia Gessler cast their expert eyes across the parade of whimsy and dish out some very specific awards. It’s the first Monday of May in the Easter Time Zone, which means fashion’s most gregarious parade is descending as a bouquet of bouffants and blooms.
Knee-high boots will be your winter staple. Here are 12 pairs that are Viva-approved

May 2, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | Julia Gessler |Annabel Dickson

These knee-high boots will keep you warm and stylish. It feels like fashion’s pendulum has always swung emphatically in favour of knee-high boots when things get cooler, which makes choosing the right pair all the more difficult. They’re enduring, ranging from everything from eye-catching biker-style embellishments (read: buckles) to chunky lug soles poised for the pavement and kitten heels tiny enough to actually try.