Sarah Pollok

Auckland

Travel Writer at New Zealand Herald

Travel writer at @NZHerald ✨ always with a coffee, never without a deadline ✉️ [email protected]

Articles

TrailLite Motorhomes: What it’s like travelling New Zealand in a motorhome

4 days ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

The 300 Series TrailLite motorhome. Forget cramped campervans and soggy tents, a high-spec motorhome gives you a hotel experience on wheels, writes Sarah Pollok. “You know, thinking about it, this is the most expensive vehicle I’ve ever driven”, my husband muses as we zoom up State Highway 1 on Friday afternoon. Despite skippering yachts and test driving race cars, I don’t doubt he’s right; starting at $306,000, this TrailLite 300 Series wins by a long shot.
Kiwi chef Ben Bayly reveals what makes Kiwi cuisine truly unique

6 days ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

Chef Ben Bayly with a Akaroa salmon. Photo / Makoto TakaokaChef, TV presenter and proud champion of Kiwi kai, Ben Bayly chats to Herald Travel’s Sarah Pollok about NZ’s must-visit eateries, why travel is key for developing a good palate and moreAs a chef, what NZ region has surprised you most? This is a hard one, I feel surprised every time we land at a destination, as I get to meet the most patriotic and passionate foodies in their neck of the woods.
Ski Cardrona’s Soho Basin: 10 things to know before visiting biggest ski resort in NZ

3 weeks ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

Cardrona Alpine Resort. Photo / RealNZThis ski season, Cardrona will become the largest ski resort in Aotearoa with the opening of Soho Basin. Sarah Pollok shares 10 things every skier should know Sitting in the humid shuttle on the final day of the ski season, I listen as several ski bums share their plans for the coming weeks. Some will chase winter to Japan and teach a season in Niseko or Hakuba Valley, while others plan to head to Canadian resorts to live, work, ski and repeat.
The best way to spend a long weekend in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and other NZ cities

1 month ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

Ruru Purepod in the Coromandel. Photo / Felicity JeanYet to make plans for King’s Birthday weekend? Not to worry, whether you’re staying in Auckland or Christchurch, Northland or Wellington, we’ve got the best activities for regions across Aotearoa. Auckland Experience sensory theatre this King’s Birthday weekend as UK-based theatre company Darkfield brings immersive shows to Aotea Square until June 8. Flight and Seance are on Saturday and Sunday for audiences aged 13-plus.
Is Revelstoke a good ski resort? What it’s like skiing at Revelstoke

1 month ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Photo / Revelstoke Mountain ResortIf you want plenty of powder, leg-burning vertical, and slopes that demand respect, put Revelstoke on your radar, writes Sarah Pollok. Nicknaming a ski resort “Pow Town” is an audacious move. It gives a Kiwi skier dreams of floating across pillowy snow, carving into untouched slopes, and gliding through snow-coaked glades one can rarely find back home.
The small mistake that almost cancelled my big family trip to Canada

2 months ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

Of all the items you need for travel, the passport comes first. Photo / UnsplashMany things can torpedo a trip: sickness, delayed flights, unexpected weather events, pandemics. As a travel journalist, I’ve written about almost all of them - it’s a career that tends to make one very aware of everything that could go wrong. However, there is one thing few travellers consider, something insurance will never cover but it can ruin your trip an hour before departure.
Visiting Bali? Steal our five-day complete itinerary for an epic trip

2 months ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

Steal the itinerary for a five-day trip to Bali. Photo / SuppliedIt can be hard to know how to spend five days in Bali. Sarah Pollok shares her exact itinerary from a week in the Indonesian hot spotDay 1: Arrival in Seminyak4.20pm: Touch down at Denpasar Airport and make your way through immigration and baggage collection. 5.20pm: Take a taxi and transfer to Seminyak. These can be booked ahead of time or waved down at the airport and should cost 100,000-200,000 IRD ($15-20).
Wellness retreats and travel: Why do New Zealand travellers love it? - NZ Herald

2 months ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

Wellness retreats and experiences can offer immediate benefits, but lasting peace and wellbeing may require more than a getaway or yoga class. I was an...
Bali travel: What it’s like trying the spiritual ritual of Melukat

2 months ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

The Melukat Purification Ceremony at Pura Mengening in Bali. Photo / Sarah PollokFrom sacred ritual to viral Instagram trend, Bali’s Melukat water blessing is more than just a tourist attraction – if you do it right, writes Sarah PollokI’ve done many things in the name of spiritual wellbeing but plunging my head under 12 consecutive waterfalls in the middle of the jungle is certainly one of the more unusual ones.
Wellness retreats and travel: Why do New Zealand travellers love it?

2 months ago | nzherald.co.nz | Sarah Pollok

A mature couple doing the cross-legged, seated pose while sitting with their eyes closed outside during yoga practice. Wellness tourism is booming, but why? Photo / GettyWellness retreats and experiences can offer immediate benefits, but lasting peace and wellbeing may require more than a getaway or yoga class. I was an earnest wellness devotee long before becoming a travel journalist, a job that has provided a front-row seat to the explosion of wellness tourism.