\nA getaway focused on chilling out and switching off, with a touch of activity thrown in if you want it. This is the way to go if you\u2019re catching up with mates you haven\u2019t seen in ages or planning the end-of-year sporting trip and you just want an easy place to hang out. The key is a bach that gives you options \u2013 activities on hand if you want them, and loads of space just to sit and relax with a beer.<\/p>\n\n\n
Bach must haves:<\/p>\n\n\n
Without specific activities in mind, the perfect bach will be a combination of location and facilities – pretty much any bach, anywhere that suits your particular sized group. Look for a bach with a games room and pool table, an enormous TV, awesome barbecue and loads of outdoor deck space to hold the chilly bins full of beer. Find one close to the water if you\u2019re keen on swimming, fishing or boating.<\/p>\n\n \nThere\u2019s nothing that says \u201cblokes\u2019 weekend\u201d more than heading out together to catch your dinner. There\u2019s a lot of pride and good old male bonding when you\u2019ve bagged the big one. Fishing or diving, pig, duck or deer hunting\u2026take your pick! The beaut thing about our country is there are so many options that are easily accessible, and you don\u2019t have to be super experienced to give it a go.<\/p>\n\n\n \nBach must haves:<\/p>\n\n\n Totally immerse yourself in a remote location with close proximity to a river, the sea or the bush. Try places like the Coromandel<\/a> or Far North<\/a> for fishing, the West Coast<\/a> or the Central Plateau<\/a> for hunting, and maybe the East Cape<\/a> or Great Barrier<\/a> for diving. Lake Taupo<\/a> is legendary for trout fishing. Look for a bach with plenty of room for gear storage and cleaning your equipment. And if you don\u2019t have your own gear or haven\u2019t been hunting before, some baches offer a guide service to take you out. <\/p>\n\n \nWhy you\u2019ll love it:<\/p>\n\n\n If you love the outdoors, then this awesome log cabin with Kahurangi National Park at your doorstep has your name written all over it. Totally off the grid, this remote and peaceful lodge is perfect for a spot of fly fishing, deer hunting, bushwalking and swimming, with the Hope River running through the property. For the more adventurous, there\u2019s also white water rafting nearby! As an added bonus, you can ask Steve about his fly fishing or deer\/chamois hunting guided service.<\/p>\n\n\n View property ><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n \nLeave the fishing rods at home boys, this weekend is for guys that want to completely switch off from their day jobs, get out of town and get the adrenaline going. Perfect for stag dos, or celebrating a birthday milestone where you want to do something a little different. The key to the perfect action-adventure weekend is a spot that has lots on offer \u2013 look for luges, go carts, bungy, zorb, white water rafting, mountain biking – anything that will get the heart racing and the thrill level up!<\/p>\n\n\n Bach must haves:<\/p>\n\n\n Location, location, location is the key! Adventure hubs like Queenstown<\/a>, Rotorua<\/a> or Lake Taupo<\/a> are a good place to base yourself. The bach must have plenty of space for all the gang, and look for ones with the added bonus of hot tubs, saunas or that are close to a hot pool so you can ease the aching bones at the end of a hard-core day.<\/p>\n\n \nThe fine art of beer brewing for example! One thing we can be proud of is we\u2019re \u201cworld famous in New Zealand\u201d for the quality of our craft beers. Maybe you\u2019re drawn by an event for connoisseurs: Beervana, Oktoberfest, or another craft beer expo. Or just make your own occasion: get the fellas together, hit the town and work your way round the best boutique breweries on offer. There\u2019ll be plenty of time for tall tales and loud jokes in between sips, and hopefully a pie or a mean steak along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n Your main city centres are the places to hit if you want to line up an itinerary of boutique brewery visits. Auckland<\/a>, Christchurch<\/a>, Nelson<\/a> and Dunedin<\/a> have quite a few, but it\u2019s Welly<\/a> that\u2019s known as the Craft Beer Capital and our pick of the bunch. Read our guide to Craft Beer in NZ<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n\n\n The fine art of loud music might lure you too \u2013 gather up your fellow music buffs and head off on a road-trip to a festival, or a great concert. Laneways, the legendary Chick\u2019s Hotel in Port Chalmers, or the Opera House in Wellington \u2013 whatever works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n Bach must haves:<\/p>\n\n\n You want to be in walking distance, or a cheap cab ride, from the main hub for easy getting around. Priority is the ability to keep it simple and focus on \u201cgetting out and doing\u201d rather than staying in. However, look for a bach with loads of entertainment extras so you do have have the ideal chill-out pad to head back to. <\/p>\n\n \nWhy you\u2019ll love it:<\/p>\n\n\n Industrial design in style and created out of three vertically aligned containers, this contemporary and unique bach is a short 10 min drive out of town. The total WOW factor comes with the penthouse cinema room with 100\u201d HD projector screen, SKY TV with Sky Sports and PS3 for DVDs, Blu-ray, and loads of games that are all included. Oops, sorry, we forgot to mention the 8ft billiards table in the games room! Perfect for smaller groups, and those that would love a quirky, unconventional, easy, lock-up-and-leave weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n View property ><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n \nThe one thing you can categorically say about NZ is that if you love sport, you\u2019re in luck! Play it, watch it, talk it about, there\u2019s heaps going on. There are no boundaries on where to go for the best sporting weekend if you\u2019re not fussy on location or maybe want to stay closer to home. In most cases you\u2019ll be able to play golf at a top-notch golf course, rack the bikes for cycling or mountain biking, pack the kit for a tramp in the bush or hit the coast for surfing or paddle boarding, without much effort at all.\nMain goal of this weekend \u2013 get some fresh air, blow off some steam and make the most of the great outdoors! Baches at Raglan<\/a> or Muriwai<\/a> give you lots of options \u2013 surf, kayak, run, mountain-bike or play golf. Wanaka<\/a> and Queenstown<\/a> have fantastic spots for snowsports, hiking, biking and kayaking.<\/p>\n\n\n Bach must haves:<\/p>\n\n\n The ideal bach would be situated to cater to several sporting activities but would also have a great outlook for winding down at the end of a full-on day. Look for a place with plenty of room for gear and sports equipment or one that provides it for you.<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n \nWhy you\u2019ll love it:<\/p>\n\n\n With a 3-storey tower, large decks and a spectacular location above Muriwai Beach, you\u2019ll get a great view of the waves. There are tennis courts, pools and horse hire around the corner. Plus it\u2019s close to the golf course, and Woodhill Forest is on the doorstep, if you fancy mountain-biking, dirt bikes or flying foxes.<\/p>\n\n\n View property ><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n \nKiwi manhood\u2019s not all beer, rugby and gumboots these days. You\u2019re just as likely to find a big beard on a hipster poet as a pig-hunter. Head off on a weekend away with your drumming circle, your book club, your fathers\u2019 group. Surround yourselves with nature, play music, cook, meditate – why not? There\u2019s plenty of room in Aotearoa for more artists, poets, philosophers and a sweat lodge or two.<\/p>\n\n\n Bach must haves:<\/p>\n\n\n Look for somewhere with great views, natural surrounds and peace and quiet. It might be an off-grid eco-retreat, or a comfortable lodge that feels a million miles from anywhere. Maybe you have to hike in, to a cob hut in the high country, or boat there. Places like the Coromandel<\/a>, Waiheke<\/a> and the Nelson\/Golden Bay<\/a> area have long been home to artists, and those after an alternative lifestyle. Off you go \u2013 into the wild.<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fishing, hunting, bikes, music, sports or beer – what\u2019ll it be?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2491,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-getaways","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Okiwi](\"\/holiday-ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/3wXLdEYQp3KWmo5qw2VNWf\/f196fd2519ad04f39c53e229d3074b3a\/30372-okiwi-bay.jpg\")
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\n\n\n2. The Hunter-Gatherer<\/a> Weekend<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Triple](\"\/holiday-ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/7M9r51dKE9s4djS6qaftXj\/b36b612f799c36608208a316eb946cb2\/5585-triple-tui-800x450.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\nImmerse yourself in the bush at Triple Tui, Murchison<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n\n\n3. The Action-Adventure<\/a> Weekend<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Rotovegas](\"\/holiday-ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/2l22zyKGlw6J2yepFkMuNe\/ef08457d77ff0aaebf05bb670842dd2a\/10269-rotovegas-800x450.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n
\n\n\n4. The Fine Art<\/a> Appreciation Weekend<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"The](\"\/holiday-ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/6Ohxu0u5D3D7wG69Twpv4a\/22f6131812a91845592f0d2e4eb82a83\/30074-wellington-container-house-800x450.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\nGet a little funky at The Wellington Container House, Wellington<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n\n\n5. The Sporty<\/a> Weekend<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Tower](\"\/holiday-ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/pfXFR6brrloRIY4nGcQlf\/dc40400b6dca4443849fb2354f58aa78\/12079-Tower-House-Muriwai-800.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nBush, golf and waves at The Tower House, Muriwai, Auckland<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n\n\n6. The Retreat<\/a> Weekend<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Coromandel](\"\/holiday-ideas\/wp-content\/uploads\/2kzBiNRV6LJ3rPaZZxqVBe\/05d2b9e67724383642fcc8206e452a2d\/10432-Coromandel-retreat-bush-800x450.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n