To see the top 10 Travel photo galleries of 2008, click on the links to the right.
KEY POINTS:
We're a nation of travellers at heart with many taking part in the Kiwi ritual of an OE. It's unsurprising then that the most popular stories and photos by far in the Travel section this year were related to that most enjoyable rite of passage.
Back in May we launched a competition calling for your OE photos and were absolutely inundated with entries. Close to 2000 images were sent in depicting scenes Kiwi travellers had captured on their adventures.
To look back at all the amazing pictures we received, follow this link.
The best of the rest
Aside from photos of others' OEs, readers of the Travel section enjoyed stories about cruise ships, trying holiday experiences and budget travel.
Any international survey that mentioned New Zealand as a travel destination was also popular. These are the most popular Travel stories and galleries of 2008.
1. In February, the world's newest cruise liner, the Queen Victoria, docked in Auckland on its maiden voyage. Photos of the 90,000 tonne liner towering above Princes Wharf captured readers' imagination, making this both the top story and photo gallery of the year.
2. At the beginning of last month a guide to five of the best summer beaches proved popular.
3. Looking down the barrel of a long, cold winter, readers snapped up the advice of Detours editor Kerri Jackson in May, as she suggested 10 New Zealand winter getaway spots.
4. In July, a Lonely Planet Travellers' Pulse survey named New Zealand one of the top five travel destinations in the world. The accompanying photo gallery was the third most-viewed for the year.
5. Last month the Herald's Travel section ran a competition to find New Zealanders' worst travel accommodation experiences. Their tales proved popular and readers are still sending in their horror stories via our Your Views function.
6. Perhaps harking back to that love of OE travel, a story about sleeping in airports proved popular back in March.
7. Similarly, a story guiding the more adventurous travellers out there advised how to plan your own cargo voyage.
8. The Pacific Islands are a popular holiday destination for many New Zealanders as the interest in Carolyn Meng-Yee's story about Rarotonga proved.
9. This year's ninth most popular travel story saw a pattern of budget consciousness beginning to emerge as Dylan Cleaver gave his tips to enjoy a week in London on the cheap.
10. More from the adventure travel files: A story about skiing in Iran rounded out the year's top 10 Travel stories.
Other popular stories:
* Herald Travel editor Jim Eagles' article about a seldom visited destination - North Korea - was of interest to many readers, as were the accompanying photos.
* Aviation reporter Grant Bradley's retelling of his experience aboard the A380's first commercial flight between Dubai and New York got plenty of clicks.
* And feature writer Catherine Masters' intriguing tale of a "phantom jigsaw smasher" aboard the luxurious Queen Victoria cruise liner had readers enthralled.