My Holiday: Richard Te Are on his best and worst holiday experiences

Actor Richard Te Are. Photo / Supplied

Richard Te Are appears in Mr Red Light, on at Herald Theatre August 30-September 22. nightsong.co.nz

What was your greatest holiday?
Recently I went down to Queenstown. It was my first time and I've never seen snow like that before. It was the second time I'd snowboarded; I'd only done it once when I was 16 at Mt Ruapehu.

And the worst?
Just south of Takaka last new year. It was the worst New Year I've ever had. It was in a random bush and there were so many sandflies harassing all of us and I just couldn't deal with it.

If we bump into you on holiday, what are you most likely to be doing?
Probably taking photos of all the stuff I've never seen before!

If we could teleport you to one place in New Zealand for a week-long holiday, where would it be?
It would definitely be Queenstown, I'd love to go back and just snowboard relentlessly for a week.

How about for a dream holiday internationally?
I'd just like to go to Europe. Italy would be cool, I'd love to visit Venice. There's a bunch of places; I'd love to go to the Cook Islands. I love the idea of the tropics, with the classic margarita on the beach doing nothing and just kind of walking around the beach like in a movie.

What's the dumbest thing you've ever done when travelling?
I filled up my car that takes 91 with diesel while on a road trip, so it stopped working. I was pretty much stranded, and the car was messed up.

Aisle seat or window seat?
I prefer an aisle seat, so I can easily get up and I don't have to jump over someone who's asleep.

Complete this sentence: I can't travel without ... my iPhone. For photos, more photos, and staying in contact. It's not a priority to be on my phone though, it's mostly about knowing where I am.

What's the best travel tip you've ever been given?
"Be open to the experience."

What was the most memorable meal you've had while travelling?
Fried stingray in Penang, Malaysia. Everyone needs to go to Penang, it's the best. Everyone is competing to get people to buy their food, so everyone is on their A game. Stalls are most of the time where the best food is, not in the restaurants.

What's the best thing you've brought back from a trip?
A polaroid photo of me and three of my mates, just sitting down having a beer in Singapore.

Favourite airport to land at?
Definitely Singapore!

What's the next trip you've got planned?
Other than the Mr Red Light tour, at the moment it is going back to Brisbane, Australia to see my family — I haven't seen my family for going on about eight years.