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Thomas Bywater
Writer and Multimedia Producer

Thomas Bywater is a Travel Journalist and Multimedia Producer for New Zealand's Herald, specialising in New Zealand adventure travel and Antarctic tourism

I’m Thomas Bywater, Travel Writer and Digital Producer for the NZ Herald. Traversing ice fields in Patagonia and diving the Great Barrier Reef in an electric submarine - there have been a few life-changing trips since joining the NZ Herald in 2018. I graduated with a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen in 2012, which has taken me to a variety of places including a stint working as a digital editor for The Sunday Times in London. I got into travel writing in a roundabout way. After roles with a radio station in Leipzig, theatre restorations and film productions in Prague and Jaipur - it was clear, I don’t stand still for long. Since 2021, I’ve been based out of Christchurch and a bit closer to New Zealand’s Antarctic Gateway. It’s an adventurous part of the world, which I love, and an endless inspiration for stories. Its influences have fed into my podcast Detour: Antarctica, for which I interviewed the first person born on the continent and explorers who were victims of a prank involving two 500-year-old arrowheads. Adventures for your earbuds, go check it out!

Check out Thomas’s latest content
Which Great Walk is the greatest? We compare all 11 trails
Lifestyle

Which Great Walk is the greatest? We compare all 11 trails

27 May 08:00 AM
Kiwi beach named among world’s best, despite being closed to walkers
Waikato Herald

Kiwi beach named among world’s best, despite being closed to walkers

01 May 07:45 PM

World renown followed after featuring in blockbuster films and countless summer holidays.

Whakapapa, Tūroa reveal 2024 season pass prices as skifields go it alone
Waikato Herald

Whakapapa, Tūroa reveal 2024 season pass prices as skifields go it alone

15 Apr 01:00 AM

Lower-mountain and long-term passes, can the new operators make the ski season work?

DoC approves decade-long Ruapehu deal to save ski season 'for years to come'
Waikato Herald

DoC approves decade-long Ruapehu deal to save ski season 'for years to come'

08 Apr 12:05 AM

DoC gives the local Ohakune business collective the green light for the 2024 ski season.

Take a Coromandel holiday approved by science*
Waikato Herald

Take a Coromandel holiday approved by science*

01 Dec 06:36 PM

*Side effects may include sunburn and ice cream cravings. Always read the label.

New Zealand’s top 10 'hospitable' small towns, cities and regions?
Lifestyle

New Zealand’s top 10 'hospitable' small towns, cities and regions?

09 Nov 05:00 AM

Airbnb uses AI and website revamp to help target rural listings across the country.

DoC starts voluntary booking system for New Zealand's busiest day walk
Waikato Herald

DoC starts voluntary booking system for New Zealand's busiest day walk

03 Oct 01:42 AM

DoC urges trampers to book ahead this summer, to protect the popular national park.

Ruapehu the winner of school holidays ski forecast as Aussies end disastrous season early
Waikato Herald

Ruapehu the winner of school holidays ski forecast as Aussies end disastrous season early

20 Sep 07:00 PM

Skiers are heading to the slopes for the start of the September holidays. Will the snow?

Sky Waka’s no-refund policy leaves Ruapehu visitors hanging
Waikato Herald

Sky Waka’s no-refund policy leaves Ruapehu visitors hanging

04 Sep 06:00 AM

Opened in 2019, the Sky Waka is a 1.8 km cable car in the Tongariro National Park.

'Bittersweet' birthday for ski fields: Parties, ploughs and discount passes
Waikato Herald

'Bittersweet' birthday for ski fields: Parties, ploughs and discount passes

28 Aug 06:30 PM

There are bumper birthday celebrations at a couple of ski fields this week.

End of an era: Royal favourite Huka Lodge to close for 8-month refurb
Waikato Herald

End of an era: Royal favourite Huka Lodge to close for 8-month refurb

15 Aug 09:29 PM

The favourite lodge of rock stars and royalty is to take its last guests in April.

Kākāpō wild in Waikato for first time in 60 years
Waikato Herald

Kākāpō wild in Waikato for first time in 60 years

19 Jul 09:53 PM

Four of the world's rarest flightless parrots have been rehomed on mainland New Zealand.

Tongariro Great Walk opens for booking: Is DoC's IT system back on track?
Waikato Herald

Tongariro Great Walk opens for booking: Is DoC's IT system back on track?

10 Jul 07:30 PM

Great Walk bookings reopen four months after “incredibly frustrating” IT meltdown.

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