Designer Lillie Toogood and husband Dirk Paetzold are helping shape the story of New Zealand now for an international audience. With her label, Good&Co, Toogood creates artfully constructed scarves that telegraph the country’s intelligent, easy approach to fashion. German-born Paetzold is the creative director of vintage-map distributor and Goop-favorite Erstwhile, and recently launched Landroamer, which supplies stylish camping kits and Land Rover Defenders to travelers looking to comfortably and more deeply explore New Zealand’s greatest resource, its epic outdoors. They live in Auckland.
This interview is part of The World Made Local, a global collaboration between the seven international editions of Condé Nast Traveler in which 100 people in 100 countries tell us why their home turf should be your next destination.
Talk to us a little about New Zealand
DP: New Zealand is very far from any other place; the nearest neighbor is Australia and 2,500 km [1,553 miles] away. The isolation fosters a special kind of people, and there is a genuine friendliness and helpfulness you can sense, especially when you leave the big smoke of Auckland or Wellington. It could very well be that everybody is always on their best behavior as it is quite likely the person you meet knows somebody you know; no kidding.
LT: I continue to be blown away by its beauty, probably more so the older I get. [Kiwis are] social people. We smile, we're happy, and we have a “Just get on with it” way of life. There are so many people doing amazing and inspiring things here, it’s a great time to be among them.
Travelers don’t often spend a lot of time in Auckland. Give us some tips on where to go
LT: You don’t come to New Zealand for the cities, but there are some great things to explore in the urban areas. Auckland is our biggest city and where we live. The suburban pockets are brimming with culinary and creative juices, and the Central Business District has totally transformed, especially the waterfront area, which was redeveloped for the America's Cup and is now only being enjoyed by locals—come back, international travelers! If you're a foodie, there are so many amazing places to eat and drink now, too. For lunch, go to Ozone in Grey Lynn—everything on their menu is interesting and delish. Dinner should be Lillian in Grey Lynn. It’s a trendy treat that is hard to get a booking for but worth the wait.
DP: Do breakfast or lunch at Buoy, an unpretentious, quirky café with a great menu—I recommend the sautéed mushrooms—and good coffee. Buoy is located in the Westhaven Marina, just under the Harbour Bridge, connecting the city with the northern suburbs. The café has a great deck overlooking all the pretty boats parked and the glittering sea. You feel right among the hustle and bustle on the boats. One of my [new] favorite dining spots is Kingi, a restaurant at the newly opened Britomart boutique hotel, offering sustainably caught seafood in one of the coolest architecturally designed spaces in the city.
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And how about for drinks?
LT: For a weekend adventure, we like to head to Hallertau Brewery in Riverhead, or Little Creatures Brewery. They are super relaxed and great for taking kids—major plus if you can combine friends, drinks, and kids under one roof!
We have loved hunting out subtle little wine bars dotted around the place. There is a great one called Stafford Road Wine Bar; Annabels on Ponsonby Road—good sunset catcher; Freida Margolis, in Grey Lynn; Madame George on K'Road [Karangahape Road]; and East St. Hall, just off K’Road... there's sooo many more!
Where do you go in Auckland to feel like you’ve really gotten away?
LT: We like heading to the wild and dramatic West Coast for a blast of ocean air and wild, rolling black sand dunes. A current favorite is climbing the cliff tracks out at Bethells Beach. In summer we sneak away for lunchtime swims at Thorne Bay—tucked between Takapuna and Milford; shhh...it's a secret beach—or off North Head. And a new addition of a paddle board and a foldable kayak over the summer has made water sports so much more adventurous. We have a three-year-old, and she loves the parks and beaches. She's happy when she's outside, which is great.
And how about the rest of the country? What are some favorite spots?
DP: We love spending time in Turangi, a small town located on the central plateau on the North Island, located pretty much halfway between Wellington and Auckland. It is close to Lake Taupo, which was created by a super-volcanic eruption some 25,000 years ago, and the Tongariro River flows through it, which is renowned around the world for being a trout-fishing El Dorado.
Close by is the Tongariro National Park, the oldest national park in NZ and recognized by UNESCO as a site of significance, with the active volcanoes Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro located in the center. There is an amazing day hike, the Tongariro crossing, which is one of the Top 10 day hikes in the world. You get dropped off on one side of the volcanoes and get picked up on the other side.
The hike is about 20km [12.4 miles] and covers a dramatic moonlike landscape passing emerald-colored mountain lakes and views into the volcanic crater. I have done the trek multiple times during summer, but I am planning to do it in winter, which will be a totally different experience to do it in the snow.
Follow Lillie Toogood on Instagram @goodandco; and Dirk Paetzold @landroamer_nz
