Top Curiosities – Reader Favorites (January to April 2026)
No matter what my plans are, I always seem to find myself in all sorts of places. Out on the Otago goldfields where everything feels a little quieter than it should, up in the northern centres where the streets fall into neat, deliberate lines, and down south where the roads twist and turn like they’ve got a mind of their own.
Along the way, there have been a handful of stories that have stuck. The sort of places you don’t always plan to stop at, but end up thinking about long after you’ve left. These are a few of the ones that people seemed to like the most. The oddities and curiosities discovered while traveling from a small city.
The Haunting Of The Vulcan Hotel
The story goes that many young ladies came to the Otago gold fields seeking employment in grog tents, bars, and dance halls …..
Palmerston North
Navigating Palmerston North is a unique exercise in geometry. It is a city built by someone who owned a very long ruler and had an unwavering faith in right angles …..
Lake Wakatipu and the Devil’s Staircase
A journey that took him and his men via the notorious Devils Staircase. Travelling on horseback, they negotiated their way over small, narrow and rugged tracks next to sheer vertical drops ….
Traffic Chaos in Queenstown
Any traffic and roading upgrade that is taking four years to complete had better be a shining example of traffic engineering – an impeccable, crowning accomplishment. A traffic utopia, if you will!
The Haunting of Larnach’s Castle
The tale of William Larnach really is rather tragic and in case you don’t know the story, here’s a quick recap ….
Curious for more? Explore more from a Small City.
