Kia Ora Sept Issue

Travel Boston
Bay alongside the Charles River, with the
Dr Paul Dudley White Bike Path (named after
a Harvard-educated pioneer cardiologist),
and you have several kilometres of riverside
riding and walking space.
Here there are views aplenty of
watercraft plying the river, although I was
more fascinated by the red-brick mansions
of Back Bay along Beacon Street, on the
other side of the pathway.
These historic homes chart the rise of
Boston’s commercial aristocracy, although
they were all built facing the street, rather
than the river itself, providing strolling
voyeurs like me with a great view of Back
Bay’s backyards.
With Boston’s heady mix of American
social history and all that baseball and
football action, you’d be forgiven for
forgetting this is a harbour town. But
boating is big in Boston, and I’m not just
talking about the Tea Party ships
(although you can get a feel for these at
the interactive Boston Tea Party Museum
bostonteapartyship.com).
At the northern end of The Esplanade,
past the instantly recognisable open-air
dome of the Hatch Memorial Shell, little
pink triangles start coming into view out
on the river – sailboats from Community
Boating Inc (community-boating.org), which
is the United States’ oldest community
sailing club.
If you’re keen to get out on the river,
Community Boating offers four- and fiveperson
sailboats for hire, as well as kayaks,
windsurfers and stand up paddleboards,
although landlubbers need to prove prior
experience to cast off in the yachts.
All this activity... Forgive me, but I think
I’ll head back to Fenway Park. The Red Sox
are in town and there’s a beer and burger
combo with my name on it.
boston.gov
Above: Yachting
with Community
Boating Inc.
Eat
REGINA PIZZERIA
World famous in Boston, Regina
Pizzeria, which has been serving
slices since 1926. The family-owned
restaurants with their brick ovens
elevate pizzas above mere fast food.
There’s a perfectly positioned Regina
Pizzeria across from Fenway Park. So
before encountering all the snack
vendors on Yawkey Way outside the
stadium, duck in for a slice of
pomodoro formaggio or St Anthony
sausage pizza and a cherry cola.
reginapizzeria.com
UNION OYSTER HOUSE
As with any claim to being “first”,
there are plenty of others who might
issue a challenge. But Boston’s Union
Oyster House certainly looks to be
the real deal – the nation’s very first
restaurant. Founded in 1826, this
specialty seafood emporium is on the
Freedom Trail right in the heart of the
city. unionoysterhouse.com
Sleep
XV BEACON
In the heart of historic Beacon Hill is
the luxurious XV Beacon, a boutique
establishment that has been the
recipient of awards from a variety of
travel publications. This inner-city
hotel mixes olde-worlde pageantry
with modernist interior design and the
name of the XV’s restaurant – Mooo...
– tells you exactly what sort of
premium fare you can expect.
xvbeacon.com
THE VERB HOTEL
If you want to soak up that Red Sox
atmosphere, The Verb Hotel offers
something completely different within
sight of the light towers of Fenway
Park. This low-lying modernist hotel
Getting there
Air New Zealand operates
non-stop flights from Auckland
to Los Angeles, San Francisco,
and Houston, with ongoing
connections to Boston.
Holiday Packages
0800 747 222
Holidays Travel Brokers
0800 737 767
airnewzealand.co.nz
was originally opened in 1959 (as the
Fenway Motor Hotel) and in recent
years has been painstakingly
restored to its original design and
given a suitably retro rock ‘n’ roll
makeover, with a bit of an indie edge.
It’s like a little slice of Route 66
Americana smack-bang in the middle
of Boston’s baseball boulevard.
theverbhotel.com
Play
NEWBURY STREET
Fancy a break from stadium seats
and hot dogs? Head straight to
Newbury Street in Back Bay, a
well-heeled shopping street that’s
home to all manner of coffee houses,
independent retail gems and high-end
chain stores. About the only thing you
won’t find in abundance is sports
paraphernalia. But believe me, there
are plenty of other places in Boston
for that.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
From downtown, take the Metro red
line across the river to Cambridge. It
takes five short stops to arrive at that
hallowed seat of Ivy League education,
Harvard University. Alumni include
Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill
Gates, Kareena Kapoor, Rashida
Jones and Matt Damon – and in terms
of numbers, tourists seem to rival
students. History seeps from the
bricks and, if you fancy some
education of your own, the Harvard
Museum of Natural History is a
must-see. hmnh.harvard.edu
TRIDENT BOOKSELLERS
AND CAFE
Trident Booksellers and Cafe. is a
haven for bookworms, and the cafe is
such a popular breakfast stop.
tridentbookscafe.com
BOSTON
PHOTOGRAPHY ALAMY, GETTY
44 Kia Ora