Denise Stephens
Freelance writer
Sunday Star Times, Otago Daily Times, New Zealand Herald, Verve, Vacations and Travel, and more
I'm a freelance travel writer based in Auckland, New Zealand. My work has appeared in print and digital media in New Zealand and internationally, including the Sunday Star Times, Otago Daily Times, New Zealand Herald, Verve, Vacations & Travel, and Fly Solomons.
Special interests include arts, culture, and heritage, city life, solo travel, and 55+ travel. I know Japan and Auckland well, and I'm always keen to explore other destinations.
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Stories
Stories
07 Jul 2026
Visiting 'Japan's Niagara'
Otago Daily Times Online News
Denise Stephens follows a trail through a mossy green forest in the north of Japan. A frothing veil of water tumbled into a pool that was almost
01 Jun 2026
Walking Through Old Japan
Verve Magazine
The Nakasendo Road winds through centuries-old villages and forests in the Japanese Alps
05 Apr 2026
Bit of a Pickle
Sunday - Star Times Stuff Travel
BIT OF A PICKLE
It takes 730 days and a meticulous fermentation process to transform a record-breaking, metre-long radish into an amber delicacy, as Denise Stephens finds on a trip to...
11 Mar 2026
From historic baths in Beitou to secluded mountain resorts like HOSHINOYA Guguan, Taiwan's hot springs combine mineral-rich waters, Japanese bathing traditions and blissfully light crowds
10 Feb 2026
Treasures of Tiritiri Matangi
Fly Solomons
Birdsong from some of New Zealand's most endangered species drifts through the forest on Tiritiri Matangi, an island wildlife sanctuary just 80 minutes from downtown Auckland
27 Jan 2026
Another side of Japan
Otago Daily Times Online News
Inuyama had everything Denise Stephens was looking for in a traditional Japanese town — a castle, shrines and temples, a classic garden, and a
18 Jan 2026
EAT STAY PLAY Nagoya
Sunday Star-Times - NZ
EAT STAY PLAY
Nagoya
Nagoya quietly rewards those who linger, with hearty local cuisine and refined craftsmanship, writes Denise Stephens.
For many visitors to Japan, Nagoya is a train...
01 Dec 2025
The Small City: Big on Food - Verve Magazine
Verve Magazine
Exploring local sights and food in Hobart
31 Oct 2025
While Japan's December festivities differ from those in Aotearoa, it's a time of many unique traditions. Denise Stephens shares what to expect during a Christmas trip to Japan
