Haere mai – welcome!

Kia ora! Thank you for visiting Coconut Lands. If you love travel, or the idea of it, then you have come to the right place!

Our store is for people who are looking for something different, inspired by countries and cultures around the world. You’ll find patterns incorporating the flora and birds of the Pacific Islands, traditional Maori-style hand-carved jewellery from New Zealand, coconuts – of course! – and exclusive designs by international artists whose work we love. All our products are hand-made to order.

The blog focuses on slow travel – the laid-back kind. You won’t find articles about adventure holidays, white water rafting or skydiving. You won’t find camping either, though you might find glamping.

Why Coconut Lands? Well, I grew up in an urban area of northern England called Tyneside, once known for heavy industries such as shipbuilding and steel-making. I first travelled abroad aged 16, on a school trip – and discovered a different world of hot sun, turquoise sea and palm trees. Living close to a coal mine and a large coke works, this was just about as different from my home environment as you could get.

Ever since then, I’ve enjoyed travelling and escaping to exotic, colourful places that are very different from my cool northern hemisphere background. The aim of both the store and the blog is to help us all feel like we’re on holiday every day!

I hope you enjoy your visit to Coconut Lands. Please leave comments and feel free to share your own stories. And if there are any products you’d like us to offer that we don’t already, please let me know. You can write to me at carole@coconutlands.com

Carole Edwards, Founder, Coconut Lands
McKinley Kidd Travel Writing Award winner

ps: we’re on TripAdvisor! Our reviews are so valued and on point that they are often quoted in publicity material for the businesses we evaluate.