Neo Consulting is back in the office for 2023! We hope that you all enjoyed a well-deserved break over the holidays, just as the team here at Neo did.

As we look to the new year ahead, the team have shared some of their top picks from over the summer holidays, including favourite holiday destinations, books, drink, Netflix series and playlists. Take a look below and see what the team have been up to during their break.

What was the number one activity on your hit-list over the break?

  • – Spending time with all the family
  • – Sleeping in and mid-afternoon naps
  • – Fishing, lots and lots of fishing
  • – Doing absolutely nothing at the beach
  • – Active relaxing – working around the home completing projects, starting some new projects.
  • – Competitive board games with the family (e.g. Ticket to Train Ride)
  • – Going on holiday to Sydney with friends

What is a title of one of the books you were planning to read or a Netflix series you were planning to watch?

  • – Jordan Petersen’s “12 Rules for Life”
  • – Alexandre Dumas’s “The Count of Monte Cristo”
  • – I am cursed with being an extremely fast reader (of fiction), so tend to churn through books rather fast (when I am not fishing). Thank heavens for the invention of the Kindle! Sci-fi box series are proving to be good value for money, its hard to beat 6 or more books for $2!
  • – Peter F Hamilton’s “The Nights Dawn Trilogy”
  • – The Wheel of Time on Netflix
  • – Kaleidoscope on Netflix

What was your version of ‘relaxing’ when on holiday?

  • – Odd jobs and DIY around the house
  • – Drinking coffee, reading, swimming, mountain biking and hiking.
  • – I go fishing.. you will pick up on a theme here!
  • – Either swimming or relaxing at home playing games.
  • – Catching up with family that had come back from being overseas
  • – Giving myself a number of days of total shutdown / disconnect from the internet, social media and just plainly live that simple life

Were there any favourite places you travelled to in or outside of Auckland?

  • – Plenty of nice beaches – like Piha
  • – Road tripping – Picton, Hanmer Springs, Christchurch, Rotorua, Taupo, New Plymouth
  • – I spent plenty of time hanging out at my favourite little coffee shop Feoh, in Waipu.
  • – I spent a lot of time at Bowentown (Waihi Beach) where I have been known to go fishing occasionally…
  • – The Matakana markets up north
  • – Tawharanui beach – my favourite beach
  • – Mount Manganui
  • – Going to see my folks in Gisborne

Was there any song you were playing on repeat that sums up your holiday?

  • – Snoopy’s Christmas!
  • – Pink Floyd – A momentary Lapse
  • – With 2 teenage daughters I usually don’t get much choice about what I listen to, but Reggae goes well with summer chillin’.
  • – West Coast by OneRepublic

What was your favourite food to eat over the break?

  • – Barbecue foods and salads – light meals for hot sunny days
  • – Ribs on the BBQ
  • – Mojitos!
  • – My dad’s rotisserie pork roll with mouth-watering crackling.
  • – Ultra-fresh sashimi paired with a crisp cider (or G&T) while reclining under a Pohutukawa tree.
  • – Lots and lots of ice cream!
  • – Johnnie Walker BLUE Label

Now that we’re all back on board, we’re looking forward to a busy and productive year ahead with our clients, partners and team. Here’s to plenty of exciting work, projects and opportunities in 2023!