New Zealand

Coronation Street star sneaks away from UK for Kiwi summer holiday

Constable Craig Tinker is off the clock!

Coronation Street star Colson Smith has escaped the cold weather in Britain to celebrate his Christmas/New Year break in New Zealand.

Sharing photos of his trip around the country, the 24-year-old soap star is said to have family ties to Aotearoa, and shared all sorts of snaps from different parts of the country.

"I would almost class New Zealand as my second home. The majority of my dad's family are in Dannevirke in the North Island. I have two aunties, two uncles and 10 cousins there," Colson told Stuff in a story from 2020.

"One thing that amazes me is how the country's got everything. I've been lucky. I've travelled all over New Zealand and it's a stunning, outdoor country."

In his first photo of his Christmas holidays, the soap star showed the off-road experience he took with his friends, dubbing the first one the "New Zealand Top Gear Style Challenge", before posting a follow-up post where he details his hiccup off-roading.

"For the brief time I was leading the convoy. Got stuck twice," Colson captioned the snap. "Broke down once. Toe rope snapped once."

Colson also shared his love of cricket by watching the Stags play at Fitzherbert Park Oval in Palmerston North, took an unusually hot dip by visiting the thermal pools in Rotorua, grabbed a selfie at Lake Taupo, and took in the sights of Queenstown from the skies paragliding.

Colson, who is now back on set filming Coronation Street in the UK, finished his NZ trip by taking a fitting photo in Wellington under a sign that said 'Colson St.'

"It's a sign" he captioned the photo.

Making that photo his new profile picture, it's a sign he must have loved his NZ trip too!