Badgers travel to New Zealand

Today started very early (around six a.m.) with waking up and getting packed up for another big travel day to New Zealand. Our flight left Sydney around 10 a.m., and we arrived in Christchurch around 3 p.m. While I was standing in line for customs, I suddenly smelled coffee. I wished at that moment I could have a cup. Actually, what I was smelling was Teah. Caitlin, although she doesn’t like coffee, decided to try it one more time on the flight, and ended up spilling all over Teah. Teah forgave Caitlin right away, but we didn’t hesitate to remind her of what she had done for the rest of the day. Sarah said, “Hey Caitlin, I’m cold. Can you spill some coffee on me?”

Air New Zealand to offer $1 fares

The airline plans to offer never-seen-before deals with $1 domestic fares. On Thursday, Pacific Blue announced its plans for the domestic airline business and an introductory fare of $39 on Wellington-Auckland, Wellington-Christchurch and Auckland-Christchurch routes. Today, Air New Zealand chief executive officer Rob Fyfe said his company would be increasing the volume of both domestic and international fares available on the Grabaseat cheap price scheme. It would also build substantially on one-off campaigns it had launched, such as buy one, get one free child fares.

Chilling With the Kiwis

On the South Island, a four-wheel-drive tour with Sam Neill (Sam's Off Road Tours, http://www.samsoffroadtours.com) across his sheep farm to see seals and penguins on the Otago Peninsula, jet-boating the Dart River and hiking to the base of the Franz Josef Glacier. On the North Island, cruising Coromandel Peninsula's curvy, mountainous roads in the rain, and driving to Paihia during a record rainfall that closed the main road and stranded us overnight with some really kind Kiwis.

New Zealand forecast of tourism earnings cut for 6 years

The Tourism Ministry has downgraded New Zealand's expected international tourism earnings by $3.6 billion in the next six years. The forecast by the ministry's research arm has chopped its outlook on international visitor arrivals and expenditure compared with forecasts made last year. Income from foreign visitors had been estimated at $52.2 billion for the 2007-12 period, but the new ministry forecast has reduced this to $48.6 billion.

New Zealand's famous Marlborough region

Marlborough has always been considered New Zealand's top wine producing region and Spy Valley wines seem to be on a par with the best. Where the soil is too harsh for grapes, about 2,000 Italian olive trees have been planted with success. This is the kingdom of winemaker Ant Mackenzie, whose expertise has been confirmed by many awards and medals.
Spending a few days with friends near Hua Hin recently.

Australian Tourism to New Zealand Sets July Record

Statistics New Zealand figures showed total arrivals from Australia were up 14.6 percent, almost 10,000 extra visitors in July, compared with July 2006. Arrivals for those visiting on holiday from Australia increased 21.5 percent in July 2007, compared with the same month a year earlier. July visitation from Australia surpassed the previous record for the month, set in July 2004. The ski season has enjoyed a strong start backed by promotions from Tourism New Zealand, the regional tourism organizations, airlines and operators that have been running since later February, said George Hickton, Tourism New Zealand chief executive.

US Airways, Air New Zealand sign codeshare

US Airways and Air New Zealand have signed a codeshare agreement. From September, US Airways passengers en route to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands will be able to connect to Air New Zealand flights to destinations in the North and South Islands, as well as Australia. Air New Zealand customers will have similarly convenient travel options, as they can use US Airways flights out of Los Angeles and San Francisco to connect to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.

No tsunami risk to NZ from Solomons earthquake

There is no tsunami risk to New Zealand from a moderate earthquake that occurred this evening near the Solomon Islands. The Director of the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, John Hamilton, said that the Ministry has received information about the earthquake from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) in Hawaii and GNS Science in New Zealand.

NZ Back-country skiers warned of avalanches

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council issued the warning because of the recent conditions that have increased the risk of man-made avalanches in the back-country behind the Remarkables, Treble Cone, Coronet Peak and Cardrona. Avalanche programme manager Steve Schreiber said the man-made avalanches include both deliberate and accidental, and people heading into the areas away from the main ski areas were putting themselves at risk.

Air New Zealand working on 'refined' seat design

"Our goal is to redefine what long-haul travel can be," Air NZ chief executive Rob Fyfe said during a recent teleconference. "And I think the next generation of change will see a lot more innovation in the economy cabins compared to the focus in the premium cabins over the last few years." Several airlines, including Qantas, have already unveiled redesigned economy seats to give people more space by changing the way the seat reclines.

Travel Stories in New Zealand

HBO's Flight of the Conchords is giving the New Zealand tourism board a bit of ironic advertising. Hanging in band manager Brian Nesbitt's office are a couple New Zealand posters. The first says "New Zealand: Why not?" and the second states: "New Zealand! It's not part of Australia. "While Tourism New Zealand has some far reaching plan for travel to New Zealand called "NZ Tourism Strategy 2010" it seems the Conchords have their own plan to spread a giant dose of Kiwi dry humor worldwide. Take that Peter Jackson.

Be careful about 'discount' deals.

A reader alerted us to an Australian company called Funtastic Holidays, which sells vouchers to exclusive resorts in Australasia and the Pacific. Our reader was concerned that the company was now calling New Zealanders with offers that didn't always stack up. A Funtastic Holidays' voucher costs $99 and "entitles the bearer" to discounts of up to 50 percent at specific hotels. Our reader thought that the deal sounded too good to be true. She told us that the Funtastic Holidays' telemarketer had tried the "hard sell" and asked her to provide credit-card details over the phone, which is a no-no.

Surf City New Zealand

Day 1 - Kia Ora, Welcome. The search begins departing Auckland & heading for the far north. Tonight (Monday) we stay at Shipwreck Bay.
Day 2 - The majority of today's driving is on the beach taking you to secluded surf locations. Shipwreck Bay accommodation.
Day 3 - Start the day with a surf and breakfast. Then the search begins again. Shipwreck Bay accommodation.
Day 4 - More of day 2 and 3, by evening our surf pilgrimage will bring us home to our shipwreckbay accomadation.
Day 5 - Back to Auckland chasing waves on either coast. We arrive in Auckland late Friday afternoon.

The best way to travel around New Zealand would be in a rental car

New Zealand is one of the ultimate travel destinations in the Southern Hemisphere, with something for just about anyone. New Zealand has everything, right from ski fields to volcanoes, from big cities to small towns and from beaches to mountains. New Zealand currently has a population of just over 4 million people. Auckland is the biggest city with over 1.2 million people and the capital city Wellington has a population of around 400,000. Most of the country's resident population is based in North Island and so, South Island offers the opportunity to get away from the busy cities and get up close and personal with the elements.

New travel websites launched

Jasons Travel Media launched its new website at its annual meeting in Auckland. The listed publisher says its new site allows users to find accommodation and activities listings for most towns in New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific. The online auction site Trade Me is also launching its own travel site this month. Jasons' chief executive Steven Joyce says branding is going to become important as competition heats up and he hopes his site will stand out for having commission-free online bookings.

New travel magazine targets the over-50s

Globetrotting travellers over 50 have found a new home where they can swap tips, stories and experience. Grownups.co.nz is an online New zealand magazine which, as well as travel, covers health, food and money advice and much more. Director Richard Poole says after hearing the complaints of older family members, deciding on the site was easy. "When we investigated we found there was nothing in New Zealand specifically for people over 50 - which is a lot of people."