New Zealand News

Drug testing could become compulsory for those undertaking adventure tourism

The government in New Zealand is currently considering compulsory drug testing for individuals who participate in adventure tourism activities due to a cannabis related incident that resulted in tragedy.

The Herald has made a statement that the government does have enough evidence to support such a decision. That was concluded after a report came out that [...]

New Zealand hopes The Hobbit will have the same effect on tourism as LOTR

It seems as if the hobbits will be taking part in the New Zealand landscape once more as the CEO of the tourism branch, Kevin Bower, has announced that they are on the verge of a deal with the creators of a new film called “The Hobbit”, in order to further promote NZ as a [...]

Kaikoura’s wildlife make it a tourist hotspot

On the border between Marlborough and Canterbury is the peaceful town of Kaikoura. Kaikoura has recently become a tourist hotspot thanks to the abundance of marine life in the coastal waters. The rugged coastline that surrounds Kaikoura town is set against a snow-capped mountain backdrop, a view that captures the imagination of all who visit.

The [...]

New Zealand’s natural wonders

The name Kahurangi, a Maori term that translates to ‘treasured possession’, is a clue that attracts people to the large, wild park that has been given the name.

Some of the strangest plants, rarest birds and oldest rocks in New Zealand are found here.

The most accessible, and probably the most famous, treasure in Kahurangi park is [...]

New Zealand leads the way in adventure tourism

New Zealand is a country that has a reputation for adventure and adrenaline sports and one company is capitalising on this by offering people the opportunity to crush a car with a tank.

The company has eight different tanks that drivers can choose from and they are easily capable of destroying any sized car.

The owner of [...]

New Zealand Maui’s dolphin campaign video

It was quoted by the organiser of the campaign to save the Maui’s dolphin that they plan is to jepardise the tourism industry of New Zealand in order to get the required attention to protect the dolphin species from the possible danger of becoming extinct.

William Trubridge, who is the champion of New Zealand free diving [...]

Champion free diver calls for protection of Maui dolphins

The champion free diver William Trubridge has recently launched a campaign in order to encourage the New Zealand government to give the Maui dolphin sufficient protection.

He recently created a YouTube video which has had over 20,000 hits in which he asks potential visitors to New Zealand to write to the Prime Minister of the country [...]

New Zealand offers some of the best adventure sports in the world

New Zealand is known as the land of adventure sports. It is the spiritual home of the white knuckled traveller with bungee jumping, rafting, heli-skiing, or rolling downhill in a big ball. New Zealand’s adventure sports tourism industry brings in approximately NZ$3 billion.

Associate professor of the tourism school of Otago University, Neil Carr said ” [...]

Inaugural Tour of New Zealand cycle event kicks of on 14th April

The Tour of New Zealand is a cycling event that is taking place in New Zealand for the first time and has attracted a great deal of international interest.

It is an eight-day event which is going to take place from 14 April. Cyclists are allowed to enter and participate at whatever level they feel best [...]

Lake Wanaka tops list of best adventure locations in the world

The leading adventure magazine in the United States, Outside, has recently put together a compilation of the world’s best adventure locations. Top of the list is Lake Wanaka located on New Zealand’s South Island.

The magazine is very influential in the United States, with a circulation of nearly 680,000 people. The general manager of tourism at [...]

‘Flight of the Conchords’ stars on tour of the US and the UK

The Flight of the Conchords is an HBO television series and the stars of this show have recently been touring around the United States and the UK.

They have performed at some of the most notable venues in these countries and it has recently been announced that they are returning for another tour in New Zealand. [...]

Treble Cone has some great events lined up

The largest snow resort on the South Island of New Zealand is Treble Cone and a series of events are going to be held at the location which are designed to challenge, inspire and be enjoyed by those in attendance. Some of the highlights of the event include the ice sculpting competition, ICE, and the [...]

Remarkables Market Chef cook-offs near climax

The Remarkables Market Chef has seen a great deal of success after a series of cook-offs that have been occurring during the summer.

The competition is about to come to a close with the final event taking place on 31 March. This competition is going to take place at Remarkables Park and is going to see [...]

The Hills golf course to host prestigious pro-am tournament

The Hills is an exclusive golf course in Queenstown that is going to be hosting the New Zealand PGA Pro-Am Championship for 2012.

The event is going to see some famous names from around the world come to play golf with some of Australia’s best sportspeople. At the event there are also going to be several [...]

New Zealand motoring laws finally changed

35 years ago, New Zealand introduced a series of road rules which have, since their introduction, confounded any tourist visiting the country.

New Zealand is the only country which requires cars turning an intersection to make a wider arc to give way to other traffic. This traffic rule seems to have no logical sense and the [...]

Hotels.com report sharp rise in New Zealand hotel rates

According to the hotel booking site, Hotels.com, the average cost of hotels in New Zealand increased significantly above the international average last year.

The average price of a hotel room increased by nearly 15 percent, while the international average went up by just five percent.

Analysts expect that the reason for the increase was due to the [...]

Mud House wines make their way onto top international airlines

Although they may be rivals both on the ground and in the air, the worlds best airlines all seem to agree on something; which are the best wines to serve to their passengers.

Several of the Mud House Groups internationally honoured vintage are to now be [...]

Queenstown snow sports enthusiasts can now get discount passes

Snowboarders and skiers who are heading to the Queenstown ski resorts of The Remarkables and Coronet Peak this year can be fully flexible with discounted multi day transport and lift passes.

These have been designed for snow sport lovers who prefer to pick and choose the best [...]

Kapiti Nature Tours now offering half day trips to Kapiti Island

The Kapiti Nature Tours are now offering their visitors the opportunity to experience their first Kapiti Island half day tours, which incorporates a special trip to see the seal colony on the island.

These trips allow visitors to experience delights of kapiti Island in half [...]

Treble Cone set to open its first fun park

The 2012 season at Treble Cone will the grand opening of its first fun park, the re-routing of the top section of Easy Rider, and upgrades to the electronic ticketing system, trail maps and cafe.

The Jazz Fun Park is a first for Treble Cone and it [...]

Porters ski area receives the approval for its expansion

The proposal for the $500m expansion to the Porters ski area into Crystal Valley and build a year round alpine village at the bottom of the ski area has been given the vital resource consents and approvals to its plan changes, so it can now proceed.

Commissioners [...]

Wellington Airport gets rid of the international departure fee

From the 1st April 2012, the international departure fee will no longer exist at Wellington Airport.

The CEO of the airport is Steve Sanderson and he has said that their main concern was to improve the traveller experience, and by removing the departure fee they were making [...]

Tourism in New Zealand is set for a bumper year

After a 2011 that can only be described as tumultuous, the multi billion dollar New Zealand tourism industry in right back on track, with the number of international travel buyers who have booked to attend the sectors premier trade event later in 2012 already exceeding [...]

Air New Zealand is officially Australia’s favourite international airline

Air New Zealand is officially Australia's favourite international airline

At the inaugural Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards that were held recently in Australia, the winner of the International Airline of the Year award went to Air New Zealand.

Almost 4000 people who had used an international airline during the previous 12 months were surveyed by Roy [...]

James Morrison performs Duke Ellington classics at Christchurch jazz festival

The jazz lovers of Christchurch seem to be heading for some very good fortune on Friday the 13th as that is the date that they will have the chance of hearing one of the finest jazz trumpeters in the world, combined with the Christchurch Symphony [...]

Queenstown offers Autumn’s true colours, and a whole lot more

With a fabulous line up of events and festivals combined with great holiday and short break deals, and the chance to win a holiday, the place to be this autumn is definitely Queenstown.

The change of season brings with it a stunning landscape that literally bursts into a blaze of gold and red, and it is [...]

Skiing the powder while getting paid for it; snow sport instruction enrolement now open

Hayley Robertson had a dream; she wanted to ski all day and also get paid for it. Now, she is the poster girl for the leading snow sports training that is based in the snow fields of New Zealand’s Central Otago.

Ms [...]

Oamaru’s Pen-y-bryn lodge earns silver award from Qualmark

Oamaru's Pen-y-bryn lodge earns silver award from Qualmark

In formal recognition of the numerous environmental improvements that have been made, Oamaru’s Pen-y-bryn Lodge, the 5 star luxury lodge that is housed within a 123 year old category one listed building, has received the prestigious Enviro Silver Award from Qualmark, the official tourism ratings agency in [...]

Saturday morning cook off reaches its finale at Remarkable Park

Following the massively successful season of the sizzling summer saturday morning cook-off, the exciting finale of the Remarkables Market Chef competition will be taking place on Saturday March 31 between10am-midday.

The final will be taking place at the Red Barn in Remarkables Park between the 2 local [...]

Queenstown Bike Festival set to kick off with a laugh

This years Queenstown Bike Festival, which is being held from 29th March-9th April,will be opened with a smile. Joseph Harper, the comedian from Auckland, will be performing his acclaimed one man show “Bikes I’ve Owned Versus Girls I’ve Fallen In Love With” at the Crowne Plaza on the opening day.

The 10 day Queenstown Bike Festival has a [...]

Queenstown is the place to be this summer

Queenstown is going to be a great place to visit this autumn as there is a great lineup of events and festivals for this season. There is also the opportunity for those in the area to win a holiday.

As autumn approaches, the landscape is turning into a wonderful scene of red and gold leaves. This [...]

The Hobbit locations expect to have tourists flocking

The Lord of the Rings trilogy greatly boosted New Zealand tourism, with tour operators taking advantage of the film’s huge popularity to offer tours of sites used in the successful films.

Now that the team behind the films has returned to New Zealand to shoot the prequel, ‘The Hobbit’, New Zealand tourism is set to see [...]

Wellington – Blown Away

After nearly two years of being under debate for the hot topic of Wellwood, the winner has finally been announced and has blown away their rivals. The public have been discussing, debating, protesting and submitting ideas, as well as voting, pranking and celebrating and out of this gamut of emotions came ‘Wellington: Blown Away.

This is [...]

Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail finally open

Construction is well under way in Twizel, New Zealand on several sections of new Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, and some sections are scheduled to be ready for cyclists to try out by Christmas. The full trail will run from Aoraki Mount Cook to the coast at Oamaru, and it is expected that the official [...]

Te Aroroa trail finally opened

On Saturday the 3rd December 2011, a 35 year old dream became a reality when the completed Te Aroroa trail finally opened, bringing with it a 3000km hiking adventure that stretches the length ofNew Zealand. Te Araroa, or the long pathway, will now join an elite group of epic walking trails around the world, include [...]

Wellington erects Hollywood style All Blacks sign

A Hollywood style greeting is meeting all those people flying in to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, for the Rugby World Cup 2011. There is a giant All Blacks sign on a hill near the airport which tells people who the local rugby stars [...]

UK court says New Zealand action attraction is not safe

The father of the UK tourist Emily Jordan who drowned in Queenstown has said that the inquest from a UK coroner shows that ‘Mad Dog’, the operator of the adventure trip was completely ill-equipped to deal with accidents. Miss Jordan, then aged 21, was swamped and then pinned to a rock in April 2008 in [...]

History of Christchurch

On the basis of archaeological finds in a cave at the Redcliffe an initial colonization by strains of moa-hunters in the area around Christchurch is suspected. Oral traditions among the Maori tell of people who lived there as early as 1000AD.

These first inhabitants were followed by the Waitaha, of which it is assumed that in [...]

History of Dunedin

Archaeologists date the first settlement of the Otago coast at around 1100AD. There were Polynesians who explored the coastal regions, and finally settled there. They formed out of their own culture and called themselves Maori. When the Europeans came to New Zealand, there was considerable tension between the Maori tribes, mainly between Ngai Tahu and Ngati [...]

Dunedin Modern History

In 1906 a Flemish-style railway station was built. The building was recognized as the most photographed historic building in New Zealand next to the old University.

The times after the end of the century gold rush were the most successful years in Dunedin. Important policy decisions led to extensive changes and economic and social growth. Dunedin became [...]

Matakuri Lodge one of the worlds great hotels

Matakuri Lodge, a luxury hotel, situated in Queenstown New Zealand, has been rated as one of the world’s most desirable hotels by luxury US travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller. The hotel has been named in their much sought after list for 2011 which includes hotels from 30 countries.

The announcement was made this week at a [...]

Modern history of New Zealand

The country decided in 1901 against joining the Commonwealth of Australia, and remained a colony until 1907, when New Zealand was awarded the status of a Dominion and was therefore almost independent of Britain.

Over the entire colonial period to the recent presence across the country it proved to be a particularly loyal ally of Britain. [...]

Prince William visits New Zealand quake area

From all accounts, Prince William’s brief visit to New Zealand last week was a positive experience for all concerned. In a refreshingly low-key approach, the Prince was greeted by the Prime Minister, John Key and Sir Anand Satyanand, the Governor General; no rowdy crowds of fans and for that matter no protestors.

This was [...]

New Zealand writer’s cookbook is icing on the cake

The South Pacific Islands could be the next culinary big thing, after a cookbook featuring cuisine from there, beat off stiff competition, including a book from the World’s best restaurant last year, Copenhagen’s Noma Restaurant, to win the coveted title of best cookbook at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for 2010.

Me’a Kai, written by Robert [...]

Christchurch immigration extends visa’s after quake

Because of the powerful earthquake in Christchurch immigration New Zealand has approved issuing automatic six-month visa extensions foreign nationals whose student, visitor or work visa applications cannot be processed.

Causing widespread devastation and death the earthquake struck at 12:51 pm Tuesday 10km southeast of the city and registered a magnitude of 6.3. Immigration’s Christchruch is [...]

Over 100 whales die on New Zealand beach

It would appear that New Zealanders are not having a whale of a time, as a group, known as a ‘pod’ of 107 pilot whales have all died. Forty-eight of them had to be put to sleep using humane methods.

The group was found on Sunday by a group of walkers on Stewart Island. They called [...]

Agriculture of New Zealand

Since the beginning of European settlement, agriculture in the form of sheep farming was an important pillar of the New Zealand society.

Meanwhile, New Zealand in the second half of the 19th Century, there was a gold rush in the South Island, and lived through an economic crisis due to the approach of wool prices. Nevertheless, [...]

Peter Jackson’s Hobbit New Zealand actor’s nightmare

It has been reported that NZ Actors Equity may be negatively effecting Sir Peter Jackson’s production of the Hobbit. This was revealed by spokesmen for the producer/director’s company, Wingnut Films. It appears that all of this surrounds a dispute between the Actors Equity and Jackson over wages being paid on the current production.

The [...]

New Zealand public try to push stranded whales back into water

Early this Friday, rescue volunteers’ efforts to refloat fifteen pilot whales ended in vain. This comes just as fifty-eight of these same whales died previously. The whales washed onshore to an isolated beach in New Zealand.

These magnificent mammals weigh an astounding 3,300 pounds or the equivalent of 1,500 kilograms, which is what makes this task [...]

New Zealand gambler refused winnings because he banned himself from casino

New Zealand is one of the countries that offers help to those who are addicted to gambling. A gambler who decides he’s losing too much but can’t stay away from the casinos can put himself or herself on a casino’s list of people who are not allowed to gamble, and presumably be barred [...]

Auckland teenager survives 160ft fall

A teenager in Auckland, New Zealand, has survived a 160 foot fall from a high-rise apartment. A neighbour of the same apartment building called the ambulance after seeing the boy fall passed his balcony.

The teenager was rushed to hospital after crashing though a parking building roof. Doctors believe the roof made from corrugated steel may [...]

New Zealand Shackleton’s Antarctic whisky to be thawed after 100 years

Five crates of Brandy and Mackinlay’s Scotch Whisky were discovered by an Antarctic Heritage Trust team in 2006 while restoring a hut erected by Sir Ernest Shackleton of Britain while on his expedition of the Antarctic in 1908.

One of the crates, labelled Mackinlay’s Whisky, has been retrieved this year and transported to Christchurch in New [...]

New Zealand National Cycle Trail on its way

The proposal for a new cycleway called ‘Alps to Ocean’ has progressed to the final funding stage of the project called Noa Haerenga by the National Cycle Trail.

In February the proposal was just one of the final 13 to make the shortlist out of 54 applications across the nation and now has progressed into the [...]

New Zealand man shot by his dog

Police believe that an animal pulled the trigger of a .22 bolt rifle in what has been described as a freak accident. A 40 year old dog owner was stepping into the rear seat of a four wheel drive vehicle when the animal jumped in and hit the riffle that was sitting next to him.

The [...]

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