New Zealand News

New Zealand News provides a selection of the latest stories about this country from around the world and links to external resources that provide up to date information about NZ.

To keep up to date with new pages and updates to this site the best thing to do is to subscribe to my Blog or follow me on twitter.

Mountain renamed after Avatar Reuters
January 2010
The Southern Sky Column in Zhangjiajie in southern Hunan province has had its named changed to "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain".

Air NZ unveils new 'Skycouch' economy seats By Maria Slade
Janurary 2010
Air New Zealand says it has achieved the "holy grail" of long haul air travel - a lie-flat economy seat.

The truth behind travel coincidences AAP
January 2010
Among the many stories that a traveller brings home in an attempt to entertain waiting family and friends, there's almost always a story about a coincidence.

Road trip: Closer to home By Karen Jackson
January 2010

Kiwis to pass on safety tips to tourists By Esther Harward - Sunday Star Times
Dec 2009
Foreign tourists will be bombarded with basic safety messages this summer because authorities think they don't know how to act in the outdoors. A five-step "Outdoor Safety Code", launched by rescue agencies and the tourism industry, is meant to prevent people doing silly things such as wearing jandals on a bush walk, or taking no food on a mountain hike because they assume there is a shop on the way.

The cost of camping By Cameron Williamson - The Dominion Post
Dec 2009
While you can spend a fortune on creating the ideal, all-mod-cons campsite, a camping holiday still represents great value. "When you compare it with the cost of a motel for a family for a similar number of nights, it's cheap."

More icebergs are drifting towards New Zealand
Nov 2009
Following recent sightings of an approximately 500m-long iceberg last week, there are now at least 20 icebergs in a group that is heading towards NZ. They are spread over a larege area measuring about 1000 kilometres by 700 kilometres.

This one was seen drifting past the South Island

New Zealand is listed in the release of Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2010 guide!
Nov 2009
This Lonely Planet travel guide is an annual collection and this one lists the top travel destinations to go to for the year 2010. "This is a collection of destinations and experiences that we rate as the stuff people really should consider for next year."

Lonely Planet... "Recommending New Zealand’s too obvious, right? You’re looking for something a bit edgier, under the radar or further off the beaten track. But there’s wisdom in the old saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, and last time we checked the land of Maori and hobbits certainly didn’t need repairing. NZ’s checklist of essential experiences remains as strong as ever. Spectacular landscapes abound, from sea-level rainforests to plunging glaciers, geothermal springs and barren volcanic plains. Add a hearty pinch of lens-friendly wildlife, proud Maori culture, and fine food and drink, and it’s easy to see why the natives are so chilled."

Kiwis decide to holiday closer to home for 2009/10 season
October 2009
NZ Tourism indicates that more New Zealanders are taking their holidays in NZ in preference to leaving the country and international travel. This rise in bookings for this year may be that Kiwis have realised there are good deals to be had when booking online during the recession period. This is particularly true of advanced bookings that are made online. Booking online has become the most popular way to book with some agencies reporting a rise in 50% in recent months.

Cruise popularity increases
October 2009
An increasing number of tourists are choosing to travel to New Zealand on a cruise. Read the news stories below...
Cruises-set-to-bring-14m
Superliner-visit-heralds-boom-in-cruise-tourism
Cruising-to-new-heights

New Zealand on Social Media
October 2009
New Zealand tourism is looking to make more use of social media such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook to attract more international visitors to it's shores. Making use of interactive technology in this industry is a must these days. A good example of this is 100% Pure New Zealand on YouTube... see below