Blog New Zealand Travel News
This Blog shows the newest travel related information for New Zealand. Additional information can be found in our travel guide section, see navigation menu at the top of this page.
Christchurch is back for 2012
Saturday, 24-Mar-2012Vibrant year ahead for Christchurch – Canterbury
Christchurch city and the Canterbury region are in full swing for 2012 hosting international buskers, golfers and garden aficionados this summer, with plenty more to come.
Described by the Lonely Planet as a “vibrant city in transition, coping resiliently and creatively,” Christchurch is showing off its vibrancy with new developments popping up all over the place.
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the city of Christchurch will take time to recover, but the resilience of the tourism industry is phenomenal.
Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter says that as the city approaches the one year anniversary of the February earthquake, the sense of optimism in the region is strong.
“Christchurch and the Canterbury region have continued to welcome visitors to the area over the past year. There is a vibrant range of tourism activities and experiences for visitors to enjoy during their stay both in Christchurch and the surrounding regions.
Mountain biking video web series for Queenstown
Tuesday, 14-Feb-2012Queenstown, New Zealand (31 January 2012) – A cutting edge youth-oriented video web series showcasing Queenstown’s diversity as a top mountain biking destination has been launched worldwide.
Destination Queenstown is a sponsor of Diaries Down Under’s inspirational new four-part ‘Summer Series’ which follows riders tackling some the region’s best terrain as well as enjoying the spectacular lake and alpine scenery and world-class experiences Queenstown has to offer.
The series is presented by local personality and mountain bike aficionado Josh Clark and captured by cameraman Ben Ryan. Destination Queenstown previously partnered with the Diaries Down Under team for their highly successful Winter Series.
The episodes will air throughout the summer season and are expected to attract a web audience of around 75,000 per episode as well as reaching a television audience of 300,000 per episode on Fuel TV in Australia.
Destination Queenstown CEO Tony Everitt said the Winter Series was so successful that it was a “natural progression” to partner with Diaries Down Under to promote mountain biking.
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Hokitika Wildfoods Festival — unusual food awaits you
Wednesday, 08-Feb-2012Saturday 10 March, 2012 (South Island, West Coast)
Creative foodies with a taste for wild fare have put the small town of Hokitika – on New Zealand’s South Island West Coast – on the international culinary map with an adventurous food festival that attracts thousands of intrepid gourmets.
From a grassroots local celebration, the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival has evolved over two decades into one of the world’s quirkiest food events – a gastronomic celebration of the weird but tasty wild foods harvested from the Coast’s bountiful forests, land, fresh waterways and ocean.
When the 23rd edition of the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival takes place on Saturday 10 March 2012, the little seaside town (pop: 3400) will welcome the biggest crowd of the year – up to 15,000 eager stomachs to satisfy with a bewildering spread of food stalls purveying delicacies destined to exercise the tastebuds of both the discerning and daring.
Te Araroa – 3000 km / 1864 mi walking trail opens
Saturday, 17-Dec-2011A 35-year dream came to life on Saturday (3.12.2011) with the opening of the completed Te Araroa Trail – a new 3000km hiking adventure that travels the length of New Zealand
‘Te Araroa – The Long Pathway’ will join a select group of the world’s epic walking trails, such as the famed Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Pacific Crest and Appalachian trails in North America.
While intrepid hikers will want to take on the complete journey – a three-month odyssey through iconic New Zealand landscapes – the trail is formed from a network of regional pathways offering shorter excursions to appeal to both serious and leisure walkers
The trail begins at Cape Reinga, on the tip of New Zealand’s North Island, and ends at Bluff – a fishing port at the southernmost extremity of the South Island. Midway, it passes through the capital city, Wellington.
Epic production
If the trail is an epic journey, there’s another epic in the tale of Kiwi ‘can do’ which saw the development of this project from a dream into a 3000km reality.
The trail was first talked about more than 35 years ago when the New Zealand Walkways Commission – which eventually became the Department of Conservation (DOC) – was formed. However, most material progress has happened over the past decade.
Te Araroa has been master minded by a charitable trust of like-minded volunteers, and hundreds of passionate volunteer workers who’ve helped develop the tracks and signposting.
No one knows the story better than Kiwi journalist and Trust founder Geoff Chapple who began to campaign for Te Araroa in the ‘90s with a newspaper article that described the proposal as “patriotic, but also practical”.
Chapple – whose promotion included walking the proposed route – saw Te Araroa from a community perspective, with construction of the trail creating jobs, and the completed trail bringing tourists and business to remote rural areas.
Dream fulfilled
On the eve of the realisation of his dream, Chapple says that he is feeling “in a word – fulfilled”.
“In 1994 I wrote a newspaper article demanding action for a Kiwi long trail and the lesson there is ‘ Be careful what you write. It gains power and can take you over.’
“It took me over for 17 years but they were years of exploration and reward. We resurrected many of the old Māori routes, and discovered a wellspring of popular support and generosity.”
Although figures have not been finalised, Chapple said that “about 1650km or 55% of the route comprised new linkages to existing trails”.
In some cases this involved building new tracks, or erecting signposts on routes that were already legal access – such as coastline – but not recognised as track.
The remaining 45% already existed, though some were just remote routes that were very rough and seldom used, Chapple said.
New Zealand landscapes
Te Araroa traverses a range of New Zealand landscapes from coastal lowlands to native forests, and into hill country, alpine and volcanic landscapes. It includes sections that offer day, overnight and multi-day excursions for shorter trips.
In the North Island, there is a lengthy water section – about 11% of the distance – which is travelled by kayak. This is “mainly on the Whanganui River, a rather beautiful journey,” Chapple said.
A few sections can be cycled, including a 58km section across the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island.
Guide book
The route is signposted and a new guide book, due to be released this week, will help walkers to make the most of their travels.
Studies have predicted that approximately 100 people annually will walk the length of the country, 2000 people will do multi-day walks in the North Island, and 1000 in the South Island.
Around 7000 people will walk overnight sections, and 350,000 people will use the trail for day walks.
By the mid-2000s and well ahead of the trail’s completion, eager walkers were already hitting the trail – up to 10 a year, using roads as by-passes where necessary.
Trail opening
The trail’s official opening is set to take place on the Wellington sea shore at the spot where the North Island trail ends.
New Zealand’s Governor-General, Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae, will open the trail, with satellite links to simultaneous ceremonies at the northern and southern ends.
The opening coincides with the release of The Walking Guide to Te Araroa, written by Geoff Chapple and published by Random House.