New Zealand Travel Blog

You are forgiven for thinking you’re facing a James Cameron Sci Fi set; and one certainly not modeled on anything you would expect to find on this planet. Australia has more than it's fair share of  extra terrestrial looking landscapes that have inspired onlookers for millennia. Here are  just a few to inspire you off the beaten track to see beautiful Australian landscape …

The worldwide premiere for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is just minutes away and New Zealand's capital city Wellington has been rushing to complete it's transformation to make it feel homely for folk with hairy feet and pointy ears. Yesterday stars jetted in for the long-awaited first movie of the Hobbit trilogy. Wellington, where much of the post production has been done, has renamed itself "the Middle of Middle Earth". Fans have had costume parties and Wellington city workers have laid a 500 m (550 yards) red carpet.

The sheer size of Australia means there is a wide variation in climate. These range from a ‘wet’ and a ‘dry’ season in the tropical north, an area that is also prone to cyclones to the outback ‘the Red Centre’ that experiences blistering temperatures with severe droughts.  At the same time down south in Tasmania, an icy breeze from the Antarctica can prevail – So planning your holiday is essential.

In a previous post we discussed the reasons behind the extreme measures New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity New Zealand take to stop you Bringing Food into New Zealand and the possible consequences for both you and the country. Today we are looking at your personal medication and how to bring it through New Zealand Customs with the least amount of hassle.

Named one of the "hippest" cities in the world by the New York Times, rated the third-best place in the world to live in the Mercer's survey and continuously outranking every major Australian city for quality of life - Auckland is not only a great place to live, but also a great place to visit. Describing the City of Sails as being 'geographically blessed' and with a 'vibrant Polynesian culture' the Travellers bible the Lonely Planet recently ranked Auckland, as the top 1 and 2 ‘must do’ experiences when traveling to New Zealand. Lets find out why…………

The Bureau of Meteorology in Australia runs a photographic competition each year. The winning pictures go into a calendar, alongside their stories exploring Australias Seasonal Changes. The calander showcases a carefully selected portfolio of images representing the diversity of Australias highly variable weather and climate. The calendar, now in its 28th year, is published by the Bureau of Meteorology and the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. 

A group of intrepid New Zealanders are undertaking an amazing and some say perilous journey across the Pacific Ocean to Easter Island. They are sailing in a traditional waka hourua (double-hulled sailing canoes) without GPS or modern navigational tools, in a bid to retrace and revitalise the steps of their ancestors in Maori history; the crew are using only the stars and moon with ocean currents to guide them. Traditional methods of navigation waned soon after European settlement in the Pacific.

Once described as "Mardi Gras meets Haute Couture at a Peter Gabriel concert directed by Salvador Dali," This show twists conventional perceptions of art and fashion Welcome to the World of Wearable Art! Individual works of art are designed and animated by the body then choreographed into a two-hour theatrical show. Each year's performance is original and contains elements of dance, music, drama and comedy. Attracting both local and international artists it is now considered one of the most prestigious art and fashion competitions in the world.

Who or what is DOC? 

When travelling through New Zealand and especially if you venture outdoors, you will inevitably see DOC signs and or meet DOC rangers -  But who or what are they?

Well 'DOC' or the 'Department of Conservation'  is the government agency charged with conserving New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage. They have a very cool vision and that is for New Zealand to be the greatest living space on Earth | Kāore he wāhi i tua atu i a Aotearoa, hei wahi noho i te ao.

The Southern Lights, as it is also known, is particularly active in our hemisphere during the winter months. The base is usually seen at about 100km up in the air, and can extend up to a further 300km at the top. This breathtakingly vibrant optical phenomenon is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn (Aurora) and appeared to Tekapo's residents as a  huge green undulating  curtain of light.

With a blatant show of electioneering, the Aurora Australis danced high above the residents of Lake Tekapo this week.