Wharekauhau Lodge located at Western Lake Rd, Palliser Bay is a luxury lodge with 12 cottages on a 2000-hectare working sheep and beef farm with swimming pool, tennis, croquet on the manicured back law , outdoor spa pool and beauty spa. Modelled on an Edwardian country mansion it is designed by Queenstown architect Fred van Brandenburg. Getting there: It’s a two hour scenic drive or a ten minute helicopter ride from Wellington. Accomodation: There are twelve elegant cottage suites each with a super king bed, spacious private bathroom, open fireplace, fully stocked bar and deep comfortable sofas and chairs. All suites command stunning views overlooking Palliser Bay. Local Attractions: One can enjoy four wheel drive farm and coastal tours, extensive bushwalks, sporting-clay field, spa treatments, horse riding, fishing and hunting are some of the on site activities. Visits to the seal colony and the local vineyards can also be enjoyed. Facilities: 24 Hour Reception, bar & lounge, restaurant, room service, tour desk, dry cleaning / guest laundry, child minding service, disbaled facilities, swimming pool, sauna, spa, currency exchange, business centre, caretakers. For booking and local expert advice: E-mail New Zealand Reservations at book@NewZealandReservations.co.nz Reservation: To confirm a reservation, 25% of the total stay or a current credit card number (with expiry date) to guarantee the booking, should be deposited. Info Charges: From $973 for two, including accommodation, pre-dinner drinks and canapes, four- course dinner and breakfast Well, the Wharekauhau Lodge is the just right place for those who are longing to enrich themselves with a totally novel experience in the lap of opulence and the Mother Nature. Once you visit the place, it would be hard for you to so leave the fabulous place and get back to the worldly life. Source: Stuff
Asian tourists swindled by rogue tourist operators
Rouge tourist operators are damaging nation’s tourism image; they bring busloads of Asian tourists to Australia for holidays and empty their wallets. The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) said that a uniform law was needed to stop this practice followed by rouge operators. Matthew Hingerty, ATEC managing director said: There are some very dodgy people involved in this, particularly in Sydney. They are not doing it for the broad betterment of the Australian tourism industry or for their customers; they treat people as a commodity. He further added that the practice emerged years ago in Queensland but a crackdown in that state caused the rogue operators based overseas to shift their focus to NSW. So, the national approach based on the Queensland model will help in solving this problem. The House of Representatives Economics, Finance and Public Administration Committee will release the report on rogue tourism operators by June. Source: smh
An ancient volcano in Mangere is up for sale
An ancient volcano in Mangere dubbed Pukaki Lagoon Explosion Crater is up for sale. John Prangley is the owner of the land (62-hecaters property on Pukaki Rd.) and would like to sell it as one lot. However, if the property is not sold as one lot, he will consider offers on individual lots. The sale includes 26 hectares of freehold land circling and sloping down to 36.3 hectares of the leasehold land-containing carter, which has been farmed in conjunction with the surrounding freehold land. A drilling program undertaken by Victoria University’s School of Earth Sciences has determined the crater is between 80,000 and 100,000-years-old. The crater is well preserved and relatively unspoilt by urban development. Marty Roestenburg from Bayleys Manukau is handling the sale and the tenders for the property will close on 4 April 2007. If the mere thought of possessing a personal volcanic crater makes you go hmmm, I suppose you have a chance here. Source: stuff
Princess Dawn to brighten Melbourne from next year
Princess Cruises made an announcement on 22 March, 2007 that the 77,000-ton super liner Dawn Princess would operate out of Melbourne for the 2008-09 summer cruising season. Princess Cruises’ spokesperson Katie Lahey said: Basing the Dawn Princess in Melbourne would generate more than $10 million through ship supplies, port fees and visitor spending. The announcement was made on board the Dawn Princess’ sister ship Sapphire Princess at Station Pier which is a 116,000 ton vessel with a capacity of 2,670 passengers and the biggest cruise ship ever to sail into Melbourne. The Dawn Princess has eight restaurants, four pools, five spas, two theatres, a casino, a nightclub and 975 cabins. It can hold up to 1,950 passengers. Princess Dawn’s cruises will brighten the city. The first cruise will be a 28-day trip round Australia from November 28. Source: The Age
Litchfield National Park’s scenic beauty
If the beauty of nature itself inspires you to capture all that it has to offer, I would suggest you to plan a jaunt to Litchfield National Park, Australia. It’s a wonderful place and I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Litchfield National Park is the amazing place with scenic waterfalls, intriguing magnetic termite mounds, historical sites, a wildlife cruise along the majestic Reynolds River and the weathered sandstone pillars of the Lost City. Getting There: You can drive from Darwin into the western corner of the park in two hours, if you chose partly unsealed Cox Peninsula Road or you can take sealed roads through Batchelor via the Stuart Highway and enter Litchifield from the east. When to Visit: You can plan your trip at any time of the year but avoid during wet season. During the wet season most 4 WD tracks are closed. After heavy rainfall some swimming areas become unsafe and are closed for swimming but kiosk and picnic facilities remain open. What to see and do: Throughout the park there are many camping as well as picnic areas some waterfalls are safe to swim in. During the dry season the park is a magnet for people looking for a refreshing swim. Be sure to take plenty of water, sunscreen and insect repellant and yes don’t forget to take your camera along. I’m sure your visit to Litchfield National Park will be awe-inspiring.
TV soaps: Travel industry’s new tool to lure tourists
Are TV shows and movies enormously powerful tools for destination promotion? It seems, yes. In the recent past, the Australian tourism industry started Australian soap named Neighbours which was highly successful in flocking large number of British tourists to Australia. The success and popularity of this soap made Australian Tourism Minister, Fran Bailey to come up with new idea for a Japanese soap. The show starring Japanese actor Yoshino Kimura will feature major tourist icons such as Uluru, the Great Ocean Road and the Sydney Opera House. It is anticipated that the new soap will help luring large number of Japanese tourists and strengthening of the Australian dollar against the yen. The economic value graph of international tourism to Australia is continuously rising and tourism industry expects further increase with this TV soap. Time only will show how far this effort helps encourage Japanese travelers to choose Australia as a relaxing break destination. Source: Stuff
TV soaps: Travel industry’s new tool to lure tourists
Are TV shows and movies enormously powerful tools for destination promotion? It seems, yes. In the recent past, the Australian tourism industry started Australian soap named Neighbours which was highly successful in flocking large number of British tourists to Australia. The success and popularity of this soap made Australian Tourism Minister, Fran Bailey to come up with new idea for a Japanese soap. The show starring Japanese actor Yoshino Kimura will feature major tourist icons such as Uluru, the Great Ocean Road and the Sydney Opera House. It is anticipated that the new soap will help luring large number of Japanese tourists and strengthening of the Australian dollar against the yen. The economic value graph of international tourism to Australia is continuously rising and tourism industry expects further increase with this TV soap. Time only will show how far this effort helps encourage Japanese travelers to choose Australia as a relaxing break destination. Source: Stuff
Hawke’s Bay Wine Country: An Ideal holiday destination
Image credit Hawke’s Bay Wine Country, where the sun shines forever, can certainly prove to be your next ultimate holiday destination. So, if you are the one who avoid chilling winter trips, you don’t have to fret. Also known as the food and wine destination of New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay is the place where a variety of events run throughout the year, including the Harvest Hawke’s Bay fest to celebrate the region’s wine and food, Blues, Brews and BBQ’s festival, and the WETA Wine and Food Festival. All in all, it’s a place for foodies who wish to get entertained in all sorts of ways. Image Credit The region has a diverse range of things to see and do and hosts a number of icon events throughout the year. One of the most spectacular events held in hawke’s bay is the Brebner Print Art Deco Weekend where you will find the glamour, glitz and style of the 1930s come alive. Vintage cars, jazz concerts, dancing, wining and dining, the costumes, and the enthralling surroundings will enrich you with such a fabulous experience, which you will find no where else in New Zealand. Image credit Hawke’s Bay has lots in store for the families also. There are golden sand beaches, the Splash Planet water theme park, public swimming pools and crystal clear rivers. You can swim with dolphins and visit the National Aquarium of New Zealand. Thrill seekers can enjoy hot air ballooning, surfing, caving and paragliding to sailing and windsurfing. Day walks, hunting or fishing and golf are popular past times too. Hawke’s Bay has everything to lure you. The snow-clad mountains, golden sand beaches, water theme parks, serene rivers, and a range of camping options are sure to make your vacation worthwhile. No matter what time of year you visit, there is plenty to see and do in Hawke’s Bay. Source: Stuff
Summer solstice at Stonehenge attracts merrymakers
Extending hugs to beaming passers-by, Laura Tungate, a 26-year-old financial advisor from Newcastle, who has been coming to the solstice ceremony for the past eight years, said:”Happy solstice!” It was the longest day of the year and many people other than Laura assembled near Stonehenge to welcome the sun on Thursday. The crowd included a group of druids clad in antlers, black cloaks and oak leaves, who cheered and danced at the Heel stone, a pillar at the edge of the prehistoric monument. Stonehenge, one of the 20 monuments competing to be named one of the new seven wonders of the world in a massive online poll, was built on the Salisbury Plain 80 miles southwest of London between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C. Though its original purpose is a mystery, some experts say that the monument’s builders aligned the stones as part of their sun-worshipping culture. A huge assembly of 24,000 people gathered at the stone circle in Wiltshire, in southwestern England. As floodlights bathed the ancient pillars in pink and purple hues, revelers danced to the sounds of drums and whistles. In the pre-Christian era, solstice celebrations were highly anticipated. Bonfires, maypole dances, and courtship rituals continue as hangovers from Europe’s pagan past in many countries. In the recent years, however, the World Heritage Site has attracted men and women wanting to have a good time or those seeking a spiritual experience. Unfortunately the celebrations tend to get spoiled when troublemakers join in. The site was closed in 1984 by police following repeated clashes with revelers. Complete access to the Stonehenge resumed in 2000 after the permission of English Heritage, the monument’s caretaker. Other countries celebrate the solstice with equal elan though most postpone it until the last weekend in June. While Swedes will indulge in spiced schnapps, Danes will light bonfires, and Balts and Finns will throng to the countryside to make merry under the midnight sun in one of the most important holidays of the region. Image: Cache
Swansea grabs Australia’s Tidiest Town of 2007 award
Recently restored historical B&B Meredith House owners-Noel Stanley and Neal McDermott with the awards. The picturesque East Coast town, Swansea has won the title of Australia’s Tidiest Town of 2007. It triumphed over 1000 entries in the competition. Before winning the overall tidiest town, Swansea won two sub-categories at the Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Awards in Melbourne on Saturday – the Community Action Award and the award for Heritage and Culture. Swansea’s population has swelled by just 1500 with the arrival of hundreds of lycra-clad cyclists and it supports crews taking part in Bicycle Victoria’s Great Tasmanian Bike Ride. The town boasts of a large number of historic homes and buildings, heritage restoration, colorful banners and well-kept residential gardens. The well-kept gardens, progressive waste management systems and impressive heritage values left a lasting impression on the judges of the award. Recycling and resource recovery initiatives were also the factors which made Swansea the winner. Image Credit Source: Stuff