June 16, 2006
NZ Holidaymaker -- Issue #005 -- June 2006
Table of contents
1 New Zealand for sale?
2 Wellington Walks
3 Online booking facility for Auckland attractions
4 NZ population
5 Redundant foreign coins
6 Google street maps of New Zealand
7 Best time to visit New Zealand
New Zealand for sale?
We might think New Zealand is a beautiful country, but apparently not everybody agrees with us. A couple of weeks ago, somebody tried to sell New Zealand to the highest bidder on eBay Australia. The starting offer was just one cent, but bids quickly went up to A$ 3,000. When eBay found out, they pulled the plug on the auction. In the meantime, 22 bids had been made. The name of the trader has not been made public, but he advertized New Zealand as having the "dodgiest America's cup win ever ... and very ordinary weather".
Wellington Walks
What nicer way to explore a city than by foot? In one of our previous issues we wrote about walks in Christchurch, but Wellington too is a great city to discover by just walking around. There are five different walks in and around the city centre, taking you to places of interest regarding Wellington's art and heritage, and the history of Maori and European settlement in the area. And if you get tired when you're only halfway, just take the bus back to your starting point. The City Circular buses, that serve most of the area covered by the walks, run about every 10 minutes. If you prefer something more of a challenge, choose one of the town belt and reserves walks and walkways, that take you through Wellington's beautiful parks and lets you discover its picturesque views. You'll find printable maps and descriptions of the walks on: Wellington Walks.
Online booking facility for Auckland attractions
It is most likely you've made your campervan reservation months in advance, like your flight to and from New Zealand. If you'd also like to book your tours and excursions ahead of time, you can do so now on the website of Tourism Auckland. Recently they added an online booking facility, which is powered by ZUJI, an online travel company that has access to a lot of different attractions. When you book, you receive instant confirmation for your booking. Check it out at Tourism Auckland.
NZ population
In our April issue, we told you about the number of sheep in New Zealand (39.9 million!). But what about the number of people? Well, the last census was held at March 7 this year, and the provisionary data of the census have just been published: New Zealand's current population is 4.13 million - an increase of almost 8 per cent since the 2001 census. Though all regions showed increases, the Auckland region recorded the highest absolute growth: an increase of 12.4 per cent (145,060 people) to 1,318,700. The Queenstown-Lakes District recorded the most massive growth: 29.2 per cent increase. For the first time, the number of people in the South Island on census night exceeded one million. However, this number was including visitors. Once they're excluded from the count, the usual resident population on the South Island is likely to be less than one million.
Virtual travel to New Zealand
Click here to see a short AVI movie of different landcape scenes around New Zealand.
Illegal coins
On July 31st, when the NZ Reserve bank will issue new 10c, 20c and 50c coins and scrap the 5c piece, a lot of foreign coins that have crept into common usage in New Zealand, will become illegal tender. A survey of coins in circulation has indicated that about 5 percent of the 10, 20 and 5c pieces are foreign - mainly Australian, because they have the same weight and size. These coins have become very familiar to New Zealanders, but be aware that you cannot use them anymore after July 31st. For more information about the new coins, see www.newcoins.govt.nz.
Google street maps of New Zealand
You'd like to find out where the depot of the camper van rental company is located or the hotel where you booked accommodation for your first night in New Zealand? An easy way to find out is by using Goole Maps. Google has put street maps of all New Zealand online, covering the whole country and listing almost every road. See for yourself at Google maps of New Zealand.
Best time to visit New Zealand
Often people write us to ask what's the best time to visit New Zealand. We used to answer that we prefer the weeks between March 15 and the end of April, because there seems to be less travellers during that time of the year, and the weather is still quite nice. But as it turns out the late summer is getting busier as well: according to the Tourism Industry Association there's a greater influx of international travellers during that time: there was a rise of nearly 10% in overseas visitor numbers from April 2005 to April 2006. Apparently many tourists now realise that New Zealand gets very busy during the peak summer period, and decide to travel during the shoulder seasons instead.
Happy travels,
Boukeline & Rob
www.new-zealand-camper-van-adventures.com