NZ Holidaymaker -- Issue #009 -- October 2006

Table of contents

1 The world's coolest travel destination
2 National award for Spaceships Ltd
3 Number of camping sites declining
4 Campervan Jewels
5 101 Must Do's for Kiwis (and for Tourists!)
6 Free public concerts in Auckland

The world's coolest travel destination

What do you think is the world's coolest travel destination? According to a poll held by British style project CoolBrands it's New Zealand: it's the hippest place on earth, hipper than Morocco and Fiji, and also hipper than Australia, which occupies a fifth place! CoolBrands is the 'barometer of a brand's cool factor', and was established in 2001 by a British brand consultancy firm. A panel of 23 style experts from the arts, fashion and entertainment sectors judged the poll. The award was the second British award for New Zealand in September; it had already been named best destination in Conde Nast Traveller Magazine.


National award for Spaceships Ltd

Spaceships Ltd, a campervan rental company based in Auckland, has recently won a national marketing and e-commerce award by the TIA, the Tourism Industry Association. Spaceships rents sleepervans: vans with seats that convert to beds, but without an onboard toilet. The decision to grant the award to Spaceships caused some dismay among West Coasters, as people who are driving around in campervans that are not self contained, are often using laybys and reserves as toilet stops, which forces local authorities to clean up after them. Spaceships does hand out waste-disposal guidelines and maps to campsites to their customers, who say they spend up to 80 per cent of nights in camping grounds, where they can use toilet blocks. A draft report identifying hot spots says users of campervans without toilets should camp within 5km of public toilets.


Number of camping sites declining

Bad news: according to the Review of Camping Opportunities carried out by the Department of Conservation, there's a noticeable decline in the number of camping grounds around New Zealand. Since 1996, there has been a net reduction of about 70 campgrounds, while the demand has certainly not dropped. Rising land prices, and the pressure to use the land for development, are among the main reasons for the decline. The good news is that the authorities are well aware of the fact that a lack of camping facilities may become a problem, particularly during peak season, and will be considering several options, like opening up Department of Conservation land for camping, and encouraging camping on unused sports fields, open space reserves, and rural school grounds.

Last month, Jasons free annual Holiday Parks and Campgrounds Accommodation Directory has been released again. The guide has been produced annually for 24 years already, and is a good resource to help you with your holiday planning. The printed guide lists 435 places to stay around New Zealand. There's also an online version.

Campervan Jewels

What would you do if you found NZ$20,000 worth of jewellery in your rental campervan? The reason we're asking is because this is what happened to the Roberts family from Auckland. They had rented a campervan last May, and found the jewels hidden in the wiring behind a pannel of the TV and DVD player. They decided to try to track down the owners, which took them several months, because the loss of the jewels was not listed with the campervan company. Eventually they found them on www.stolen-lost.co.nz. So if you loose or find something in your rental campervan, you now know where to start looking!.


101 Must Do's for Kiwis (and for Tourists!)

Do you need some suggestions about what to do and see in New Zealand? Try 101 Must Do's for Kiwis, a site where Kiwis can vote for their favourite New Zealand tourism activity. Next year, this AA campaign will culminate in a television series that will show viewers how people voted. The must-do list of 101 activities/experiences to vote on is created by regional tourism authorities around the country. Have a look at the current top 10 and the comments posted at www.aatravel.co.nz/101-must-dos-for-kiwis/.


Free public concerts in Auckland

What's more enjoyable than sitting in a park on a warm summer's evening and listening to great music? And best of all: for free? Check out this overview of the top 10 free concerts in Auckland this summer (all supported by the Auckland City Council). There's something for everybody: from jazz to reggae and from symphonies to rock!

Happy travels,
Boukeline & Rob
www.new-zealand-camper-van-adventures.com