Travel&Vacation

Statistics New Zealand figures showed a 4.3 percent decline in national accommodation sales for the month on a year-on-year basis. Most regions experienced a downturn, with Bay of Plenty, Otago and Auckland suffering the biggest drops. Alongside Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, Wellington posted an increase in guest nights. The western Taranaki, Wanganui and Manawatu regions also recorded small increases. While November figures were most likely boosted by political supporters and National Party entourages after the October election, the city held up resoundingly well all year. Wellington has had a single month of declining year-on-year visitor numbers in 2008, with August down 2.5 per cent on the previous August. Positively Wellington Tourism chief executive David Perks said
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For the mere act of transporting us from shore to shore we can thank Carnival Cruise Lines. But for making this cruise a special cruise, about you and me and the music, and not just an ordinary cruise, we have to thank Simple Man Cruise. And for the money they’re laying down to charter this wonderful cruise, we have to thank Sixthman. This cruise turned out to be four days of nonstop music and sun and fun. I even told my editors I’d need a week to recuperate when I got back. They thought I was joking! Obviously these wankers have never been on one of the Simple Man Cruises. Billed as the Simple Man 2009 Cruise, it was hosted by Lynyrd Skynyrd. We were due to cast off at 1600 hours, and when we weighed anchor it was to the sound of music on the Lido Deck. But you could hear the
(Read the full post about ‘Music Review … with a Cruise Thrown In’…)

The fake YouTube video is just another example of Australian advertising agencies' "crude" use of social media to promote brands, a marketing expert says. In its latest campaign, Tourism Queensland invited people to send in a 60-second video of themselves to apply for a $150,000 caretaker job for Hamilton Island, which it dubbed "the best job in the world". Local and international media outlets last week reported thousands of applicants had already sent in videos, including an Australian woman called "Tegan" who supposedly showed herself visiting a tattoo parlour to get a 10-centimetre tattoo proving her love for the Great Barrier Reef. But Tourism Queensland has since admitted "Tegan" was not a genuine applicant, but a member of the ad agency
(Read the full post about ‘Paradise job ad phoney revealed’…)

It's hard not to think of Norman when you're spending the weekend at The Vintage. His craggy, hatted features are festooned on posters throughout the development in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine district. The Queenslander, who notoriously blew more majors than he won, designed the course a decade ago. Today it is regarded as one of the finest golf courses in Australia. Friends will vouch for the fact that I'm a pathetic golfer. But the A$39 ($48) nine-hole dash after 4pm (including an electric buggy) is too attractive to miss. Especially as I've got two caddies on hand, not one. My six-year-old, no sports fan, loves being the scorer because he can practise his maths (though my embarrassing score isn't helped by the three or four shots he adds to each hole).
(Read the full post about ‘Fairway to heaven’…)

Wynn’s Encore Resort in Las Vegas offers an exciting new make-up service. It is not simply a make-up application, but an actual lesson. Jennifer — my tall, blonde, well dressed (and perfectly made-up) beautician — greets me in the super swank, very elegant Salon which looks out over the lush Wynn property and offers floor to ceiling views of the city. You will find the Salon so large and airy you feel good just being here, especially if you are lucky enough to be pampered by the expert staff. “Come to my table,” Jennifer says, beckoning me to her private and impeccably clean spot near the window. Introducing myself, I explain that I’ve been doing my make-up the same way for a few months now, and wanted an expert’s opinion of what I am doing right and what needs improvement.
(Read the full post about ‘Beauty Treatment Review: The Salon at Wynn Encore Resort, Las Vegas’…)

The three New Zealand sites are among 261 nominees from across the globe to make it through to the quarterfinal phase of the New Seven Wonders of Nature competition, run by a Swiss-based non-profit foundation. New Zealand's scenery is up against some tough competition – the Grand Canyon, the Dead Sea and Mt Everest are all on the list, while across the Tasman, nominations include Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. The public can help to whittle down the list to 77 semifinalists through online voting, open till July 7. A panel of nature experts chaired by Federico Mayor, former chief of Unesco, will then cull the list to 21 finalists. The seven winners will then be chosen in another round of public voting lasting till 2011, this time by Internet, telephone and text messages. The
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“Asian fusion is so…2008!” proclaims a Barbie blonde holding court in the Wazuzu restaurant at the new Wynn Encore resort in Las Vegas. Like many of the glamorous diners at this most exotic restaurant, Barbie conducts herself with the air of a sophisticated “foodie” – a term used to describe an individual who is always the first to check out a new restaurant or identify a new cuisine trend. What Barbie does not yet realize is that the cuisine at Wazuzu is not Asian fusion. Instead, it is Pan Asian Bistro. So, what’s the difference? According to Chef Jet Tila, the term refers to Asian food in its purest form. Unlike Asian fusion, which mixes all Asian flavors together, Chef Jet offers dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Korea, and Japan that reflect the spices and flavors of the
(Read the full post about ‘Restaurant Review: Wazuzu at the Wynn Encore Resort, Las Vegas’…)

Cook appeared out of the haze and we were expecting big things. This former Outback service town once boasted 300 residents, a hospital, school, swimming pool, airstrip, cemetery, red earth golf course and even a brass band. How times have changed. Ravaged by the privatisation of the railways and extreme urbanisation, Cook now has only four residents. Empty, derelict homes lie scattered across a flat, dusty, fly-infested slab of earth, the swimming pool has been filled with pumice, and the brass band is just a memory on the wind. Then, four times a week, the Indian Pacific train rolls into town, bringing hundreds of passengers who buy teaspoons, bat away the persistent flies, take identical photographs of the historic jail, and swiftly flee back inside to the comfort of the train
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However, an Air New Zealand spokesman said its A320s, including the one that crashed, are equipped with rival International Aero Engine V2500s plant. The directive from European and United States aviation authorities, comes as mystery continues as to the cause of the Air New Zealand crash off the coast of southern France. Five New Zealanders and two Germans died in the November 28 crash during a test flight. On December 14, an Air France Airbus A321 a stretched version of the A320 suffered a double engine stall as it climbed out of Tunisia, bound for Paris. Passengers heard loud bangs from both of its CFM International 56 engines and the stalling occurred as pilots eased back on power. The engines are designed to not close down on stalling and power was quickly resumed. The aircraft made
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Qantas New Zealand general manager Grant Lilly said one return weekday flight would be cut from January 26 till early March to allow one of its eight Boeing 737s to undergo heavy maintenance. The disruption comes as schools return in early February, followed by Waitangi weekend. House of Travel retail director Brent Thomas said the cancelled flights "will mean significant rerouting of people". There would be no Qantas flights from Wellington to Auckland between an 8.30am and a 4pm flight during the week, or Auckland to Wellington between 7am and 4.30pm. Some people might have to travel a day earlier or change airlines, Mr Thomas said. Mr Lilly said most passengers would be rebooked on other Qantas flights, within two hours of their original departure time. Passengers who could
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