News of New Zealanders via Global Media

Biking Across the World

Biking Across the World

Kiwis turn up in the most extreme places. The Copper Canyon region of Mexico is hardcore: the roads are rocks-strewn, pot-holed and dusty. Typical terrain includes dizzying curves, steep switchbacks and narrow passageways. Intrepid mountain-biking Kiwi Blair…

Thigh-deep in Flyfishing

Thigh-deep in Flyfishing

What does New Zealand have in common with Argentina, Russia and Alaska? No, not an “a” in the name – they’re all “flyfishing glamour spots”. Thomas McGuane chronicles his time standing thigh-deep in glamorous rivers in his new…

Air NZ Freshener

Air NZ Freshener

Air New Zealand is helping the in-transit global citizen feel more at home by offering amenity kits to make passengers feel fresh as a daisy when they debark. First Class flyers get aromatherapy kits to combat…

Hold on to Your Stetsons – Fly-by-wire Hits Texas

Hold on to Your Stetsons – Fly-by-wire Hits Texas

New Zealander Neil Harrap, developer of the fly-by-wire concept is bringing his innovative and heart-pounding flight simulation ride to Texas. With the right stuff – $75 – you can pilot a 24-horsepower open aircraft at heights…

Gaping Gandalf

Gaping Gandalf

In the The Grey Book, acclaimed actor Sir Ian McKellen’s diary of the Lord of the Rings film shoot, McKellen raves about the scenery: “New Zealand would amaze and enrapture anyone who responds to the wild landscapes of…

Just Add Soap and Hey Presto: 20m Geyser!

Just Add Soap and Hey Presto: 20m Geyser!

In the notes and queries section of the Guardian a reader enquires about the practice of putting soap down geyser spouts to stimulate eruption. Leo Pyle elaborates on the science of the practice by refering to…

Edge Exposure

Edge Exposure

Fiona McCann might have frozen as she hitchhiked around the South Island, but she was comforted by the warmth of Kiwi hospitality in “the thrill inducing, stomach curdling adventure capital of the world”. On the soft side…

Taking You to the Edge … and Jumping Off

Taking You to the Edge … and Jumping Off

“Not so long ago, New Zealand was finding it hard to shake off its “beautiful but boring” tag. It may have been renowned for its spectacular scenery – dramatic mountains and sweeping coast lines -…

On Taupo Pond

On Taupo Pond

Sucking the marrow out life isn’t quite as easy as it seems: “I once sat for a whole day fishing on New Zealand’s Lake Taupo, enjoying the sunshine and the superlative smoked salmon … pretending to…

The Panthenon, the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower … Christchurch?

The Panthenon, the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower … Christchurch?

In a Chicago Tribune survey of readers’ favourite man-made destinations, Christchurch came in tied for 14th as the place most readers would like to travel to, ahead of the Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower of Pisa and Disney…

Cut Along and Make It Your Own Way: Magnificent Cycling on the Road

Cut Along and Make It Your Own Way: Magnificent Cycling on the Road

The South China Morning Post’s took the North to South bicycle route through through the magnificent volcanic landscapes, tumbling glaciers and rugged coastlines of Aotearoa, and reflected back in the office: “Already I was yearning to be…

Xerox CEO Finds Copy of Heaven in Godzone

Xerox CEO Finds Copy of Heaven in Godzone

Asked to describe his most memorable trip, Dodo Cu-Unjieng, CEO of Philippine Fujitsu Xerox, answers (of course): New Zealand. “We were constantly overwhelmed by the beauty of the country. We would comment that when God…

Scotland Looks for the Edge

Scotland Looks for the Edge

Facing dwindling tourism numbers and the problem of how to overcome the bad service and the apocryphal deep-fried Mars bars, the Scotsman’s Peter Irvine is looking to the edge: “one threat to tourism in Scotland comes from…

So Far – So Good

So Far – So Good

The discerning readers of the Guardian and Observer have voted New Zealand as their favourite long-haul travel destination. “It is the Caribbean and the English countryside, Antarctica and California, Sydney and Gleneagles all rolled into one….

Gung Ho Tourism

Gung Ho Tourism

After China agreed to grant New Zealand “approved destination” status, Air China, the national carrier, will begin direct flights to Auckland, a move likely to spur further the growth of New Zealand tourism and NZ-China friendship. For…

Kiwi Whispering on Stewart Island

Kiwi Whispering on Stewart Island

The New York Times experiences the thrill of the chase in Kiwi country. “I realised I had been holding my breath, so I exhaled. The whole experience had lasted less than five minutes, but it had…

Party-on in ‘one of the Hippest Cities on the Pacific Rim’

Party-on in ‘one of the Hippest Cities on the Pacific Rim’

The Guardian reports that Auckland, ‘more like the Riviera than the outskirts of Polynesia’, is having a hard time coming down from the highs of the America’s Cup victory. All part of ‘a burgeoning café culture to challenge…

Cruising New Zealand: Come Aboard We’re Expecting You …

Cruising New Zealand: Come Aboard We’re Expecting You …

Cruising is the ideal way to see New Zealand, in nine days The Times correspondent saw things exciting and new: the spectacular Marlborough Sounds, dazzlingly beautiful Picton Harbour, Wellington, “a city impossible to absorb in a day”,…

The “Most Beautiful Scenery on Earth” … with an Ecological Edge

The “Most Beautiful Scenery on Earth” … with an Ecological Edge

LA Times travel writer John Fretter has a romantic environmental encounter on Fjordland Ecology Tour’s ketch. “In front of us was a giant geologic amphitheatre, the passengers fell silent and ceased all activity, even breathing, some said.  the emotional…

Queenstown in World’s Ten Best Places for Mountain Biking

Queenstown in World’s Ten Best Places for Mountain Biking

“Queenstown has a deserved reputation as the extreme sport’s capital of the southern hemisphere, and the mountain biking is nothing short of crazy.  Gorgeous scenery that assaults the senses with waterfalls and snow-capped mountains.”

South Sea Sojourn: Discovery Explores Abel Tasman National Park

South Sea Sojourn: Discovery Explores Abel Tasman National Park

Discovery’s Natasha Nowakowski gets immersed in the colourful allure of the “unique and exhilarating” Abel Tasman National Park. Kayaking around the steel-blue waters to the isolated white sandy beaches, emerald-green lagoons, sentrious cliffwalls and lustrously sodden forests…

On the Road the New Zealand Way

On the Road the New Zealand Way

Discovering along the journey Hone Heke, the ‘inventive’ Richard Pearse and the Kauri Gum Rush, Road & Track takes to the other side of the street on the great New Zealand road-trip. “Was I interested? Which…

Did You Know That New Zealand Has More to Offer Than Sheep and Trout Fishing?

Did You Know That New Zealand Has More to Offer Than Sheep and Trout Fishing?

The Chicago Tribune goes for the salubrious response to the searching question.

Streaming Coolness Reveals Beautiful Form at Tekapo Canal

Streaming Coolness Reveals Beautiful Form at Tekapo Canal

From the Bangkok Post: “Simple and beautiful, these little stones reveal the time it takes to be ‘cool’ inside and out.”

Ten Million Leap over the Edge

Ten Million Leap over the Edge

Bungee jumping, inspired by a South Pacific rite, was commercialised world-wide by New Zealander A.J. Hackett, who established the Kawarau river bridge site near Queenstown in 1988. This year the 10 millionth person across the world took the…

Nicola Barker, Winner of the World’s Most Lavish Award for Fiction, Gets Lyrical About Dunedin

Nicola Barker, Winner of the World’s Most Lavish Award for Fiction, Gets Lyrical About Dunedin

Spreading her wings in wide open spaces, Nicola Barker in the Observer immerses heartily herself in Dunedin nature and culture and comes up smiling. “This is a happy, happy place. The Albatross shows us its fluffy…

Kea Aura: Cool Queenstown is a Hot Destination

Kea Aura: Cool Queenstown is a Hot Destination

Tipped to be the hottest destination for trendsetters travelling Down Under this summer – not just because of its Winter Ice festival, when the whole community goes crazy with street parties, jazz parades and night skiing, but…

Thrills and Spills in Testosterone City

Thrills and Spills in Testosterone City

“Fly is the epitome of the New Kiwi, chattier than the chattiest Aussie, more fashionable than the most fashionable Aspenite”. Minty Church gets a personal introduction to the daredevil sports Mecca of Testosterone City, aka Queenstown,…

Black Holes, Time Travel and Ramjets

Black Holes, Time Travel and Ramjets

Vanessa Collingridge explores the cosmic questions with a little help from Te Papa: “The nearest I’ve ever been to wormholes as entertainment was in a New Zealand museum …”

‘Gardeners Get out Your Pruners’ –  New Zealand is the Leading Destination in Booming Garden Tourism Market

‘Gardeners Get out Your Pruners’ –  New Zealand is the Leading Destination in Booming Garden Tourism Market

In the English-speaking world, New Zealand (with a much lusher climate than Australia) is becoming popular because you can enjoy gardens from October through February, thanks to the equitorial inversion of seasons.

If You’re Setting for a Stylish Sail – Point Your Compass to Auckland

If You’re Setting for a Stylish Sail – Point Your Compass to Auckland

Global style bible Wallpaper launches its on-line version with a global navigator ‘consular service’ that profiles the world’s most chilled destinations for the urban explorer – including a prominent guide to Auckland, advising on…

“It’s All Too Beautiful”

“It’s All Too Beautiful”

Our pal, LA Times travel writer Mike Mcintyre needs electronic help to get a certain tune out of his head as he hikes New Zealand’s scenic tracks.

Snow Must Go On

Snow Must Go On

If you’re itching for deep powder and big mountains there is no better place to visit between late June and mid October. Not only is NZ one of the most beautiful places in the world, it’s…

Hotspots: Wellington, New Zealand

Hotspots: Wellington, New Zealand

With more cafes per capita than New York, the city has been transformed into one of the country’s leading holiday destinations “… whether you choose to eat, drink or just relax you can’t escape Wellington’s beautiful…

If You’re Setting for a Stylish Sail – Point Your Compass to Auckland

If You’re Setting for a Stylish Sail – Point Your Compass to Auckland

Global style bible  Wallpaper launches its on-line version with a global navigator ‘consular service’ that profiles the world’s most chilled destinations for the urban explorer – including a prominent guide to Auckland, advising on such essential issues…

Quietly Evolving: Auckland Smooth

Quietly Evolving: Auckland Smooth

“Auckland is a city without an edge and the locals don’t seem to mind” – well it doesn’t fit the brief, but …

New Zealand Has No Edge

New Zealand Has No Edge

“It’s like a beauty queen, gorgeous, but dull”, writes LA Times travel writer Mike Mcintyre … rage, rage against the impudence!

America’s Cup: New Zealand Style

America’s Cup: New Zealand Style

“Is this Monte Carlo, Rio de Janeiro, Cannes or Santa Catalina, the playground of California’s rich and famous?” Auckland, New Zealand’s “City of Sails”, must have been tourism’s best-kept secret destination – the Pacific’s own Riviera –…

New Zealand Destination of Choice for Wall Street’s Status Sleepers

New Zealand Destination of Choice for Wall Street’s Status Sleepers

One of the most shocking news stories of 1999 was a Wall Street Journal article revealing that Jeff Bezos gets eight hours of sleep every night.

I Think It Can

I Think It Can

As the Southern Alps loom into view, Douglas Rogers seriously doubts whether his train can complete New Zealand’s greatest railway journey.

Breakers Go for Broke

Breakers Go for Broke

US co-ed are looking for a spring-break change and NZ is on the bikini-trail.  “Europe is big this year”, she says, “So is Australia and New Zealand.  People are spreading their wings”.

Wellington: A Village with Skyscrapers

Wellington: A Village with Skyscrapers

“Kia-ora Wellington: All the high-tech architecture in the world cannot disguise the fact that New Zealand’s capital city is still a village at heart.  Paul Gogarty ventures into a very enjoyable timewarp”.

Natural Born Thriller

Natural Born Thriller

Adrenalin junkies flock to the adventure playground of the world for a big fix of bungee- jumping or white-water rafting. David Davies settles for a gentler approach to Godzone country.

The Coolness of the Kiwi Wild

The Coolness of the Kiwi Wild

From the Evening Standard online edition: “Huka Lodge epitomised the essence of New Zealand: a seductive blend of wilderness and sophistication. The scenery is still jaw-droppingly beautiful … but since I visited five years ago it seems that boringly…

New Zealand Scenery Backdrop for Prehistoric Computerised Dinosaurs

New Zealand Scenery Backdrop for Prehistoric Computerised Dinosaurs

BBC’s acclaimed Walking with the Dinosaurs: Behind the scenes, Programme 5 “Spirits of the Ice Forest”.