Contact Us
Unsubscribe
Send to a Friend
Print This Page
> Email: info@guestnewzealand.com
> Phone: +64 3 366 4486
> Fax: +64 3 366 4452
* A Maori Welcome Ceremony
Issue 7 - May 2008
Why use a service like Guest New Zealand?
Researching your travel online is a starting point for most travelers but when it comes to making decisions about the details such as drive times, where to stay and what to do, nothing beats good local knowledge. At Guest New Zealand we help you make decisions which will make the most of your time and ensure you get to experience the real New Zealand - not just the top tourist attractions.
You pay no extra for our service - we make the bookings on your behalf and provide you with a full and detailed itinerary which includes handy extras like drive times, maps, recommended restaurants, places of interest we have found ourselves on our travels and contact information for Vistor Information Centres. Apart from some domestic flights which offer good rates for early flight bookings, no deposits are required when booking. You are charged 30 days prior to your travel and you recieve all itinerary and vouchers by email, post or courier prior to your arrival.
Until the 30th June 2008, we are offering an Early Travel Planning Bonus for travel over the summer period 1st November - 31st March 2009.
You can call us on our toll free numbers from the UK, USA or Australia to start your planning or you can email us and expect a reply within 12 hours. We have been operating as a travel service for more than 12 years now and we have a huge wealth of knowledge which we continually update to make sure we are ahead of overseas travel agencies.
We can take care of all the details which can be difficult to resolve from home - which size or brand or motorhome has the best beds for you, how long and where you should stay when you first arrive, airport transfers and luggage issues, dietary requirements, traveling with children or other family members and how to best accommodate everyones needs, best transport options to save time, what to bring ... the list goes on.
Once you are in New Zealand, we can arrange for additional services as required and we are available for help and advise while you are here traveling.
We can organise similar travel services for you in Australia and the Pacific Islands to include in your itinerary or for return travel.
We love to travel too - we take great pleasure in making your holiday the best it can possibly be!
Glacier Explorers Boat Tour
Our consultant Angie was at Aoraki/Mt Cook last week and took the Glacier Explorers Trip on the Tasman Glacier terminal lake to see up close the everchanging icebergs and glacier.
Her feedback here says it all!"The trip starts from the Hermitage Hotel Mt Cook with a 15 minute coach transfer, followed by a gentle 30 minute walk to the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake. We then boarded a small boat which seats about 8 people. Even from the shore line the scene is unreal .... you feel like you're in another country/planet ..... to see icebergs that close was just awesome.
For 1.5 hours we explored the lake and got up close enough to touch the icebergs and took lots of photos ... the time just flew by. We had to put our hands in the water for 10 seconds to feel just how cold it was ..... it really hurt ! If you fell in you'd last about 5 mintues. The commentary by our guide/boat driver was very professional and informative, as well as fun. The icebergs floating in the lake are about 300 years old by the time they break off from the glacier.
The views of Mt Cook and the other mountains from the lake/boat are the best you'll ever see. This would have to be the most amazing, stunningly beautiful scenic trip I have ever done. I'm planning on doing the trip again in the summer months as there's a bit more action then with icebergs cracking and rolling over which I'd love to see. I highly recommend this tour to everyone/anyone who visits this area."
Stewart Island
Your editor has just returned from a family holiday on Stewart Island and, although the weather made it's change from summer to winter overnight when we arrived, everyone had a great time. From our well equipped and large house on the hill above Oban, we enjoyed the ever changing sea and the fishing boats coming and going and whenever the rain cleared we were out the door, raincoat clad to take in some fishing of our own and to enjoy some of the fantastic bush walks in the area.
Rakiura National Park accounts for 85% of the island now and walkers can explore the area and stay in well appointed Department of Conservation Huts along the way. Oban also has some excellent accommodation options - I really like the Port of Call, a bed and breakfast lodge perched on a point above the sea and with views back to the South Island.
A boat trip to Ulva Island is a must - this open island sanctuary is predator free and the bird life and flora is flourishing. It is a 15 minute boat ride from Oban and can be combined with a fishing charter trip. Our fishing was very successful with fresh Stewart Island Blue Cod easy to catch and many other species as well.
The Island is becoming a popular off the beaten track destination for New Zealanders and overseas visitors wishing to experience a destination which is quiet and unspoilt.