Two a penny

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Visitor drought means holiday bargains for Kiwis

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Kiwi holidaymakers are likely to reap bargains this summer as the tourist industry turns to the domestic market to drum up business and cheaper baches are made available to rent.
Tourism Industry Association chief executive Tim Cossa said the global recession meant fewer international visitors to New Zealand and Kiwis were more likely to stay closer to home.
Cossa recommends people approach operators directly for discounts and special offers.
Cossa said summer beach destination bookings were holding up but word from the association's 2000 members, including accommodation, attraction and transport operators, suggested most people were delaying their decision on where to go.
Peter Blackwell, AA Tourism general manager, told the Sunday Star-Times he expected some "eye-opening behaviour" from operators this summer. "I'm convinced there will be some good deals this summer," he said."
Many would have to change their attitude towards Kiwi tourists who would become the key to their future. "I believe a lot have built their businesses based on foreign visitors. The top end of the market, such as beachside apartment owners, would be more likely to feel the pinch.
He said New Zealanders were holding out for deals but he urged those planning a camping or holiday park getaway to book now or risk missing out. But visitor numbers were expected to be on a par with other years. ."
Rental rates were down by about 10%.
"The Thames Coromandel District Council rates have gone up so much, more bach owners are renting their properties during the peak season.
"More people are wanting to sleep eight to 10. There was also a glut of baches that slept five or fewer.
Turner said he had 30 properties available for the summer holidays."
This was possibly because families, examining to spread the cost of a holiday, were joining forces. Days in the Bay spokeswoman Marilyn Jones said she had noticed more cases of house owners giving up their properties to rent out.
The trend in the Bay of Islands is the same."
Demand between Christmas and January 10 was still very high, but there were vacancies on either side of those dates, she said. "We do have more properties on the books than we did last year."
It was similar in the South Island's Golden Bay. Demand for bigger houses was also high: "We have two or three families wanting to holiday together. Bookings for the summer were on a par with other years but there had been fewer forward bookings, she said. Bookings for the summer were on a par with other years but there had been fewer forward bookings, she said.
"I think we will really suffer during February and March."
Most of this summer's holidaymakers were from the South Island, she said.

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Getting jet set for takeoff

Friday, 31 October 2008

RichardNowlandwants to be the world's fastest Wellingtonian.
The 27-year-old Ngaio resident is so passionate about his bid to build a jet-car and break all Australasian land speed records that he ordered two former RAF jet engines on the Internet. .
He was inspired by a film about Thrust SSC, the vehicle that set the world land speed record of 1228kmh in 1997.
Previously a real estate developer, Mr Nowland said he was spending up to 70 hours a week on the project, dubbed "JetBlack", which was launched in Lower Hutt last night. It was amazing. "You could see 50-foot shockwaves out each side of it."
He had also watched The World's Fastest Indian "three or four times" and wanted to channel such New Zealand ingenuity – with a hi-tech flavour, he said."
Mr Nowland, who has no background in engineering, said at first he planned to convert a truck engine for his project, but realised it would not be up to the job.
"This has the spirit of guys like Bill Hamilton, Burt Munro and John Britten, but we can't do it in the back shed anymore. "Then I got a message saying I was now the proud owner of two new jet engines.
An air force commander told him a jet engine could cost $1 million, but he decided to put a "cheeky bid" of a few thousand dollars on the 1200-kilogram, 22,000-horsepower monsters on a British website.5km/h toward the end of next year."
His first goal was to knock off the New Zealand land speed record of 347. That done, he would head to a giant salt lake in Australia in 2010 and go for 1000kmh – not too far off the speed of sound. That done, he would head to a giant salt lake in Australia in 2010 and go for 1000kmh – not too far off the speed of sound."
Several businesses had signed up to provide work on the car, but more sponsors were still needed for the multimillion-dollar project, Mr Nowland said. "Everyone who sees the model says it looks like the Batmobile.