Media Centre

Tourism groups vow to fight 17pc hike in Aussie departure tax
Australia's tourism lobby groups are getting in behind a challenge to that nation's 17 per cent hike in departure tax, which may squeeze New Zealand's biggest source of visitors.Australia's federal government announced an increase...

Analyst cuts back outlook for SkyCity
An analyst has slashed SkyCity's financial outlook and warned of risks to the transtasman business.After SkyCity revised its own financial forecasts, Morningstar analyst Nachi Moghe issued a new detailed analysis yesterday, cutting...

Herald on Sunday Editorial: No time for reefer madness panic
Both as Tourism Minister and as Prime Minister, John Key has done the right thing in reacting swiftly to the news that three adventure-tourism operators who died in accidents had traces of cannabis in their systems.Lance Hopping,...

More choppers buzz above glacier
A surge in the number of helicopters buzzing Franz Josef Glacier township is being welcomed by locals, despite the increased noise.The Department of Conservation has granted a temporary concession to Franz Josef Glacier Guides to...

Oz puts up cost of flying Tasman
Crossing the Ditch has just become more expensive.Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan's Budget has increased departure tax by 17 per cent, adding to the cost of an Aussie holiday and infuriating the tourism industry.The tax will rise...

Air NZ sees bright horizon in Oz mining boom
Air New Zealand is hoping to cash in on the West Australian minerals boom by offering more seats and luxury to rich, fun-loving miners on its Perth services.The airline will boost capacity on Auckland-Perth by 20 per cent from September...

The Hollyford Track: Land of ripping yarns
Fortunately, there are no Australians in our group. "I need to warn you about dangerous plants," says Mike soon after we begin our three-day hike along the Hollyford Valley. He points to the leafy shrub beside him. "This is tutu....

Waitomo: Descent into the labyrinth
My long descent into the dark labyrinth is marked by a deathly silence save for the intermittent sound of dripping. A single drop of acidic water is falling fifteen metres every few seconds, resonating eerily within the cylindrical...

Hauraki: Trail blazers
It's embarrassing to admit that I have spent a lifetime driving through the Hauraki Plains en route to the beaches of the Coromandel, whistling past the towns at 100kph with only the odd stop for fish and chips. Maybe I have been...

Whangarei: Almost all our own handiwork
The distinctive sound of Pink Floyd was blasting across the room as I proudly put the finishing touches to my very own bone carving of a fishhook in the shape of a whale's tail.A pity their Learning To Fly wasn't playing, I thought....

Domestic business travel surges in 2011
There was a big jump in domestic travel last year, with an 11.3 per cent increase in overnight trips by local tourists.According to latest tourism survey run by the Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand travellers made 17.7...