Skip to Content

Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.

Map of the world

newzealand posts

Air New Zealand thinks THIS is an economy seat? (with video)

Air New Zealand thinks THIS is an economy seat? (with video) Jan 28th, 2010 at 4:30PM: Well, Premium Economy, at least. But we've sat in Business Class seats that weren't this comfortable. tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2010/01/28/air-new-zealand-thinks-this-is-an-economy-seat/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; Apparently Air New Zealand has a larger proportion of leisure passengers than other international airlines, so they've focused more of their efforts on enhancing ...

Daily Pampering: Air New Zealand's business class beds

Daily Pampering: Air New Zealand's business class beds Jan 22nd, 2010 at 4:00PM: Have you ever slept better on an airplane than in your own bed? The only time that this has ever happened to me was on an Air New Zealand flight between LA and Auckland, comfortably tucked into the business class cabin on the upper deck of their 747. This business cabin (lower deck pictured above), a ten seat Eden of comfort, good food and endless inflight entertainment is one of the only ...

A Kiwi Christmas

Dec 26th, 2009 at 9:34AM: Christmas in New Zealand is so different than back home. For one, it's hot--really hot, so people tend not to stay indoors around a fake pine tree. Instead, families head to the beach where they camp in droves, eat ham, play cricket, drink a bit of this and that and swim, swim, swim. Also, the endemic Pohutukawa tree is in bloom, painting bursts of bright red stamens all over the place--it's ...

Expedition Review: On Board the MV Orion

Expedition Review: On Board the MV Orion Dec 22nd, 2009 at 10:30AM: Where do people go when they've already been everywhere? On a ship that goes to places nobody else can get to. The MV Orion is such a ship, custom-built for expedition-style travel that takes you to the world's more inaccessible places--place like Papua New Guinea, Australia's wild northwestern Kimberley coastline, the remote corners of Indonesia, the lesser-known side of Antarctica, and as was ...

Icebergs target New Zealand

Icebergs target New Zealand Nov 25th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Hundreds upon hundreds of menacing chunks of ice are headed straight for innocent New Zealand--a country that couldn't hurt a fly even if it had flyswatters for hands. Shipping companies haven't been this fretful since the pirate times of . . . this summer, while the Antarctic tourist industry is rubbing its palms like Mr. Burns. But is it news? Probably not. It's springtime for icebergs in ...

In the Corner of the World: Queenstown

In the Corner of the World: Queenstown Nov 6th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Queenstown is a seemingly quaint town that resides in the shadow of the Southern Alps on New Zealand's South Island. Walking its streets, one could easily mistake it for Boulder, Colorado. But like the American town that it resembles, Queenstown's quiet appearance belies an adventurous spirit that pervades the people and activities that make this hamlet a popular tourist destination all year ...

In the Corner of the World: Fox Glacier

In the Corner of the World: Fox Glacier Nov 5th, 2009 at 1:30PM: The thought of hiking a glacier evokes images of arctic expeditions involving months of travel and thousands of dollars worth of gear. You don't expect anyone to ever describe a trip to a glacier as "convenient" or the hike as "leisurely." But leave it to New Zealand to do everything differently, including seemingly arduous outdoor activities. New Zealand's Fox Glacier is one of the world's ...

In the Corner of the World: TranzAlpine Train

In the Corner of the World: TranzAlpine Train Nov 4th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Railway travel just isn't what it used to be. Gone are the fastidiously dressed conductors checking their pocket watches before yelling, "All aboard!" Gone, too, are the eager young porters loading trunks into the luxury cars of well-heeled travelers. It's the era of air travel and checked baggage fees, and we may all be worse off because of it. Sure. you can still take trains domestically and ...

In the Corner of the World: In & Around Auckland

In the Corner of the World: In & Around Auckland Nov 3rd, 2009 at 11:30AM: With a population of around 1.5 million people, Auckland is no bustling metropolis. Heck, it's not even the capital of New Zealand (go ahead, look it up - I'll wait). It is, however, the country's largest city and the hub for most international flights coming into the country. For Americans flying from Los Angeles and San Francisco, it is their first taste of Kiwi culture (though not kiwi birds). ...

Inside Air New Zealand's Matchmaking Flight

Inside Air New Zealand's Matchmaking Flight Oct 27th, 2009 at 11:00AM: tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/27/inside-air-new-zealands-matchmaking-flight/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; When I first heard about Air New Zealand offering a Matchmaking Flight, I was amused. It sounded like a cute promotion from the quirky national airline of a pretty quirky country. And when the invitation came to check out their matchmaking site and cover the flight ...

Air New Zealand turns unsold coach seats into your new bed

Air New Zealand turns unsold coach seats into your new bed Oct 23rd, 2009 at 11:30AM: tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/23/air-new-zealand-turns-unsold-coach-seats-into-your-new-bed/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; Air New Zealand may be coming one step closer to solving the hell that is long haul coach. Starting next April, the airline plans to sell unsold coach class seats to passengers. Now, an empty seat certainly is worth something, but the airline will ...

Outside of Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua in Rotorua, New Zealand

Outside of Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua in Rotorua, New Zealand Oct 6th, 2009 at 8:30AM: Perhaps the best thing about staying at lebua's Lake Okareka Lodge in New Zealand is the setting. The island nation -- and Rotorua especially -- is known for it stunning landscapes, nature's "greatest hits" so to speak. One can sit on the lodge patio and stare out at the lake and rolling, coniferous hills all afternoon, content in the southern hemisphere sun. Or if one had the hankering for ...

Inside of Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua in Rotorua, New Zealand

Inside of Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua in Rotorua, New Zealand Oct 5th, 2009 at 8:30AM: tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/05/inside-of-lebuas-lake-okareka-lodge-in-rotorua-new-zealand/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; Opulence. It's a term that I as a traveler have rarely been able to use in my years on the road, but I finally found a reason to use it this past September. We had been taken to a small lodge deep in the heart of New Zealand, a 7000 square foot ...

Air New Zealand Matchmaking Flight cleared for takeoff

Air New Zealand Matchmaking Flight cleared for takeoff Sep 24th, 2009 at 8:30AM: Back in May, we told you about Air New Zealand's plan to send a Matchmaking Flight from Los Angeles to Auckland. Well, that flight is now less than three weeks away and more details have been released. Air New Zealand has announced that Jason Mesnick of ABC's "The Bachelor" (along with his girlfriend) will be on the flight, as well. More interesting, however, are the other activities that have ...

Crazy dust storm covers Sydney in red haze

Crazy dust storm covers Sydney in red haze Sep 23rd, 2009 at 3:30PM: Residents and tourists in Sydney, Australia, might be feeling as though they been transported to Mars, and in fact, a glance around at the city covered in red dust against a red-orange sky does bring to mind images of what a colony on the red planet would look like. Despite its other-worldly appearance, the haze that converged on Sydney yesterday is earth-bound, composed of red dust from the ...

Gadling goes Zorbing

Gadling goes Zorbing Sep 23rd, 2009 at 10:00AM: We've written about Zorbing a few times at Gadling, the crazy extreme sport where you jump inside of an enomous plastic ball and bounce around as it rolls down a hill. Think of yourself as the rodent inside of a giant, cushioned hamster ball. It's hard to resist. Various iterations of the sport have been around for a few years now, including an official franchise in Tennessee and a whole host of ...

New Zealander auctions off Paris Hilton's boarding pass

New Zealander auctions off Paris Hilton's boarding pass Sep 2nd, 2009 at 10:00AM: A man flying from New Zealand to Fiji on August 12th found a little surprise at his business class seat. Slipped between the pages of his in-flight magazine was the boarding pass of celebutant Paris Hilton, who had traveled to Fiji a few days prior. Rather than toss the pass, the man decided to put it up for sale on a New Zealand auction site. Despite his claim that is "certainly has no other ...

Work at a winery in New Zealand

Work at a winery in New Zealand Aug 31st, 2009 at 7:30PM: tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/08/31/work-at-a-winery-in-new-zealand/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling'; Working while you travel is one way to fund time away from home. In New Zealand, turn to wineries for seasonal possibilities. According to Horticulture New Zealand, a Website dedicated to New Zealand's commercial fruit and vegetable growers, for those who don't mind a bit of ...

Prudes take umbrage with Air New Zealand videos

Jul 13th, 2009 at 10:00AM: Last month, we told you about Air New Zealand's new in-flight safety video that features the flight crew in nothing but body paint. That, of course, came on the heels of their new ad campaign featuring their staff in - you guessed it - nothing but body paint. We thought the in-flight video and television commercial were innovative and quirky examples of an airline showing some actual personality. ...

Air New Zealand brings back body paint for cheeky safety video

Jun 26th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Last month we told you about Air New Zealand's clever and quirky ad campaign that featured their crew in body-painted uniforms. Well, those creative Kiwis are at it again, and this time they're mixing the risque with the safety (that's close enough to a rhyme for me). They've gone ahead and filmed their entire flight safety video in body paint. Seatbelt instructions? In body paint. Life jacket ...

Gadling Features

Categories

Become our Fan on Facebook!

Featured Galleries (view all)

A Breaking Bad tour of Albuquerque
The Volvo Ocean Race onboard Team Abu Dhabi
Virgin Galactic's Gateway to Space
Breakfasts around the world
FoodFlags
Outrageous State Fair Foods
The world's ten most uninhabited countries
Yellowstone in pictures: 2011
Most crowded islands on earth

Our Writers

Grant Martin

Editor-in-chief

RSS Feed

Don George

Features Editor

RSS Feed

View more Writers