Posts Tagged tourism
How to Choose Hotel Accommodation in Auckland New Zealand
When choosing a hotel in New Zealand, a great starting point is to understand their star ratings. The Qualmark system in New Zealand and Australia has a star grading for accommodation and is New Zealand Tourism’s official mark of quality:
- Basic acceptance is that a 1 star will meet the customers’ minimum requirements – Basic, clean, and comfortable.
- 3 stars and the accommodation provider provides a range of facilities and services and achieves a good to very good quality standard.
- The highest standard is 5 stars and is considered to be amongst the best in that country.
The AAA (US) rating system applies a similar method and rates accommodation on a one to five Diamonds scale. Many Hotel providers also use a “self rating” system and this shouldn’t be taken as a negative in most cases. Larger Hotel chains have developed their own rating systems that accurately reflect what options are available for each of their resorts.
Star ratings can be a good guide for pricing, but should not be the sole decider, when choosing your Auckland hotel.
It is expected that a 1 star Hotel room will be cheaper than a 5 star. But for those 2, 3 and 4 star hotels, specials, last minute offers and specific locations can lead to a 2 star hotel being more expensive than a 4 star. For example, a 3 star hotel located in Auckland city centre, could charge more than a 5 star hotel an hour out of town. This needs to be kept in mind when choosing a place to stay, but don’t let price be your indicator of quality and comfort.
With cost in mind, think also about what your stay is intended for.
If you are visiting friends or family in Auckland, then try to consider your choices based on location. Meaning that you can get to (and leave as quickly) your guests location without any major requirements or inconveniences to them.
If your travel is for business, do you really need to be located in the city?
Unless you can walk to your meetings, maybe a hotel at Auckland airport will suit your purposes better. Just like any other day, you will be heading into work for 8-12 hours and should have no real need to return to your hotel room throughout the day.
With it’s international airport, Auckland has a plentiful array of hotels and offerings for travelers. Hotels near the airport tend to cost less than those in the central business district and cater predominantly to business people. You will also avoid having to get up hours earlier than needed. By staying close to the transport hubs you avoid the need to allow additional time for delays and traffic jams prior to departure. Plus most Airport hotels provide a free shuttle service. One thing we have also noted is that the staff in Airport hotels take wake-up calls seriously – They know the importance of these calls and the consequences. So unlike many other stays, I have never missed a flight (due to a missed wake up call) when staying at an Airport Hotel.
It is a good idea to also list in writing, what you want in a hotel stay. Quality ratings are a good indicator of comfort, but do you want to pay for options you know you probably won’t use? Most websites will list all the amenities such as 24 hour reception, mini-bar, room service, valet, laundry etc. Compare these offerings and if you find you’re paying 20-30% more for the use of a gym or sauna (that you probably won’t use), then theses savings are worthwhile.
Finally, decide on what your budget is and stick with it. Search online and try last minute accommodation websites which offer great discounts for those travelers wanting to book at the last minute. But don’t always just take the hotel rate into account when deciding as there may be some inclusions on offer. These could include free breakfast, a drink voucher and discount tickets to local attractions or free parking. If you are traveling with kids serviced apartments have become popular choices because of the kitchen facilities and the ability to cook your own food and thus save money. Also consider taking smaller more frequent breaks as apposed to a long getaway.
Tags: accommodation, airport hotels, attractions, auckland, auckland new zealand, hotel, hotel accommodation, hotels, new zealand, new zealand tour, new zealand tourism, resort, resorts, tourism, travelRelated posts
Discover New Zealand by Car Hire
New Zealand is divided into two islands each offering something different and the best way to see it all is by hiring a car.
New Zealand Car Hire Tip – Drive on the left and give way to traffic approaching from the right.
The Northern Island is the smaller of the two islands although about 75% of New Zealand’s population live there. Auckland, known as ‘the city of sails’ is the largest city in the northern part of the island. Sailboats and yachts are an impressive sight and line the waterfront around Auckland.
There’s lots to do in and around Auckland. Just as in any large city the shopping is great and there are numerous traditional markets and many attractions, vineyards and beaches a short hour drive of the city. Waitakere Ranges Park is perfect for family fun. It’s full of green forests, waterfalls and canyons as well as beaches with great surfing and horse riding. From Auckland get on the North Western Motorway, turning left at Lincoln North, this will bring you to Waitakere. If you’re an adrenalin junkie you’ll love it here – popular activities in the area include skydiving, paragliding, kayaking, and windsurfing.
Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World is about 15 minutes drive from Auckland. This is a magical experience and perfect for a family day out. Head along the scenic Tamaki Drive to get here.
New Zealand Car Hire Tip – The distances are in Kilometres and the speed limit on the open road is 100km/hr. In built up areas it’s 50km/hr.
Travel south along the Southern Motorway and after a couple of hours you’ll reach Tauranga, the largest city in the ‘Bay of Plenty’ region. Tauranga is great for beaches, shopping and has some excellent restaurants. White water rafting is very popular here on the Wairoa River between Tauranga and Matamata.
The Southern Motorway will take you from Auckland to Rotorua and here you can take in some traditional Maori singing and dancing. Rotorua is the tourism capital of the North Island and it’s also where you’ll see the famous geysers. Some geothermal attractions include Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Whakarewarewa Thermal Village, Te Puia and Kuirau Park.
New Zealand Car Hire Tip – all passengers have to wear safety belts.
The spectacular Waitomo Caves are definitely worth a visit. To get here, head west from Rotorua and continue along the Southern Highway. From here you could drive south to the capital Wellington which is located in the south of the island. Wellington is the cultural capital of New Zealand and home to the country’s National Museum. It has a stunning harbour and is surrounded by hills. Activities here include mountain biking and bush walking while popular attractions well worth checking out include Wellington Zoo, the Botanic Gardens and the Museum of Wellington City and Sea.
From Wellington it’s possible to hop on a car ferry to Picton on the South Island. The 19km stretch of water, known as Cook Strait, will take about three and a half hours to cross, It’s definitely worth the experience though! Alternatively you can take the more speedy catamaran.
From Picton you can visit the east coast city of Christchurch by travelling on the Southern Highway. The vibrant city has many attractions, festivals, theatres and art galleries and lots of shopping opportunities. Christchurch is also known for its gardens and the standard of restaurants here is exceptional. Christchurch also has skiing and snowboarding opportunities and is blessed with amazing scenery.
New Zealand Car Hire Tip – There is zero tolerance to drink driving in New Zealand. Do not consume alcohol and then drive.
Drive south along the coast and head for Dunedin. Dunedin is an excellent example of a well-preserved Victorian city in the southern hemisphere. There’s loads to do and see here including a chocolate factory, historic houses, gardens, galleries and museums. Larnach Castle is well worth a visit. It’s set on 35 acres of landscaped gardens and boasts stunning views over the bay. Baldwin Street in Dunedin is said to be the steepest street in the world.
The well-known city of Queenstown is a holiday destination for all seasons. In the wintertime Queenstown turns into a winter wonderland. It offers fantastic skiing and snowboarding opportunities and people come from all over the world to test their skills.
Golfers should take the opportunity to play on some of the most picturesque courses in the world. These include Millbrook Resort, Arrowtown and Frankton – these areas are also great for fishing.
Tags: attractions, auckland, car hire, holiday, new zealand, north island, queenstown, resort, skiing, south island, tourism, travel, wellingtonRelated posts
Adventure Tourism in New Zealand – Understanding the Risk Profile
New Zealand deservedly has a reputation as a tour destination that offers some of the best and most accessible adventure opportunities available. However, with adventure travel comes risk. Understanding this risk and how to manage it is the key to operating a quality adventure tour experience.
The increasingly sophisticated world traveler demands a level of authenticity and involvement in their travel that was not present in the past. This requirement puts demands on tour operators that have to be met but also carefully managed. In the case of adventure tourism, these twin requirements of authenticity and involvement lead to an inevitable risk profile associated with the provision of the tourism product.
It is not possible, nor desirable to eliminate all risk. The very essence of this mode of tourism is to provide the traveler with an experience outside his or her daily range, to push their limits. Elimination of the risk in the experience eliminates the authenticity and therefore the depth of experience the traveler is seeking. Having accepted that some risk is inevitable and desirable, it then becomes important to understand risk.
One of the huge issues with risk is that the public perception of a risk level is not closely related to the actual risk level. This point is currently being very clearly demonstrated in the media coverage surrounding swine flu. As of 16:00 GMT, 5 May 2009, 21 countries, including New Zealand have officially reported 1490 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection with 30 confirmed deaths (source: World Health Organization). The disease has been met with blow-by-blow media coverage, detailing the possible spread of the disease and development into a pandemic. Public facilities have been closed, negative travel advisories have decimated local tourism businesses, and even the pig industry has suffered as people stop eating pork. Compare these figures with those for malaria, a disease that has been present for so long it is no longer news worthy. In 2006 there were 247 million cases of malaria, causing nearly one million deaths (source: World Health Organization). What is the current focus on malaria in the media even though it dwarfs swine flu by every measure? Clearly the issues of perception and reality don’t meet in this case. This is probably a lucky thing as if they did meet; most people would be too scared to drive to work.
How then does this relate to tourism in New Zealand? We have identified that risk is desirable and that the perception of that risk is highly subjective. In creating an adventure tour product, leveraging the issue of perception is very valuable. It is possible to create activities that have a genuine risk profile but are perceived to be much more risky than they actually are. We term this “psychological risk”.
A critical part of this process is to carefully manage this risk, so that the perception remains but the actuality is reduced. In New Zealand, the health and safety regulations along with the active involvement of many of the industry organizations helps tour operators understand risk and work to minimize risk factors. Thus the New Zealand tour industry has become highly proficient at offering a wide range of activities that offer a genuine sense of adventure while minimizing the true risk factors that might affect the adventure.
In summary, adventure tourism in New Zealand cannot and should not avoid all risk, but by careful management of the main risk factors, the risk that guests are exposed to in a well run adventure tourism activity can be minimized to a point where they are acceptable, even though the perception of that risk might well be significantly higher.
Tags: new zealand, new zealand tour, tourism, travelRelated posts