For adventure travelers, is Australia or New Zealand the more extreme down under experience? – Part 4
November 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tourists Attractions
Australia to New Zealand is similar to comparing England to Ireland or even America to Canada. New Zealand is arguably more towards a calm atomosphere and may possibly be edging on boring for the adventure traveller. Australia is where the real party is and writing not as an expert, but claiming to have lots of experience, I think its hard to say what an adventure traveller is.
For example does this mean to enjoy skydiving but hate clubbing? or to love beach partys but hate camping? On the support of the stereotype ‘adventure junky’ Australia may fit suit more with its wider range of activities and generally larger cities for nightlife.
It is also here you often hear the phrase ‘the great outdoors’ and being a similar size to the USA there’s plenty of outdoors to explore! New Zealand supplies plenty of rivers and some of the best landscape scenery to be found on the globe, according to lonely planet books, Australia however has far more of a variation in which you can find beaches similar to Thailand in some areas, cities close to New York in others and then theres the outback competing with the Gran Canyon in the center.
According to many travel sites Australia is a travellers haven and is catered well towards them, therefore adventure tours such as quad biking, skydiving and rock climbing are quite often more accessible. But who knows, after the adventure overload some might say you need to go to New Zealand just to get some rest.
Bar/restaurant reviews: Hemmingways in Toronto
October 11, 2009 by admin
Filed under Restaurants
Recently I took a trip to Toronto Canada. Mainly because my boyfriend is only 20 and drinking age in Canada is 18. We stayed in downtown Yorkville which is on the Northern side of Toronto, and might possibly be the most expensive district ever. But, by asking some of the locals where to go, we eventually found ourselves at Hemmingwas which is about 2 blocks from the Howard Johnson hotel on Avenue road and around the corner from the Four Seasons hotel.
While at Hemmingways, my friends and I met an awesome bar tender named Jeff who has been there for 4 years. He’s a lot of fun, and he knows where just about everything in the city is. Apart from the exceptional friendliness of Jeff, the whole place was just great. The bottom floor looked very much like an Irish pub, and then the 3rd floor was very much like an Austrailian restaurant. The owner is actually from New Zealand, and he has decorated the place to look very authentic.
I think that the food we found there was probably the best food in town for the very low prices. The three of us shared a very large plate of french fries for about 3.50, and I had a bowl of the best clam chowder in the world for only $5.00.
If you ever plan to visit Toronto, this place is somewhere you definately must stop to see. Take the whole family.
Skydiving: Getting started
September 3, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tourists Attractions
Three, two, one, go. I closed my eyes as we fell out of the side of a little 20 seater aircraft, 15,000 feet above Taupo on the North Island of New Zealand. Once my head had stopped spinning, I was able to open my eyes to be greeted with the most amazing view I have ever experienced. We were in free fall, plummeting at a rate of 120km per hour towards the earth. The volcanoes of Tongariro National Park were a distant blot on the landscape. Twisting and turning, I reaching out to the camera operator jumping with us to give us a lasting souvenir. I Screamed as loud as I could, but was heard by no body. The air rushed towards me, distorting my face. Free fall; incredible!
Skydiving is an extreme sport that beats most others. Your first jump is guaranteed to be an amazingly memorable experience, wherever in the world you decide to jump. Achieving your first jump requires you to jump tandem. This is where you are basically harnessed to the front of an experienced skydiver, who is in total control of the free fall and subsequent parachute release and landing.
On arriving at the skydiving base, we were shown a video of what to expect, before being kitted up in bodysuits, gloves, helmets and harnesses. It was then time to meet our instructor who would be our tandem buddy for the flight. Simple instructions on how to position oneself when in free fall and how to land followed. It was then time to board the aircraft. Everyone fell silent as the engines started and we began our climb to 15,000 feet. Once at altitude the side door of the aircraft opened, and two by two, those nearest the door jumped back to earth.
Sitting in the open door of an aircraft does not seem like a particularly sensible thing to do, but by that stage there was no going back. Three, two, one and we were falling.
Once the parachute had been opened the experienced changed from one of sheer exhilaration to a more casual ride. It was now time to sit back and enjoy the views, twisting this way and that. Gradually the pounding in the chest abated. All to soon it is time to land. When can we go again?
For many, one jump is not enough. To train to skydive solo requires many further tandem flights. This is followed by your first solo during which you are closely supported by instructors who are able to steady you if needed during free fall. All this requires time, finance, determination, and guts. Is it worth it? You bet it is!
A visitors guide to New Zealand
New Zealand is the youngest country on earth, it was the last major landmass to be discovered. Its history has both Maori and European heritage. There are still amazing Maori historic sites to be found some dating back almost a thousand years.
When I visited New Zealand in July I decided to take an organised tour as I had limited time. I travelled with a group of other like minded travellers and we were transported around on a bus with two tour leaders who gave us loads of information along the way. They organised my accommodation and recommended tours to go on in each place we visited. Also most meals were included.
The Advantages on taking a Connections Tour
* It took hassle out of having to navigate and plan the trip.
* You travelled with like minded travellers.
* Were recommended sights you might have missed.
* You travelled in comfortable buses which were very clean
* Stayed in great accommodation and you didn’t have the hassle of booking and choosing yourself.
* Gave you budget activities to do during the day sometimes even free things for example the best walks to do in an area.
* They explained activities thoroughly to us and quite often had done them themselves. The leaders gave us honest and frank accounts.
Disadvantages of the Connections Tour
* Some of the other passengers were rowdy.
* It was geared towards people who wanted to do extreme activities for example skydiving, kayaking, bungy jumps etc. As I am not into these activities it was boring having to listen about them.
* The additional activities were quite expensive.
* As I am a fussy eater I didn’t like most of the meals they had made and had to go buy more food even though I had prepaid for the meals.
* There are long bus journeys however this is to be expected.
* There are very early starts in the morning!
* Had ‘introductions’ were you had to stand up in front of the bus and talk about yourself. As I’m shy I hated this. You didn’t have to but felt very awkward if you didn’t. Travellers who you are travelling with are constantly jumping on and off the bus and finishing at different stages. This meant more introductions. So you had to do it more than once.
* Had to pay extra to not be in share accommodation.
The North Island of New Zealand (115,000sq km) and this is where we arrived at. Our tour started in Auckland which is a cosmopolitan city. We met the bus outside Base Backpackers hostel where we were staying it is very central and clean. We were greeted
Solar Energy Facts For Kids In New Zealand
Solar energy facts for kids in New Zealand are considered unnecessary by some. When winter hovers over New Zealand, it may seem that day after day is cloudy and grey – especially in some parts of New Zealand. On such days, it is difficult to imagine that solar energy could supply enough electricity for a New Zealand home. Most areas of New Zealand, however, have plenty of solar energy that can be harnessed.
Solar energy can be calculated with a map such as the one on the Sun Wize website. This is called a world solar insolation map. “Insolation” means it is exposed to the sun’s rays. The map shows how many hours of each day a country is exposed to the sun’s rays – in the worst month of the year. In other words, the map shows how much solar energy the country gets each day.
When you find New Zealand on a world solar insolation map, you will see that most of the country gets between 3 and 5 hours of solar energy each day. Remember that 3 to 5 hours is the amount of solar energy in the worst month! On average, counting good and bad days, New Zealand gets approximately 2000 hours of bright sunshine each year.
Solar Energy Facts for Kids
Solar energy facts for kids might include many things, depending on the age of the children involved. A small child of 6 years might understand only simple concepts such as the heat generated by solar energy. Older children of 14 to 17 can grasp the technology of solar panels and generators, and how they convert solar energy to electrical power.
We will not attempt to sort the following facts by age or importance, but simply present them as a collection of ideas to be explored.
* In New Zealand, a solar energy water heating system can save as much as 75 per cent of your family’s water heating costs.
* The word “photovoltaic” comes 2 words. “Photo” refers to light and “voltaic” refers to electricity. A photovoltaic array system changes solar energy collected from sunlight into electricity.
* Cover the roofs of every New Zealand home in photovoltaic (PV) panels, and together they would convert enough solar energy into power each year to supply more than 25 per cent of New Zealand’s needed electricity.
* Solar energy can provide the total electricity needed by a normal three bedroom New Zealand home that is energy efficient.
* Solar energy is quiet, easy to install, and needs little upkeep from the New Zealand home owner.
* Any New Zealand child can, with a little help, build a solar energy stove to cook a small banger.
* Solar energy has been used for many years by New Zealand mums to dry clothing outdoors.
* Germany, a country that is much cloudier than New Zealand, converts solar energy into electricity more than any other country does.
* Solar energy is greater than you might think on cloudy days, since the sunlight that gets through reflects off the bottoms of the clouds.
* Solar energy can turn ocean water into healthy drinking water.
* Solar energy can be used on boats and ships around New Zealand.
* Solar energy is absolutely free to New Zealanders. No other country can charge money for it.
Suggestion for New Zealand teachers: Have a contest to see which group of students can discover the most solar energy facts for kids. Younger children will have fun simply listing solar energy facts for kids. Older students might be required to expand each discovery statement.
Disclaimer: The author receives no compensation from any company mentioned in this article. The information is presented solely for educational purposes.
Preparing For Disabled Travel to New Zealand Part I
March 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Tourists Attractions
We had only been back a few days from our trip to 8. Europe when Louise said she thought we might go to New Zealand next Christmas. It was then I knew the travel bug had bitten. All we needed was a golden egg-laying goose and we’d be right. Fortunately for us one came along and I know it’s like finding a needle in a haystack for people with disabilities to be tripping over such a windfall, however we were lucky. But enough of multiple metaphors; New Zealand was great! Before we went, we asked people who had been where we should go. Nearly all replied, “Everywhere’s good”. Not much help, we thought. Now we know they were right!
There are many reasons why an Australian disabled tourist should go to New Zealand. For a start, they speak English (well sort of. I had almost perfected my Kiwi accent, but the rest of the family forbade me ‘prectising’ in the car). This makes communication and understanding of our needs so much easier.
New Zealand is so close to Australia, only 3 hours on the plane, and so much cheaper than Europe. Even in their High Season car hire, accommodation and tourist attractions were much cheaper than Europe in the middle of Winter. Although food and petrol were dearer than Australia, they were still quite a bit cheaper than Europe too.
Like Tasmania here there’s lots to see and do in a small area. Unlike the rest of Australia, you don’t have to drive for hundreds of kilometers between big ‘tourist spots’ (in New Zealand everywhere’s a tourist spot!) And it really is true that most New Zealanders are tremendously friendly and helpful.
Things for me seemed a bit harder than Europe in some ways; but that was because with chronic progressive MS things get worse and it was a year later. Louise was right though; it’s a good idea to try these things while you still can.
Before You Go It’s important for anyone to get organized for a trip overseas, but when you’ve got a disability it’s essential!
Here’s some tips:
1. Make sure you take plenty of any medication you may need. Never try to buy it overseas. It will be enormously expensive, or may not be available. Get a covering letter from your doctor and make sure the airline is aware. Needles are OK in the hold, but if you need to take them as cabin luggage, you’ll need to make special arrangements.
2. If you suffer from incontinence, for men I’d strongly recommend wearing a leg bag as it takes away a lot of the pressure of trying to find a toilet in time.
3. You also need to choose a good airline and inform them of your special needs. We’ve tried some cut-price airlines and a few wobbly luggage hoists and tarmac steps later I can tell you it ain’t worth it! Contact the airline well ahead to arrange seating. We found the best place was up the very back, right near the toilets.
4. Almost all airlines will take your wheelchair for free (that includes electric ones). You’ll need to arrive at check-in a bit earlier to book it in and to get a wheelchair for use at the airport. Ask for a staff member to help you through to the plane. This has the added advantage of giving you quick checking through customs. You’ll be put in an “aisle chair”, which is a wheelchair narrow enough to get you down to your seat on the plane and you’ll get taken to your seat first.
Unfortunately this also means that you’ll be last to get off, but don’t worry; with the VIP service through customs you’ll be first at the luggage carousel! And ask for staff help all the way through as it will make things much easier and quicker.
5. When traveling if you are disabled, it’s very important to book ahead. Unfortunately your days of just dropping into a town and grabbing somewhere to stay on the spur of the moment are over. We started booking accommodation almost a year prior and the internet is a wonderful (and cheap) tool for this. Don’t rely on those ‘wheelchair friendly’ symbols because sometimes they’ve been put there for no apparent reason.
Contact the owners directly by e-mail and check on steps, space inside rooms, doorway width, safety rails, bathroom configuration and accessibility generally. (In fact, I could write a book on motel rooms-I have quite a list of practical suggestions for improving them for disabled travellers!) In general, I found it’s better to exaggerate rather than downplay your level of disability. That way you’re less likely to end up somewhere unsuitable.
6. You’ll want travel insurance; if only to cover any medical emergencies. We had to pay a little more to cover my “pre-existing condition”, but it wasn’t at all hard to get. Most insurance companies will be happy to cover for everything apart from your illness!
7. I bought a lightweight partially collapsible electric wheelchair especially for the trip. Luckily I bought it early enough ahead to iron out a few teething problems and to get used to using it (at the expense of our house, which has been gradually destroyed by my earlier miscalculations).
8. Louise began cursing the wheelchair early in our trip as its rather small battery began running out of charge and I had to keep finding power points and wait for a re-charge. In future we’ve decided to just take the manual wheelchair overseas. It’s a lot less bulky and if you’ve got someone to push, they’ll appreciate the exercise!
9. Don’t forget your disabled parking pass, if you’ve got one. We tried to organise an NZ pass before we left, through CCS, but it didn’t eventuate. So we just used our Australian sticker and had no problems at all. In fact in New Zealand you’re very unlikely to encounter parking problems even in the peak tourist season.
10. And don’t be afraid to say you could do with help. It’s taken me a while to work this out, but most places are set up to cater for disabled people and are only too happy to help if given notice. You might be pleasantly surprised and even find yourself at the front of the queue for once!
