No nepotism at all.....

.....involved in our continued appreciation of  John Fowler's thoughts and comments related to the ongoing manoeuvres by the Argentinian government against the Falkland Islands.  The John Fowler of these articles in the Falklands' Penguin News is the Deputy Editor of the newspaper, not my dad's cousin of the same name.  Just wanted to be clear.

Shout it loud enough and even the good guys believe it....

Deck the halls with bells and.... Hobbits

Though not due out until next December, a for the new (and first of two) Hobbit films, A Hobbit's Tale: An Unexpected Journey, has been released just in time to whet your appetite just before Christmas.

Again it's being filmed in New Zealand like the LOTR trilogy, making the most of NZ's spectacular landscapes to recreate the wilderness of Middle Earth.

(I'll be honest, I'm quite excited!!)

And finally,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us here at TID!!

Even more Falklands....and a bit of New Zealand too...

....missed this last week but thanks to Twitter it wasn't missed for long....

The Falklands have made yet another '"Top Destinations for 2012" list, this time Travelbite's top 10.

Sadly no Guyana in the list this time but New Zealand did make an appearance.  I for one can vouch for a trip to Hobbiton (near the town of Matamata on NZ's North Island), the actual set where the filming took place for for the much awaited "The Hobbit" film and also for the earlier "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

If you're a Lord of the Rings fan, big or small, it's brilliant, won't fail to raise a smile for even the most reluctant visitor and given the right weather conditions and time of day, it might even feel just a little bit magical.

Strip and save energy?

As the summer heats up down in Chile, men are being urged to cast off their ties in a unique government bid for offices across the country to use less energy on air conditioning.

An advert is being aired in which the Economy Minister Pablo Longueira and several other government officials casting off their ties and urging others to do the same.

We just wish it was anywhere near that warm here in Buxton....

More Falklands, but never enough....

In case you missed it, here's an article by UK journalist, travel writer and photographer Graeme Green about time he spent recently in the Falkland Islands, which appeared in The Independent's travel section last Saturday (17th Dec).

Falkland Islands: Far and wild in the Atlantic

Makes me envious and want to be there right now, but I'll have to be patient and just wait what will turn into 11 very short months I'm sure, until it's time to head off to start the commemorative yomp we're organising which will take place in the Falklands in November next year.  Can...not...wait!

More details about the yomp can be found here on our website......please sponsor us if you can.....

Elephant seal, just one of many you'll come across in the Falklands

Mount Tumbledown memorial, overlooking Stanley on East Falkland

And there's more....

....Guyana - another of our specialist destinations - also made it into Wanderlust's top 50 best new trips of 2012, this time at number 31.

We'd have put them at number 1 and 2.....but would've argued which would've been which.....maybe joint 1st....

Grass Pond - Rewa

Kaieteur Falls

Approximately 80% of Guyana remains as untouched tropical rainforest

We're not the only ones...

The Falkland Islands has been named in the top 20 of Wanderlust Travel Magazines top 50 best new trips of 2012. (As of course we knew it would be!)

With the 30th anniversary of the conflict coming up next year (for which TID is recreating the iconic 'yomp' to mark the occasion), its sure to be all things Falklands in the near future.

Have a look at our website and see all this wonderful part of the world has to offer...

Running, Kayaking and Cycling.... Blind

A journey from one side of a country to another you would think would be quite tough, mentally and physically. Running, kayaking and cycling the 243km from one side of New Zealand's South Island would be a great effort for anybody.

A New Zealand woman, Neelu Memon, has decided to do just that, even if she is near blind, and has no balance because of a condition she contracted when she was younger.

Having already scaled Mt. Aspiring, she will start on the west coast and run the first 36km, including a 33km traverse of the Southern Alps. The cycling leg will entail pedalling 140km over three stages, and finally she will paddle 67km down the Waimakariri River to the east coast. (Each with a guide of course)

Good luck to her, though we're sure she won't need it!

Deadly birds and ghostly insects

Puffin the Takahe has caused a stir by chomping (or the bird equivalent) down a duckling in front of some school kids.

A bit grisly for them, but that wasn't the strange thing....

Takahes were thought to be veggies... from this video, looks like Puffin and her fellow birds aren't as friendly as they look....

(Interestingly, you will be able to see Puffin and her mate T2 on our new Zealandia page, coming soon!)

On a more milky note, trampers in NZ have found an albino snail, something which an expert said she'd only seen once before in more than 30 years of studying snails...

Obviously something strange is happening to the animals down in NZ....

Flying pigs anyone?

When is a dictatorship not a dictatorship? When I say so!!

Here's the third of John Fowler's series of extended political articles for the Falkland Islands' Penguin News.

His thoughts and comments are, of course, much more considered and thought-provoking than my flippant, non-helpful ones (ref. the title of this post).

Now how do we go about removing self-serving egotists from the world of (allegedly) democratically elected governments?

Penguin News, 05 December 2011: For old time's sake....


John's previous two articles in the series:

Penguin News, 22 November 2011: Oil might lubricate the process to real dialogue in the South Atlantic
Penguin News, 09 November 2011: The Falkland Islands in search of a voice by John Fowler

Little carrot or a big bug?

Definitely a big bug....

A man in NZ has spent 2 days tracking down a Giant Weta on Little Barrier Island. Giant Weta's are the biggest insects in the world, and weigh up to three times that of a mouse.

When he did find one up a tree, he let it have a chomp on the end of a carrot, before letting it go.

Its been said to be the largest one ever found.

Bear Grylls would be full for the rest of the day.........

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Stockport anymore....

Usually you hear of tornadoes whirling around the US and the Caribbean, ripping up trees and houses and hurling cows around.

But yesterday a tornado apparently 'tore' through Stockport (down the road from us here in Buxton).

A chimney and a few trees were knocked over, and one woman was taken to hospital with cuts and bruises (and not surprisingly shock), but nothing like the kinds of damage and stories you hear from around the world.

We're now just waiting for a hurricane to tear up Buxton.

Paul is boarding up the windows as I type.....

Just a couple of things from NASA I found interesting....

First, a video of the spewing smoke and ash cloud emitted from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano over a 2 week period at the start of it's ongoing eruption that began in June this year, as taken by a NASA satellite.

Secondly, another NASA satellite image: phytoplankton off Argentina's eastern coast.


Technology, isn't it great!  But what else are they watching.....................?

It's true, if you're a birdwatcher and interested in a neo-tropical rainforest adventure, Guyana is the place to go!

The Botanical Gardens in Guyana's capital, Georgetown, was declared a 'Bird Sanctuary' this week.

It's great to see the country's Tourism Ministry continuing to help generate awareness and publicity about just how brilliant a destination Guyana is for bird lovers, be that as a well-seasoned twitcher or as someone that who simply appreciates the aesthetic beauty of all things avian.

It's great also to see that word is spreading about Guyana's avian diversity throughout the birdwatching world, even though it seems it's taking a little longer for the message to penetrate across the Atlantic than it is in North America.

The local bird and wildlife guides in Guyana are fantastic too - incredibly skilled spotters, knowledgeable, respectful of the environment, extremely patient and not without a wry sense of humour.  They'll take you to places and try to find you species you couldn't imagine you'd ever get access to.

 For a tropical rainforest experience in South America, I wouldn't go anywhere else.

Guianan cock-of-the-rock - despite it's colour, surprisingly difficult to spot

Continuing today's theme.....

Over in Argentina, a pilot managed to escape unharmed when one of the wings broke off mid-flight.

Obviously, if your going to have an air crash, this is the week to do it. Everyone is getting away with it!

The perils of putting up your Christmas tree..

Putting up a Christmas tree is something you wouldn't think of when naming a few dangerous activities, but maybe it is when your in a helicopter hovering over Auckland waterfront with cables dangling left, right and centre.

How this bloke isn't mincemeat is amazing.......

A further article from the Falkland Islands about the ongoing political aggravations they face

The second of a planned series of extended political articles written exclusively for the Penguin News web site by Deputy Editor John Fowler

Chile pioneer the underwater driving test..

Maybe not on purpose though........

A Chilean woman has had a nightmare of a driving test, ending up with her and her instructor a couple of metres underwater.

She somehow hit the accelerator instead of the brake, bad timing when driving past a fishing harbour.

Although the instructors said she can have another go, something tells me they'll be drawing straws to choose who her next victim will be.....

Whales, bones and lots of digging.....

While excavating a desert fossil bed in Chile, scientists have stumbled on whole skeletons of ancient whales dating back around seven million years. Fifteen whales were said to have been found in just fifteen days...

That's a lot of bones......

From Theatre of Dreams to ..... The Toast Rack

A very strange thing popped up on the NZID facebook newsfeed today...

Most nicknames for sports stadiums have historic or inspiring names and nicknames, something the fans of those teams say with affection and pride. (Maybe not if your a Newcastle fan at the moment)

However, the stadium in Dunedin, officially called the Forsyth Barr Stadium, and which recently hosted a few RWC matches (England vs Romania, Scotland vs Georgia and Ireland vs Italy) has some very strange nicknames....

The Toast Rack, The Playstation, The Lunchbox and The Chilly Bin are just a few...

Hardly striking fear into the hearts of the opponents are they....

New 7 Wonders vote is in!

You may have seen our post on the 3rd of October about the vote for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Well the votes have been counted (but not yet verified) and the preliminary list has been announced.

In no particular order:

Jeju Island, South Korea

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Phillipines

Table Mountain, South Africa

And TID country based wonders:

The Amazon, South America (Including Guyana)

Iguazu Falls, Argentina (& Brazil)

Have a look and see if you agree!

Perito Moreno's advances

It doesn't happen every year (last time was back in 2008) but this year Perito Moreno glacier near El Calafate, part of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field, has advanced far enough to join up with the shore on the Magallanes peninsula in Los Glaciares National Park.

When this happens a natural dam forms between the 'Brazo Rico' and 'Canal de los Tempanos' sections of the lake, the water level on the Brazo Rico side builds up, as does the pressure of the water on the ice, which eventually gives way in a spectacular 'dam bursting' rupture.

Exciting to be there when it happens - with the fabulous accessibility to Perito Moreno via the network of walkways on the peninsula opposite the glacier, there'll be at least one great photo of the blow-out when it goes I'm sure!

This was Perito Moreno when I was there back in March 2011 

This is Perito Moreno now, having reached land opposite
- thanks to Eolo Lodge (via their Facebook page) for the photo

A sound article about ongoing political aggravations for the Falkland Islands

...by John Fowler,  Falklander and Deputy Editor of the Penguin News

Political aggravations yes, but the wider and economic consequences are no joke either...

The Falkland Islands in search of a voice.....

Successful Condé Nast Luxury Travel show

Thanks to everyone who dropped by to see Paul at the New Zealand In Depth stand at the Condé Nast Luxury Travel Show last week.  The four days were very productive, with barely a moment passing where Paul wasn't chatting to visitors interested in their own unique trip to New Zealand.

Thanks to everyone who helped the event run smoothly and result in an enjoyable time at Olympia.

P.S.  The National Hall at Olympia is a great venue and the 'Spirit of Christmas' Fair being on at the same time next door in the Great Hall was an added bonus, no doubt in increasing visitor awareness but also the tasters on offer in the food and drink hall were delicious!

Free Willy eat your heart out

In Oamaru (just up the coast from Dunedin) a jet ski has been set free to roam the ocean.

Usually something people do with endangered whales, dolphins etc, a woman 'accidentally' forgot to tie her wrist strap to the jet ski she was riding (apparently this triggers a kill switch when you get/fall off) and it sailed off towards the horizon to live happily ever after.....

at least until it runs out of petrol......

Conde Nast Luxury Travel Fair

Paul and Von are currently down in London at the Olympia National Hall, setting up for the Conde Naste Luxury Travel Fair, which starts tomorrow, and runs until Sunday.

Pop along and have a chat with Paul about any New Zealand holiday plans you might have or be contemplating. There's even a free competition to win some New Zealand fine wines, all you need to do is leave your details!

You'll find Paul at stand A6.....

Extreme Recycling..

Just found this odd story about an Argentinian man who has built a house from recycled bottles.

This chap once earned his living sorting through rubbish to find things he could sell, so a stroke of inspiration has meant he is now teaching others to do the same.

(It may just be me, but all the bottles look see through. He must use darker ones in his bathroom surely?)

One man's rubbish is another man's......... house..

7 billion people, where did you come?

Not strictly much to do with TID, but something I saw the other day and thought was interesting...

The worlds population is set to hit 7 billion (Wow!) in the next few weeks, after doubling in the last 50 years.

Were you the 6,445,678,123 the person born in the world? Or did you beat that?

Find out!

Build a squid

Whilst investigating the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa for the new experiences pages we are currently working on for our NZID website, I found this ridiculously simple, entertaining feature...

Build you own squid, release it, and watch if float around the ocean...

Simple things.....

Champions of the World

New Zealand are the best rugby team in the world.

Its official.

New Zealand 8-7 France.

Need we say more?

Conde Nast Luxury Travel Fair

New Zealand In Depth will be at the Conde Nast Luxury Travel Fair this year!

From the 3rd til the 6th of November, NZID will be set up at our stall in the National Hall, Olympia, waiting for any questions and queries about us and New Zealand.

Have a look at the Luxury Travel Fair website for a bit more info...

Spot the Frog..

This has just popped up on the New Zealand In Depth Facebook news feed from Zealandia.

They said they had found two Maud Island frogs hidden somewhere, and I think I found both.

Have a look if you can see anymore:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zealandia/6256501574/in/set-72157623332491647

RWC Final

So it's come down to the final two...

New Zealand vs France...

Winner takes all...

Could be a fantastic match on Sunday morning, and as England and all the other Home Nations have dropped steadily over the past few weeks (some heads held a lot lower than others, *cough*England*cough*), we're backing the All Blacks to grab their first RWC since 1987.

Kia Manuia Aotearoa!

(Good luck NZ!.... I think)

Ever hit a cow with a golf ball?

Very peculiar story coming from NZ today..

A golf course has been forced to close because of 'disruption' to the organic farm next door because of the many golf balls apparently crossing the fences every year, and some of the golfers trespassing.

The judge passed in favour of the farm, and the golf course has been forced to close.

Amazingly, the golf course was actually there first!

Have a read yourself here..

Haka and Homework

England may have been dumped out of the World Cup by France at the weekend, but some Cornish school kids have created their own version of the famous New Zealand Haka, which is performed before every match the All Blacks play.

It may not be as intimidating as the original Maori war dance, but it really is brilliant, and well worth a look..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15271807

Alma telescope, Atacama Desert, Chile

The Atacama large milllimetre/submillimetre array (Alma) in Chile's Atacama Desert has been under construction since 2003 and has been up and running since the end of July this year when the 16th of its giant antenna dishes was put into place and connected up.   66 dishes will be installed when the overall project is complete and when they are all in place, views of and insights into space, galaxies and the Universe that were never thought possible even just 50 years ago will start to emerge.  However, earlier this week it officially opened to the world with the release of its first image: http://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-room/press-releases/297-alma-opens-its-eyes....and there's quite rightly been a flurry of publicity, of which this is just one little bit:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15107254

I was lucky enough to be in northern Chile earlier this year and passed close by the site of the Alma. The small, hazy, light coloured dots in the middle of the red hillside is the hub of the telescope and project complex.  Located in Chile's Atacama Desert, close to the small oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, this photo was taken from the road just outside of San Pedro en route to Purmarmaca in Argentina's north western province of Jujuy, via the Jama Pass. I didn't take the photo for its quality, rather just because I wanted to record being so close to such an incredibly ambitious and promising piece of engineering and science in action. 


The landscapes you pass through on the road from Chile to Argentina by the way are simply gorgeous....the dry climate, altitude and lack of air pollution mean that the clean and clear air (one of the major reasons the Alma is located where it is), coupled with the region's geology, produce incredibly vibrant colours that you just can't take your eyes off...... 

Guyana's answer to David Beckham?

Ricky Shakes of Ebbsfleet United has been called up to represent Guyana in their second round World Cup Qualifiers against Bermuda and Barbados. Wins could take Guyana close to qualification for the next round where they will play Mexico and Costa Rica.

Even though he made one appearance for Trinidad and Tobago in 2006 in a friendly, FIFA have given the Guyana FA permission to call him up to the squad.

Ricky came through the ranks at Bolton before spells with Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town, amongst others.

Could he take the world stage by storm?

Watch this space...

Moby Dick has been spotted off Australia!

Captain Ahab has said to be readying his boat...

Ok maybe not, and maybe it isn't Moby Dick, but a white humpback whale has been seen near the Great Barrier Reef by tourists in the past week. Said to be a 12ft calf, Moby was seen with its pod on their south migration, where he/she is fattening up ready for the cold of the Antarctic.

Very jealous of the lucky so-and-so who happened to be diving nearby at the time, as there is estimated to be only 10-15 white whales amongst the 15,000 humpback population around Australia's East Coast.

The (New) 7 Wonders of Nature

A new list is being compiled to select the new 7 wonders of nature. The vote has been shortlisted from over 440 entries from over 220 different countries down to 28, all of which are up against each other to make the final 7. This is a follow up to first Wonders of the World Vote, which attracted over 100 million votes.

Several TID countries and their landmarks figure, with Australia being represented by both Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the Great Barrier Reef. New Zealand's Milford Sound has made the list, as has Mount Kilimanjaro from Tanzania, and Iguazu Falls from Argentina.

If you would like to show your support for any of these amazing natural wonders (or any of the none TID ones), please go to www.new7wonders.com and click on vote!

Fantasy Football Update

Just a quick up date on how the the TID Fantasy Football League is going.

After 6 games of the season, Von is edging out Kieran by 9 points to hold on to first position, while Paul is slightly further behind, but still well within reach.

The team made up from players with (mostly) TID nationalities is bringing up the rear. This team has had a few injuries of late, so we'll wait until the end of the season before making too many judgements!

Falkland Islands Oiled Wildlife Facility

We and our clients here at TID have made a donation to the The Oiled Wildlife Facility Appeal which is building a new oiled penguin facility on the Falkland Islands to replace the old one which unfortunately has never had electricity or water.

As well as the buildings, proper pools are being built to aid the rehabilitation of the penguins. Species rare in the Falklands, such as Chinstrap penguins, have turned up oiled with other successfully treated species include Gentoo, King, and Rockhopper penguins.

Building permission has been approved and the appeal is going well having now reached over the £8,000 mark. With a £10,000 target, it is nearing its goal but still needs that final push!

It's a vitally important project and a noble cause - click here to go to the site if you wish to help out too.

Things are on the up!

After we highlighted last months football dreamland for Guyana at the expense of Wales, things are looking good for our next door neighbours, and not just in sport!

Wales are improving at football, (up 27 in the latest FIFA rankings) and are doing their bit to help save the rainforest.

Through donations to a cause named 'Size of Wales' run by the The Waterloo Foundation, the Welsh are striving to save an area of rainforest the size of (... you guessed it) Wales. The project area includes parts of Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania (a TID destination), Mozambique, as well as some offshore islands.

So far 400,000 trees have been planted, and sustainable projects set up to help earn an extra $65,000, though initiatives such as eco-tourism, herbal products and selling honey.

Football, futbol, soccer...

Travel In Depth Fantasy Football league now set up (Fantasy Premier League).

Some personal teams in there but also a Travel In Depth team made up of players from our destination countries.    I bet they're top by the end of the season (well, at least above my own team).

Let us know if you want to join......

Guyanese or Welsh? (I know what I'd pick)

In sporting news, great news for Guyana is terrible news for Wales.

According to FIFA, the Guyana National Football Team are now the 114th best team in the world, compared to the Welsh, who have dropped 5 places to lie in a lowly 117th (the teams separated by North Korea and Haiti).

Guyana have never made it to a World Cup or CONCACAF Gold Cup (The North American and Caribbean Championships), and have a best ever record of finishing 4th in the Caribbean Cup in 1991, competing against football heavy weights such as Antigua and The Netherlands Antilles.

They boast players from teams such as England's Croydon Athletic and Cray Wanderers (.. me neither.. ) and Guyana's own Buxton United!

Compared to players such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey (Spurs and Arsenal respectively), Guyana shouldn't, on paper, compare, but according to the folks who run football, they not only compare, but are better!

Iechyd da!

You can't go wrong with rum and coke on the menu

Last Wednesday saw the annual, always-a-pleasure, Wilderness Explorers organised, Guyanese Evening, this year held at the University Women's Club in Mayfair (a lovely venue it was too).  And if the Guyanese rum flavoured beverages weren't enough to remind you of why Guyana gets under your skin, there was plenty of Guyana-themed chat to be had, not least in the form of a handful of entertaining and inspiring talks given by the guest speakers - two of which were Donald Greig of Bradt Travel Guides and writer John Gimlette, whose latest excellent publication "Wild Coast: Travels on South America's Untamed Edge" is a must-read for anyone with even the slightest hint of interest in that part of the world and I'd argue even for anyone with an as yet unknown interest in the area.

After the informal formalities and after-talk chit chat came to an end, or rather after the rum came to an end, there was just enough time for the tail-enders to head to the pub for a nightcap before the evening drew to a close.  I left the usual suspects with glasses still not empty and headed for home, home for me for the night being an airbed at the Florin Court Hostel, which was much appreciated albeit a little surreal, being there by myself.

Big thanks to Claire and Tony for once again organising such an informative and fun evening, the event and the company was delightful as always. Roll on next year's do!

On a lighter, and smellier note...

Have you heard the one about smelly, worn socks saving hundreds of thousands of lives every year? Well it looks like it could happen!

Malarial carrying mosquitos appear to be attracted to smelly socks and in Tanzania they've been using smelly socks to lure mosquitos into an insecticide laced trap that then kills said mosquitos.

How simple is that?! And how simply ace would it be if it can be turned into an effective and commonplace method of reducing the occurrences of malarial related deaths?

This is just one of many articles on the web reporting the ongoing research......

Zanzibar adventure

From The Guardian's online travel pages from Saturday.......

The full article can be seen here....

A kakapo and conservation story to inspire us all

Just read this kakapo story about a 13 year old girl in Los Angeles who has never been to New Zealand but already seems to understand what conservation is all about.

Let's be honest, with so few kakapo left and with its natural habitat seriously compromised throughout New Zealand, in the grand scheme of things the survival of the species, or any species really, is neither here nor there. Doesn't matter, it is about principle and conservation is simply the right thing to do.

It all comes down to money and will again. Natalie's donation is but a drop in the ocean but the will is there and even if she'd only received and given $100 the principle would be the same. Imagine if the people with the real money took inspiration from her and got the will as well.

Hmm, my daughter Maddie was 11 last week and I think it is time for a chat about what she should be doing with her birthday money...

Zealandia correction and tuatara surgery

Richard Fewtrell has emailed me this gentle and modest rebuke in response to my post of 13 June:

"That's very kind of you to talk about me in your blog. I can't take too much credit though; I'm very passionate about this place and our natural environment but the real stars here are our volunteers and conservation staff who spend hours upon hours working in the valley helping us realise our 500 year vision."

And it is some vision. The tuatara, one of New Zealand's unique and very rare reptiles, is part of that vision and extraordinary steps are taken to protect and nurture them as you can see in this story about one of Zealandia's babies.

Action in the Catlins

Our good friends Fergus and Mary Sutherland from the Catlins region of New Zealand have been environmental champions for decades now - sorry if that makes you feel old F&M!!

Many of our clients have enjoyed their company and friendship over the last 7 years and have been inspired by their vision for the conservation of wildlife and nature everywhere and in the Catlins in particular.

We are very proud to support them and have helped with a few conservation projects, most recently the Chaslands Tussock Restoration project. The picture of the information panel below explains the project and there is also a little YouTube video.

The panel now needs to be made and erected and a very generous donation of £100 from our clients and former guests of Fergus and Mary, Lew and Chris Robinson from Nantwich in Cheshire, was perfectly timed and will help to get this done. Thank you Lew and Chris!

Little people and big people

Following on from my last post, Richard Fewtrell at Zealandia has sent me a pair of stories which both illustrate the challenges that face conservation but also celebrate the fact that some are fighting the good fight:

"I think we have a big job on our hands! The day I got back home there was a story on the news about Waituna Lagoon in Southland. It's one of our most precious wetlands remaining but it's under massive threat from dairy farming run off.

More info about the area is here.

It was very depressing.

However there are some glimmers of hope. Just last week in the Dominion Post there was an article about a dairy farming couple in Eketahuna who are being praised for their commitment to sustainable farming.

If only more farmers were like them..."

Making a difference - Zealandia

Our good friend Richard Fewtrell is an eco warrior and a man that we truly admire. There are too few of him, people who see the bigger picture and devote themselves to making a difference, but at least there are a few.

Richard is part of Zealandia in Wellington, a conservation project which aims to restore a little piece of New Zealand to its pre-human state. It is a big job but Zealandia proves that it can be done and if we all take a little share of the responsibility then we can achieve so much more.

I firmly believe that conservation is more about will than money. There is a hell of a lot of cash out there and if we are able to make more people understand why conservation is so important then maybe we will start to see a shift in spending and lifestyle priorities.

At the moment it is all about the "little people" doing their best but if there are enough of them doing it then eventually the "big people" will need to wake up and listen.

And I did try Skycouch in the end...

...which is a very clever idea as you can see - Air New Zealand Skycouch.

I had all three seats to myself between LA and Auckland and it was really quite comfortable. You can't stretch out unless you are about 5ft nothing but I managed to curl up and get a bit of sleep although this was hard as I was continually tormented by the recent memories of my London to LA flight in Business Premier. For a couple travelling together who can't or won't justify the extra cost of Premium Economy or BP, the Skycouch is a great option.

Even without Skycouch, the new Economy on the 777-300 is superb and a huge improvement on the 777-200, so much so that I would now recommend travelling through LAX rather than HK and taking the transit hassle on the chin. The 777-200 seats are seriously short of cushioning and I've always had to ask for extra pillows to sit on but the 300 seats are perfect. Add to this a high quality 10.6" wide format touchscreen TV, power for phones and laptops and some handy storage nooks and crannies and I would say you can't do better in Economy Class with anyone.

Travel In Depth photos from around the world: Argentina and Chile, Part I

If you've got a spare few minutes when you next have a cuppa....

Argentina and Chile 2011

Survey has now closed

Big thanks to all who completed the survey, thank you gift winners will be chosen at random and notified before June 1st.

Survey ends 20th May - last days to enter and possibly win a thank you gift

We always love to hear about people's travel plans and ideas and are always trying to improve what we do so that we can give our clients the best possible service, for which personal and individual feedback and thoughts really help.

We'd be grateful if you would consider having a quick look at our short survey; we've timed it ourselves and it should take no more than a couple of minutes to complete:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QXTZXQ2.

The survey closes on 20 May and as a thank you for completing it, you could be in with a chance of winning some great prizes including travel books, unique trinket boxes made from reclaimed native New Zealand wood and even the chance to adopt your very own Falkland Islands King penguin for a year! Winners will be notified by 1 June.

Thank you!

Travelbite: Parading the penguin highway in the Falklands

Travelbite shares some inspiring words from Suzanne Holiday about the Falkland Islands and what they have to offer as a holiday destination ....

King penguins, Falkland Islands

Real Travel magazine: More than Hakas in New Zealand

This month, to coincide with the Rugby World cup being held in New Zealand later this year, Real Travel magazine featured an example of the kind of tailor made itinerary that New Zealand In Depth specialises in putting together...

The Independent: 10 Top Royal Wedding Escapes

A little belated posting this.....must've slipped through the net in all the excitement of one or more of the following (take your pick, more than one is acceptable):

a. an extra bank holiday
b. two long weekends in a row
c. a three day working week
d. holidaying in South America and Chile
e. the royal wedding

Patagonia Camp, minutes from Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Travel In Depth photos from around the world: the Falkland Islands, Part II

If you've got a spare few minutes when you next have a cuppa....

Falkland Islands October 2010

I really must complain about the LAX transit lounge...

This is not what I expected at all from previous agonising experiences and I humbly accept that I will need to retract some of a historical post about the transit procedure for passengers transiting through to Auckland.

True, the flight was fairly quiet so the queue didn’t stretch all the way to Anaheim but the friendly greeting, smiles and witty banter I enjoyed with the lovely customs officer Flores was quite unexpected.

The lounge itself is still rubbish and the fact that we need to be contained at all and that I needed to pay $14 to apply for authorisation to be here for 2 hours continues to be baffling but common sense does appear to have started to prevail. Good job it was only 2 hours though given the slightly disturbing sign that was prominently displayed there.

Travel In Depth photos from around the world: the Falkland Islands, Part I

If you've got a spare few minutes when you next have a cuppa....

Falkland Islands 2010

Travel In Depth photos from around the world: Nicaragua

If you've got a spare few minutes when you next have a cuppa....

Nicaragua 2010

Travel In Depth photos from around the world: Guyana

If you've got a spare few minutes when you next have a cuppa....

Guyana 2010

Travel In Depth photos from around the world: Tanzania

If you've got a spare few minutes when you next have a cuppa....

Tanzania 2010

Didn't try the SkyCouch in the end...

...as I was shown Business Premier instead!

I'm writing this in transit at LAX (more to follow) and have to report a fantastic experience with Air New Zealand on the new 777-300. Great crew providing typically friendly and familiar Kiwi service with real style, superb food with lots of choice, beautiful wines (with a couple of fabulous dessert wines) and very comfy lie-flat beds. I even got my head down for a couple of hours.

When things quietened down after the meal service, I had a good chat with various members of the crew and then spent a couple of hours sitting in Premium Economy which is also very impressive. They have the same wine selection but a more limited food choice that is tray served rather than the plated silver service in Business Premier but the quality is still very good.

The seating is very comfortable and the offset seat positions in the 2-2-2 configuration allow for either privacy at the sides of the cabin or an ideal layout for couples in the centre if needed. The only issue is the legroom which is a little less generous than I'd expected but I hear a rumour that Air NZ plan to remove a row of seats later this year and spread everything out.

All this said though, the best part of the 777-300 has to be the business class toilet - first time I’ve ever seen a window in an aeroplane lavatory, a proper room with a view:

Dunedin bound

At LHR and about to climb aboard NZ1 for LAX and AKL. Apparently I'm going to get the chance to try the new Air New Zealand economy class SkyCouch which does look pretty cool. More to come...

This time last year Guyana was the place to be..and it still is

So is seems that this year's Wilderness Explorers fam trip to Guyana is underway (thanks Kat for posting photos and to Claire for an email whilst on the 'plane heading off) - if green is the colour of envy then it's quite fitting when thinking and talking about Guyana, what with it's immense swathes of uninhabited jungle greenery.

It's difficult to pick out a favourite moment from last year's trip as the whole 10 days were full of highlights so I'm going not going to, rather here're three of the more indelible memories for starters:

- meeting the people of Surama and seeing how they run and manage their successful, sustainable, comfortable and extremely enjoyable community tourism experience. One of the issues that particularly thrilled me was their approach to and respect for the natural resources of the incredibly biodiverse forest around them and how are able to maintain their traditional way of life but mixed with more modern aspects, whilst also ensuring that the biodiversity all around thrives and survives and how they genuinely and generously want it to be enjoyed by visitors such as ourselves; not-to-be-topped: catching a glimpse of a real, live Harpy eagle and it's nest

Not a harpy eagle but a grey hawk with an impressive haul for lunch beside the Burro Burro river, Surama

- the 2 day walk to and from Jordan Falls from Maipaima Ecolodge, with overnight spent in a surprisingly comfortable hammock. Bellbirds calling all around, howler monkeys howling, spider monkeys spidering and hollering too, and endless smiling support from the very able and amiable guides from Nappi community; not-to-be-topped: cooling down in the falls on reaching our goal

Maipaima Ecolodge, set in amongst the forest at the foothills of the Kanuku Mountains  

- upstream from Rewa's ecolodge along the river of the same name ("Rewa", not "ecolodge" for the pedants out there, you know who you are), sitting in a dugout canoe on Grass Pond as dusk falls, with a rum punch in hand and nothing to listen to but the surround sound of birds and others creatures either settling in or waking up for the night; not-to-be-topped: watching the slow motion opening of a giant water lily flower in real time (seriously, it's exciting stuff)

A tranquil Grass Pond, Rewa

- and that's without even mentioning lying flat-out looking over the precipice next to the thunderous cascades at Kaieteur Falls, being run rings around by baby giant otters under the watchful eyes of Diane McTurk at the infamous Karanambu ranch or experiencing first hand the astounding density and diverstiy of Iwokrama forest thanks to the folks at Iwokrama and Atta lodges.

The mighty Kaieteur Falls (Potaro River)

Short but sweet......sweet as....

A short, and photoless, post thanks to a confidentiality and privacy agreement signed beforehand forbidding the sharing of any info divulged or photos taken during the tour and visit. But I'm pretty sure it didn't forbid me from saying where I'd been and walked around - Hobbiton!! If you're a Lord of the Rings fan, anywhere near Matamata on New Zealand's North Island and have a couple of hours to spare, treat yourself to a visit to the set, it's brilliant.

Tours are running 'until further notice' at the moment, i.e. until filming starts, the date of which they've not said yet.  Call in at the i-SITE in Matamata (45 Broadway, Matamata), or phone (+ 64 7 888 7260), or go to www.hobbitontours.com for details. You can be taken to/from Hobbiton from just outside the i-SITE in Matamata or, or from further afield, or you can drive yourself to the location. Imagine, driving to Hobbiton!

A night to remember in Wellington, NZ

I'd planned to go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight (didn't happen) seeing as though I had an unexpectedly late night last night. No it wasn't down to a few too many beers or a late night soiree in a dimly lit cocktail bar (I'm thinking of the Hawthorn Lounge in Wellington there, somewhere I could easily imagine finding myself in the early hours of any morning given half the chance). No, I finally got to bed around 3am last night after an unexpectedly extended google-chat with Lynndypops, unexpectedly long thanks to my first NZ 'quake experience! The effects were not major, thankfully for everyone, and it was quite a few hundred km offshore NE from the north island, 6.6 in magnitude according to USGS, but to have felt the effects here in this building in Wellington was really quite incredible, for a 'quake newbie like myself at least.  

I have felt earthquake effects before, back in 2002 I think it was, at home in the UK in Chapel-en-le-Frith, epicentre in the Midlands somewhere, 4.5 I seem to remember or something like. The house quivering woke me up that time but this time this building properly shook and swayed pretty obviously for a good number of seconds, maybe not quite 10 seconds but it was close. Being on the 6th floor of an apartment block probably helped enhance the swaying and shaking (nothing fell off shelves though to give it some perspective), it wasn't that severe. 

So Lynndypops was privvy to my 'oh my god, this building just shook' exclamation (of course I used those words) and my 'surely that wasn't just the wind' questioning, after which we spent a while looking on Twitter, USGS, geonet, etc. for confirmation that it was indeed a tremor, how big it was, where it originated, etc. and yes, the wonder of the internet confirmed everything in just a matter of seconds. The checking and g-chatting then went on for a while until I finally managed to drag myself away to bed, next to which I now keep my bag with credit card and passport safely enclosed.  I know it's something you get used to if you live here, or somewhere with a similar frequency of tremors (I don't need to mention Japan and Chile, they're already in peoples' conciousness), but for me it was the kind of excitement I could do without just before bed time.

If I was amazed by the effects of the tremor, I was also amazed by the speed and amount of internet comment on it.

A stable Wellington at sundown from the current blog epicentre

¡Nos vemos, hasta luego, chao a espectacular Sur America!

Thirty four days ago I set off from a frosty UK for 5 weeks of getting to know more of Argentina and Chile's diversity and landscapes, and they haven't disappointed (as the previously posted photos show... and there are many more to come).  What is now disappointing is that those 5 weeks are nearly up and I can't believe how quickly they've gone gone, and how little chance I've had to write about them. But then, as always, at the same time, it seems as if I've been away for months. When you pack 2, 3, 4 or more things into one day for 34 days, the length of time you're away actually seems to be more like the number of days you're away multiplied by the number of things you've done. So say I've done on average 3 things each day, that's...a much bigger number of days than 34 that I've been away (yes, I know, 102).

So I arrived to a balmy Buenos Aires at the beginning of March, the city just coming out of summer and moving into autumn. Balmy soon turned into scorchio so it wasn't just the change in culture I had to contend with. But it was pretty easy to adjust to both the weather and my surroundings, especially since Georgie, Barbara, Matias and all the folks at ATP DMC welcomed me so nicely and they've looked after me very well here in Argentina ever since. Big thanks to you all and everyone else involved.

And so the expedition began.

My first impressions of Buenos Aires were really pretty good. I've heard in recent times that many people prefer Santiago to Buenos Aires now, that it's smaller, less noisy, cleaner, a more comfortable city to be in and I suppose I can see that to some extent, but as far as big cities go, and Buenos Aires is BIG, I actually liked the momentum and movement of the bustle on the streets here, which noise goes with unavoidably, and I liked the space of Buenos Aires (which isn't to say I don't like Santiago too). Streets are wide, there are many parks, green spaces and plazas, and although most buildings are tall, as is usual for a city where floor space is at a premium, I didn't feel enclosed or in any way claustrophobic, which I sometimes do in a city.  There's an interesting mix of old and new architecture which sit side by side in some districts whilst other districts have a very definite style and character that quite quickly tells you how long it's been part of Buenos Aires. The many different districts or boroughs of the city spread out over a huge area but each is quite distinct in their zone, within their own individual community. I imagine it's a great city to live and work in (as far as cities go) and it reminds me of London in that sense. I didn't spend enough time in Santiago on this trip to explore it much in the same way but from what I did get to see and from time I've spent there previously, I can also imagine it's a great city to live in but it may be that its more compact centre and central districts and its Andes backdrop (which some days you CAN see), make it an easier city to enjoy on a visit for a few days.

From Buenos Aires I headed south to Argentina's far south Patagonia, then across to Chile's far south Patagonia, then down to Chile's even further south Tierra del Fuego, then to Argentina's Tierra del Fuego, then back up to Chile's northern Patagonia, all the way by car up to Santiago from Puerto Varas then by air from there to the Atacama Desert in Chile's northern 2nd Region, across the border by road back into Argentina through some stunning altiplanic landscapes en route to Salta, and now I'm back in Buenos Aires for nearly the last time on this trip (I have another day here en route back to the UK from New Zealand).  All places have been fantastic to experience and beautiful to see, and some of the landscapes have just blown my socks off, especially the geology and geography of the desert and altiplano in and around the Atacama.  I couldn't wait to visit the area again having been to San Pedro de Atacama and the Uyuni salt flats and southern highlands of Bolivia before, and if I'm ever pushed to say a favourite place around the world out of all the places I've visited, it still tops the bill as the place I find most beautiful and the place that has the biggest effect on me. Still.

The colours in these photos are a little bleached by the intense sunlight but they're here as much for me as they are for everyone else (ok, maybe more so for me..) .....

 Andean flamingos at Chaxa Laguna in the Salar de Atacama

Andean avocets(!), again at Chaxa lake in the Salar de Atacama

The Atacama equivalent of the dead sea but here it's fresh water (i.e. not sea or marine water) so high in salt content you can't help but float

And yes, I'm sorry more volcanos, but what do you expect when in Chile; 

Licancabur, in the middle, sits on the border between Chile and Bolivia

A little volcano humour....