Two Hawaiian va'a to join waka fleetThe largest waka fleet in 25 years, extra Navy vessels and the appearance of two Hawaiian va'a. These are just a few of the special events expected at this year's Waitangi Festival in Waitangi on February 6 to mark 175 years since the treaty was signed. Waitangi National Trust chief executive Greg
McManus said around 30,000 people were expected to attend the festival which would host one of the largest procession of waka ever assembled in modern times. Read more here.
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Online bookings all about trustThe email at 5am on the day we were flying from Auckland to Paris abruptly thumped home how much trust we place in travel bookings made over the internet. The message from our Airbnb host in Paris told us her place had been flooded and we wouldn't be able to stay. Eek, what to do? We had paid the lodging
site already, it was high tourist season and we didn't have time to find somewhere before we went to the airport. Read more here.
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City playing catch up with hotel accommodationA new hotel opening in Christchurch CBD has taken the city's room count to 5200 - but the city is still almost a third below pre-quake accommodation levels. The Ramada Suites Christchurch City opened its doors on Tuam St this week, after a $12.5 million development. Canterbury Tourism boss Tim Hunter said while the hotel opening was good news, the city was "still very much in catch-up mode". Christchurch has now recovered around two-thirds of its tourist accommodation with 5200 commercial beds available, but was still down on the 7000 available before the quakes, Hunter, chief executive of Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism, said. Read more here.
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