When you like something a heck of a lot……you want to take photos of it ….don’t you?
Well…I do.
Bit chuffed this week to see the Summit Real Estate company calendars arrive, well not just that actually.
No the reason I had a smile on my face was that they featured 3 of my own photographs.
When we reach February 2011, you’ll see the above photo;
later in April there is this one depicting one of Nelson’s famous Summer Cycle races, the Tour De Vineyards……..
then towards the end of the year you will be greeted in October with this photo taken in the Nelson Lakes National Park, a photo of Lake Rotoiti with a great sky.
Couldn’t believe my luck with the fabulous sky/cloud formation the day I was up at St. Arnaud / Nelson Lakes National Park – it felt like a “build it and they will come” moment!
Spending by international and domestic tourists increased to $22.4 billion for the year ended March 2010, and that the latest government figures show spending by international tourists in New Zealand increased by 1.6 percent, or $150 million, to $9.5 billion. Domestic expenditure rose to $12.9 billion, a 2.5 percent increase on the previous year.
Dr Coleman went on;
‘’Many countries have experienced a decline in international tourism over the past 18 months, but we have bucked the trend. With the Rugby World Cup next year, the sector will grow even further so things are really looking up.”
One can expect an upturn of movie related fans to top this up as well. all great for our economy. Plus the obvious good news for Real Estate.
Oh….and the relevance of all this to the Nelson Bays region ……..
Nelson Regions LOTR film site locations
So its definitely not past the scheme of things, considering we are surrounded here by National Parks like Kahurangi, that we may just feature, like last time, as a location in one of the 2 new Hobbit movies too.
Abel Tasman info from newzealand.com ….. which has the accompanying video featuring a chap called Ben Fogle, with the following caption;
” This is Ben’s first day in the stunning Abel Tasman National Park. Trying his hand at kayaking in the park’s clear blue water leads Ben to a colony of seals and in search of some spectacular rock formations.”
and if you are further interested in the walk, and associated topography then besthike.com – has another review of Abel Tasman for the hiker / tramper, including a neat graph showing elevations.
Our national motoring organisation has launched a new website and an associated competition that celebrates what Kiwis already know.
....not the Holden?
The Road Trip.
We are truly blessed with some unique topography and modern cars need no longer worry about stopping at the top of the Kaimais or the top of Takaka Hill to let the radiator boil and cool down.
I was down at Tahunanui Beach today having a quick lunch break and coffee and the person I was with commented, “look up.”
Huh?
I did and there was blue sky….but that wasn’t the reason why I was looking up….no to the west the Western ranges were covered in cloud that looked very much like snow cloud….and to the east behind us again clouds…although they looked more like rain clouds than snow ladden ones.
And then it hit me…..Nelson again was trying hard to edge up on its annual sunshine hours tally all by itself. Over the Nelson city area, and nearby coastal zone – there were no clouds just a perfect blue sky. And yes it did hit me, because not 5 minutes earlier I had been in the car and the 12 noon news was on the radio. It seemed we were about the only place in NZ enjoying a blue sky & sunshine according to media reports.
I digress…..back to the Road Trip, the AA have launched a new websiteto celebrate the driving experience that is the quintessential…… “Kiwi Road Trip.”
The site offers you the opportunity to start your road trip from any one of 23 designated NZ locations.
starting from here...
Then…well off you go…..
If you did select Nelson the site offers two different trips.
The first one is a very scenic trip with plenty of stop-overs, a visit to NZ’s smallest National Park, Abel Tasman and an AA recommended trip time of 3 days to get over to Picton.
On the outskirts of Takaka are Te Waikoropupu Springs – the world’s clearest freshwater springs. Te Waikoropupu Springs, known as Pupu Springs, is Golden Bay’s most popular and famous attraction. The spring system is New Zealand’s largest and among the 100 largest in the world.
The springs are wahi tapu (a sacred site) to Maori and the water from the springs has been used for healing and ceremonial blessings. From Te Waikoropupu Springs, a route inland passes through the Aorere Valley, past the old-world atmosphere of Langford’s Store to the Aorere Goldfields (where the first flush of gold fever happened in 1857).
There is more than enough things to keep your eyes busy as the downloadable map guides you around the region.
For me that would have to be the longest recorded trip I have ever heard of….but when you see the fantastic itinerary they set you can see why.
That oughta give you plenty of time to not only see for yourself, but also to enjoy what our sunny region of NZ has to offer.
The second trip they recommend is one very familiar to Nelsonians, heck I travel it at least every 2 months, and that is the trip to Christchurch.
click to see more details about the trip....
But hey don’t just let me tell you about it,head on over thereyourself, you might even win a Mazda 2 car or other prizes.
Being “down-under” at the other end of the world means one thing.
new seats about to be introduced to the world next week....
To get anyway far away, for a Kiwi….it’s always very costly. But hey…..we are no stranger to the concept. Our own award winning Air New Zealand are constantly world leading in new seating/sleeping concepts for long haul.
This may not be the way to do it……but could it also be the way to alleviate the expense on say a short haul Tasman Sea flight.
I’ve seen the double decker sandwich style that Mr Branson liked, and others like those favoured by Michael O’Leary….but this style…….it might just get some traction? One way or the other, my suspicion is that I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this type of idea?
David…..but how does this relate to Nelson Real Estate?
Frankly it definitely does relate to Nelson Real Estate……it not only relates to peoples from afar having easy/cheap/convenient access to NZ, but just as importantly those who may desire a more regular travel frequency. Or just as equally, trans-tasman work commute opportunities.
That being the visitation to/from them of family or friends from those afar places. In any case where this travel cost is substantially reduced, then I see merits from a real estate perspective. Basically the concept I am trying to get across is the well known to property investors one called the “ripple effect”…..but in this case its across oceans.
