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October 2004
Kia ora
Active Earth is the new identity for the North Island safaris we have been running since 1995 under the Hiking New Zealand or New Zealand Nature Safaris names. You probably gave us your e-mail address on one of our tours - this may have been yesterday or a few years ago.
We are starting an Active Earth newsletter now. It will happen twice a year. We want it to be interesting, fun and ever-so-slightly educational. But most of all it will have no monster graphics or other annoyances.
This first edition includes, among other things:
Great 2 for 1 SPECIALS - hide someone in your suitcase; we don't care!
A funky CO2 calculator - in case you have an emission problem.
Interesting scraps - including the ultimate site to make your hiking friends think you are smarter than you really are.
Happy reading
The active earthlings
in this edition
specials
•Far North 2 for 1
Hide someone in your suitcase; we don't care!
Two for one. Book any two people at the same time on the same Far North Safari departing in October & November 2004 and pay only $595. Fantastic!
•Book both trips and save $100
Book both a Volcanoes and Rainforest Safari and a Far North Safari at the same time and get $100 off the Far North Safari - travel must finish before 31 January 2005. Marvellous!
The conditions are:
Bookings must be made directly on www.ActiveEarthNewZealand.com.
Some dates are not guaranteed. If two people are both doing both trips, only the best offer applies! Not in conjunction with any other offer unless we happen to think it's a good idea. : )
our news
•Winter
It's nearly over and every winter I dwell on the fact that I have told countless curious travellers that the reason we don't have central heating and well insulated houses in New Zealand is because it's too warm here. Did I really say that?
•What's on?
Well, we have moved our North base to Mangere in South Auckland. Not the most scenic corner of New Zealand but that's OK because our trips don't come here. The mangroves are nice though! Interestingly, next door is a tiny rough-looking factory that, among other things, makes huge alloy vacuum tanks for NASA - I kid you not. So our "thunderbird" rocket buses feel right at home here.
Look out for an article in the (English) Sunday Times in the next few weeks. Tony Mudd (New Zealand Rough Guide author) travelled on a Volcanoes and Rainforest Safari with Joe last season and we are hoping that he can bring himself to say some nice things about us. These sorts of promotions are great for us. All fingers crossed that we don't get bumped for a story about sheep-dog trials in Southland.
Returning guides for this season are Kath, Graham, Malcolm H and MO. Our shiny new guides this year are Stace and Marls. Stace has a degree in environmental science and has worked on native forest restoration projects and as a horticulturist in Denmark. She also loves sailing and mountain biking. Marls has a PhD in zoology. Originally from Australia, Marls has worked on many projects including the glamorous North Island mudfish. She is a stylish rock climber but no longer trusts guide books after recent climbs in Peru.
Sadly Joe, our long time operations manager/guide, is leaving : (
Things won’t be the same without our Mr Smiles around. Joe was responsible for making considerable order from considerable chaos. Thanks for your Herculean efforts over the years, Joe.
•Far North Safari update
DoC (Department of Conservation) has closed the campground where we used to hike to at Whangamumu on the first night. This trip now has no overnight hikes, which makes it great for people who are not into the pack-carrying thing. We still tramp along those beautiful beaches with lapping water and hanging pohutukawa trees, but now we do it all as a day walk on the second day. Feedback about this change has been pretty good, even though we were a bit worried at first.
immigration
immigration - also see http://www.emigratenz.org/NewsBriefs.html
New Zealand is trying to attract skilled workers at the moment so if you are interested in working here for a while it might be a good time.
•Skilled Migration requirement falls
Just one hundred points are now needed for permanent residence. Currently (September) 70 percent of those who undergo the process are invited to formally apply for residence in New Zealand. Nice.
•Teachers favourite
As well as managing to bring kiwi teachers back home to cope with a shortage, 450 foreign teachers received a $3000 grant to come here during the past financial year. Most came from England, Australia, Canada or South Africa. Over 1000 new overseas teachers have begun employment in NZ schools since the beginning of 2002, three-quarters of them in secondary schools.
•Travelling workers preferring New Zealand
Australia appears to be losing its international workforce to New Zealand. Over the last year or so, quite a large proportion of the travelling workforce that they relied on prefers New Zealand as a destination.
•Kiwi - Israel joint venture
Here is another angle on getting a kiwi passport. We probably shouldn't repeat this one in the name of good international relations and positive-speak tourism, but it sure is interesting to glimpse this world of spies and double-dealing.
Reputed Israeli secret agents Eli Cara and Uri Kelman were released last week from an Auckland prison and immediately left New Zealand. The two men were each sentenced to six months in jail in July for trying to fraudulently obtain a New Zealand passport. The Israeli Government has never acknowledged their status, but New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said, after they were sentenced, that they were intelligence agents. Cara and Kelman pleaded guilty to the charges against them and six months imprisonment, of which they served only two months, was not too tough on them. We Kiwis of course are delighted that our passports are again popular. The hope is that this sort of demand will assist them to once again be as desirable as Australian and US passports.
do you have an emission problem?
Active Earth recently took part in a government research project that asked us questions about you. Would you pay more for a trip (NZ$10) to make it carbon neutral? Naturally we said our clients are angels, so of course they would. New Zealand's government environmental research organisation - Landcare www.landcareresearch.co.nz is taking the reins on carbon outputs. They have some rather interesting systems for enthusing us (and you) to return all the carbon we burn up on trips here and popping it back into native forest. They asked us if travellers would have the conscience to use their "pay back time" website www.ebex21.co.nz. On Ebex you calculate the carbon offset required to make your trip neutral and you get a value of carbon used up. It's like a sort of online game that costs you money if you lose; the thing is you always lose. You then have the guilt-freeing option of using your credit card to buy into one of their approved and managed reforestation projects (of course you can also escape by turning the computer off and running away). In world vision style there is even a photo of the sad piece of land wanting your love and nurturing (money). It's actually very cheap to be environmental (on our trips at least). Check out ebex21 - click the pic with an airplane over the NZ map - we thought it was quite a cool idea all round.
interesting oddities
•Tricky problems
Have a look at this site for some great ideas for stumping your mates when you are out hiking. Some of these problems (with answers) will make you look particularly smart. Naturally none of OUR guides will need this site. "Why are manhole covers round?" and the "Suicidal Monks Problem with a BONUS question" are the sort of things you should expect here!
•Outdoor tips
We have been putting the perfect solutions to every day camping & hiking woes on our update page for a while now.
Check out http://www.activeearthnewzealand.com/outdoor-tips.html.
New Zealand travel tools
•Wellington and Auckland
The completely biased guide to Wellington and Auckland. This was put together by Joe and Malcolm and has some subnormal recommendations in it - print it out, use it, surprise the locals when you turn up at an unknown spot. http://www.activeearthnewzealand.com/guide-auck.html
•Other links
If you are heading to NZ and need to get sorted, take a look at our New Zealand travel pages on our web site for accommodation, bus, plane and ferry links.
win our gratitude
We had an idea recently. To get a single Active Earth brochure hanging on a string from notice boards or a wall in as many outdoor shops around the world as possible. We failed. We tried sending them out, it didn't work. But when someone cruises in and puts one up in person it does seem to work. Hmmmm. If you can do somewhere that isn't listed, e-mail Joe - and tell him which city/town/outdoor shops/locations you can do and how many brochures you need. We will then up-load that info so we don't get two people doing the same thing. Don't forget to give Joe your postal address and we will send some brochures out to you. If this works we'll be rapt.
we hope you liked our newsletter
We'd love to see you on another trip some time, keep us in mind.
The active earthlings (at the earth's end).
www.ActiveEarthNewZealand.com
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