Flying Kiwi - your perfect travel partner

Kia Ora from the country voted top "dream destination" in the British Travel Awards, 2006. Not wanting to deflate the title we have been making a few more travellers dreams come true - you'll find out why in this months edition!

With summer approaching and the World cup around the corner our team have been running through a similar training regime to their All Black brothers. With a new season approaching the crew have replaced rugby's blood, sweat and tears with food, activities and adrenalin.

So sit back, grab a warm cocoa or a cold cerveza and enjoy this months edition of Flying kiwi news.

In this Issue

Find your perfect partner with Flying Kiwi

Chill out in Alaska

Free Milford Sound Cruise or Abel Tasman Sailing trip

Flying Kiwi - the green choice

Hot Links - Test your rugby skills and calculate your carbon footprint

 

Find your perfect partner with Flying Kiwi

It's the people that make our trips and its not unusual to make friends for life but recently romance has been in the air. We are very pleased to announce 2 Flying Kiwi weddings over recent months as couples join our trips looking for adventure and leave with slightly more!!!

The first of our newlyweds was Steve and Alison who met on the "Hot" Rocks tour a couple of years back! They met under the sparking glowworm skies of Waitomo and enjoyed a first date with zorbing, skydiving and kayaking thrown in!! "We've never been able to top that" said Alison. After the big day the bridesmaids also joined a flying Kiwi trip on their recommendation and we hope to fulfill Steve and Alison's goal to "be back on Flying Kiwi again one day."

Our latest happy couple are Sarah and Julian who met during their Grand Traverse. They "both enjoyed their trip a lot" and despite a broken arm Julian completed the circuit and left with a future wife and a plaster cast!!

If you know of any similar stories and would like to share them with the team then please get in touch. If you are also a recent bridge or groom (or soon to be) you may also be interested to know that New Zealand was voted the dream honeymoon destination on NBC's today show. You can find out more here.

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Take time to Chill in Alaska

Just over 350 miles north of Anchorage, Fairbanks is known as the "Golden Heart of Alaska." Warm, wonderful long days, a variety of outdoor adventure options, and a central location make it a prime destination throughout the summer. What many people might not realize is that Fairbanks also hosts a variety of cool winter activities (including sighting the natural phenomena of the Aurora Borealis) and is home to one of the most spectacular displays of creativity around, the World Ice Art Championships.

Originating in 1934 as the Fairbanks Winter Carnival, this once local event first became an international competition in 1990. With over one hundred fantastical sculptures, the modern event features a few main categories including Single Block and Multiple Block Classics. Ice for the competition, harvested locally, is so exceptionally clear and thick that it has earned the title of Fairbanks' "Arctic Diamond." Amateur competitors receive a chunk that is 3x5x3 feet and just about 2700 pounds while Multiple Block professional competitors can receive up to 10 pieces
6x4x3 feet, each weighing 4,400 pounds!

Check out this great event for your Western U.S.A.
winter travel plans in 2008! For more information write to Ice Alaska, P.O. Box 83134, Fairbanks AK
99708 or visit http://icealaska.com/

Do temperatures as low as -65 F (-54 C) make you shiver? Consider visiting Fairbanks--as well as the best pristine wilderness in both the Yukon and Alaska--in the summer instead! Join Green Tortoise Adventure Travel on their Alaska Expedition or consider one of their shorter Alaska Loop trips! You can find out more from www.greentortoise.com. Also check out these links:

Alaska Tourism - a run down on things to do, where to do them and how

Alaska.com - general travel advice on Alaska

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Free Milford Sound Cruise or Sailing trip with all 2 island tours

This is undoubtedly one of the finest specials we have launched. If you book and pay for one of our trips covering both islands ( Ultimate Explorer , Grand Traverse , Reverse Traverse ) we will give you a free Milford Sound cruise or a free sailing trip on the Abel Tasman. These are definitely two of the most spectacular and invigorating ways to explore New Zealand's finest waters and one of our traveller's favourites. 

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Flying Kiwi is the Green choice

Flying Kiwi has long been recognised as an environmental choice for those backpacking and touring around New Zealand. Following the recent environment awards Flying Kiwi has now set the precedent by signing up to the sustainable business network and as a member of Green Fleet.

Compared to alternative methods of touring eg camper vans, rental cars and backpacker buses our tours minimise the carbon emissions. Our sustainability policy is reviewed annually to ensure that we are on track and striving for continuous improvement in our performance.

Actions include

• Conducting an annual Sustainability Assessment
• Regular staff training to ensure entire team understands our goals and their responsibilities
• Aim to reduce our CO2 emissions by regular maintenance checks including fuel efficiency and tyre pressures reducing fuel use at least 10% over last year
• Encouraging the suppliers we work with to develop their own sustainability plans and goals

We encourage you to visit www.carbonzero.co.nz to assess the impact of your travels to and within New Zealand and see what a difference camping based tours make.  The Carbon Zero programme gives you the tools to measure, manage and mitigate your carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

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Hot Links

• Fancy yourself as the next Jonah Lomu. See how you get on with this addictive game. Play here.

• Check out some pictures from a few of our latest trips here

• We are currently building up our photo collection so if you have any good pics from a recent trip then please feel free to email them through and enjoy your moment of web fame!

That's it for this month. The weathers getting warmer, the national parks are looking greener and are trips are definitely better than ever so time we got busy trying those last few new hikes for next seasons travellers!

If you have any feedback, questions or ideas for Kiwi News or Flying Kiwi, don't hesitate to contact us.

Safe Travels,

The Flying Kiwi Team

Flying Kiwi Adventure Tours

( +64 3 547 0171 (International)

( 0845 224 3296 (UK local call rate)

( 0800 693 296 (NZ Free Phone)

( 1800 143 515 (AUS Free Phone)

PO Box 680. Nelson, New Zealand

info@flyingkiwi.com

www.flyingkiwi.com