Winter in New Zealand

Winter is definitely settling in here in NZ! Looking to plan a winter adventure, kiwi style? We’ve put together a list of reasons why NZ in winter is awesome:

1. Less queues and no peak pricing: One of the great things about travelling New Zealand in winter is that it’s considered the ‘low season’, meaning you can check out some of the biggest tourist hotspots and avoid those crazy summer queues! Note: Avoid the school holidays if you can, as these tend to be busier times. https://www.govt.nz/browse/education/school-and-college/2016-school-holidays/

2. Whale watching in Kaikoura: While sperm whales hang out in the Kaikoura coast all year round, come winter the humpback, pilot, blue and southern right whales stop by on their way from the Antarctic to the tropics! June to August is the best times to see them, plus with the added bonus of the beautiful snow capped mountain scenery.

3. Hanmer Springs: Hanmer springs is located between Christchurch and Kaikoura, and is considered one of New Zealand’s best hot springs resorts. With picturesque scenery surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the famous thermal pools and spa (co.nz) are a beautiful place to relax.

5. Queenstown: Know as the adventure capital of NZ, Queenstown is the perfect place for a winter adventure! With world class ski fields, beautiful scenery, bars, ski-touring and more, you’ll be sure to see some of the best winter scenery there is to offer.

6. Baby Seals in Kaikoura!: The perfect spot for the animal lovers among us. There is a waterfall located 15 minutes north of Kaikoura (Ohau Waterfall Walk) which is filled with baby seals during the winter months 🙂

7. For the snow sport lovers: NZ is home to 18 commercially operated ski fields. The three main regions that are popular among tourists are Mount Ruapehu (in the central North Island), the Southern Lakes (Queenstown and Wanaka in the South Island), and Mount Hutt (near Christchurch in the South Island).

8. Ohakune Mardi Gras: Known to be the premier winter street party of the season, this is an awesome way to welcome the cooler months with local and international artists, street performance, fireworks, and an atmosphere like no other. For ticket information and more see: http://ohakunemardigras.co.nz/#_

NOTE: Stay safe on our roads. Be sure to take extra care on road trips, especially in winter where the roads are often icy. Make sure to check the conditions before beginning your journey, ensure your car is road safe with all defrosters, heaters, indicators, lights, tires, etc. are all in good working order.

We’d love to hear about your winter adventures. Let us know what you’ve got planned for the upcoming winter months in the comment box below.

Event tip: Splore Festival

Any festival fans over here?

The weather is great and the summer vibes are booming! What would be better then going to a festival right now? Next month it’s time again for Splore Festival!

This three-day festival (with camping!) is not too far away for Auckland (Tapapakanga) which makes it the ideal summer escape from the busy city! For only $255 you can enjoy this massive line-up, see below! It’s a great festival, suited for people from all ages!

INTERNeX New Zealand: Queens Birthday Weekend (31st May – 2nd June)

This coming weekend (31st May – 2nd June) is a long weekend here in New Zealand in celebration of Queens birthday. This means that Monday is a public holiday 🙂

There’s plenty going on down at Queens Wharf in Auckland City (99 Quay Street, Auckland) over the weekend. From 10am-4pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday this weekend there will be attractions, market stalls, tea parties, vintage and new car displays, and history of our British and Irish counterparts.

The programme for the weekend can be found below. Definitely worth checking out, and remember admission is FREE 🙂

Saturday 31st May
10:30: City of Sails Pipe Band
11:00: Northland and Auckland Scottish Country Dancers
11:30: Clan Celtica Pipe Band | Traditional marionette puppet performance
12:30: Northland and Auckland Scottish Country Dancers
1:00: Clan Celtica Pipe Band | Traditional marionette puppet performance
1:30: City of Auckland Morris Dancers
2:00: Meadowbank School Maypole Dancers
2:30: Daily film: Wily Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Sunday 1st June
11:00: Signals Pipe Band & Highland Dancers
11:30: City of Auckland Morris Dancers | Traditional marionette puppet performance
12:00: Twisty Willow – Irish and Scottish folk music
1:00: Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – all welcome
2:00: Traditional marionette puppet performance
2:30: Daily film: Alice in Wonderland (1951)

Monday 2nd June
10:30: Twisty Willow – Irish and Scottish folk music
11:30: Pukekohe Pipe Band | Traditional marionette puppet performance
Papakura Pipe Band and Highland Dancers (15 minute slots)
12:00: Auckland and District Pipe Band
Clan Celtica Pipe Band
12:30: Massed pipe band
1:00: Maritime Crew – sea shanties
2:00: City of Auckland Morris Dancers
2:30: Daily Film: Wallace and Grommet: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

INTERNeX New Zealand: Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Wildlife Photographer of the year

Auckland Museum is currently exhibiting the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. This exhibition – which is on loan from the Natural History Museum in London- features close up encounters with the natural world.

There are backlit images of animals, landscapes and nature on display, with captions and fascinating back-stories.

Definitely worth a visit! These photos are on display from 25th April until the 3rd of August 2014.

Tickets are free with museum entry (museum entry is $25 for non New Zealand residents).

Getting there: Getting to the Museum is easy! You can walk through the Domain (a wonderful park located close to the city), or catch the LINK bus service (look for the red, green or orange buses). For more information about planning your journey, check out the website http://www.maxx.co.nz . This website provides information about public transport around Auckland City.

Visit the Chinese Lantern Festival with us!

Experience the 15^th Chinese Lantern Festival this weekend and especially this Friday, when you can join INTERNeX to explore this beautiful festival. When the sun goes down more than 800 lanterns will light up. Stunning lanterns in all their glory will give a great effect, especially when it gets dark. This festival is all about Chinese lantern and the Chinese culture. Their delicacies and performances. You can try typical Chinese food, buy Chinese souvenirs and watch international performances on Albert Park Main Stage. Almost every time there is an interesting and astonishing act going on.

The Lantern Festival is separated in two different parts. The other location where you can enjoy China is at the Queens wharf.  Catch an outdoor movie with some friends where you can relax and enjoy the contemporary Chinese culture on the waterfront.

We will experience the festival as well this Friday, the 14^th of Febuary, at the Albert Park. We will meet at 8.30pm at the entrance of Kitchener Street, at the big stones and going to explore the Lantern Festival with a group. See map at the Facebook event for the exact meeting point and if you really can’t find you can contact us on 021 08395428.

See you then!

問候

Useful Websites

When you just arrive, or actually every day during your stay in New Zealand, you always receive new information, meet new people, explore new places etc.. Sometimes it is hard to process al that new information. Halve of the information you forgot, halve of the people you never see again, but our generation got a benefit we got the INTERNET. The 50% of information you forgot, can just be found back on the internet. The people you will maybe never see again, can visit you in the virtual world. In this blog we will tell you about some useful websites about work, discounts, accommodation etc.. for during your stay in New Zealand.

To start with some websites, were you can find a lot of discounts.

-www.grabone.co.nz             -www.groupon.co.nz

There both websites, were you will find a lot of discounts for in New  Zealand. There are discounts in different categories like, dinner, activities, health holiday, beauty etc. You will need a credit card to pay online, after you paid you receive a e-ticket on your email.

Are you looking for work, these sites will help you by find one.

-www.trademe.co.nz            -www.backpackerboard.co.nz            -www.picknz.co.nz

These websites are the most common ones, if you are looking for a job. They offer a lot of jobs, especially in the summer. The most jobs are from 4 months, but you can always have a look of you want to work shorter. For some of the jobs you need some experience, you will find this in the job application when needed.

Are you done with living in a hostel, is it time for your own place. Have a look on these websites.

–http://www.trademe.co.nz                 -www.flatmates.co.nz 

It is not that hard to find a place to live in Auckland. The only thing is, it’s quiet expensive to live in Auckland, especially in the CBD (central business district). There are a lot of apartments, who let you live with two people in one room to share the costs. So if you got a friend/boyfriend/girlfriend  who you don’t mind to share your room with, it will save you a lot of money. It is free to react on a accommodation, so you don’t need a membership the only thing you need is an account.

Don’t you know what to do today, have a look on these websites about what’s going on in Auckland/New Zealand. Events

-www.eventfinder.co.nz         -www.heartofthecity.co.nz

What’s up for the weekend? Waiheke Island!

What’s up for the weekend? INTERNeX goes Waiheke Island! Paradise Island, gorgeous beaches and hopefully Sun! Indeed, with capital S, because what’s Waiheke Island without the sun?

We are going to stay in a hostel called Kina Backpackers. Cool hostel in Onetangi close to the beach and different bars. Jump on a ferry at the harbor of Auckland and arrive after a 45 minute ferry cruise on this beautiful Island. Schedule? Check: http://www.fullers.co.nz.

So, you arrived? What’s next?

Waiheke Island is famous about the wine tastings tours. You visit different vineyards and taste a lot of different wines in amazing surroundings.
* Have a look for bookings at www.bookme.co.nz and if you are lucky it will be around $50 dollars. Normally $99NZ dollars.

Looking for some for adventure? Go Zipping! Glide from different cableways down when you are in the middle of nice nature. This adventure starts from the Visitors Centre, which is close to the ferry building.
*This EcoZip experience is about $99 NZ dollars. Phone: 09 372 5646

Into Art? Waiheke Islands offers something for everyone. Walk and watch nice art, then the Connels Bay, sculpture park is definitely something for you. The path will lead you trough nice arts statues and sculptures, with nice views everywhere.
*Student? For you $25NZD, otherwise $30NZD.

Discover the Island by yourself?
Rent a scooter if you are over 21 and cross over the whole Island to see by yourself what this paradise offers you. Stop at nice beaches, go up the hills to have the best views over Rangitoto and Auckland.
*Scooter renting from $15NZD per hour, which has a minimum of 2 hours renting. Minimum age: 21. Phone: 09 37 28 998
* Too young for a scooter? Be sportive and rent a bike! Close to Waiheke Visitors Info Centre in Oneroa you can rent bikes. Burn calories and relax under a palm tree. Phone: 09 37 27 937

A few recommendations, which you could do on Waiheke Island!

Have a nice weekend!

Cheers,

Lies & Luus

 

 

 

What to do on sunday?

What to do on Sunday?

Sunday could be a day, that you lie all day in bed, watch some movies, eat a lot of chocolate, drink you hangover away with more beer, but noooooo that will be not this Sunday.

This Sunday we will go with a group of INTERNeX to Mission Bay, just 15 minutes with the buss from Auckland. That means it only cost $4 dollars to come there.  You have some beautiful beaches over there, some cool hiking trips and more and more and more.

It does depends on the wetter what we will do there, but you also have there a lot of restaurants, pubs and some inside activities, like sea life.

It will be fun if you join us!

If you would like to come, leave a message on the facebook or send a message to luus (+642108395428)  and we will keep you up to date

See you Sunday!

INTERNeX New Zealand: Looking for a Kiwi bird?

Hi there,

If you’ve been to New Zealand, there a lot of things you must have seen before you leave. One thing of that is an Kiwi. And then I don’t mean residents of New Zealand, but the birds! They actually are really hard to find, because they only come out of there holes in the night. So if you spot one in the night in the wild, you are really lucky! If you don’t want to spend your time on waiting for an Kiwi bird in the night, you also can go to the Auckland Zoo. It is a fun place to go and see in Kiwi bird. But there are a plenty of other animals you can see there.

A few weeks ago they had a new baby giraffe and she is already outsight so you can see here at the moment in the zoo, we also saw here:) What else did we saw in the zoo, elephants, lions, birds, monkeys, red pandas, rhinos and more and more animals. It is a pretty big zoo. You can walk there for three/four hours. They also have some special shows, were they will show you how to feed the animals. We saw a show were a lion was eating his dinner, it was pretty cool to see that. You could almost touch him.

It is easy to come to the zoo. You can leave from the big bust stop close to the harbour. Just ask at the bus driver if the bus goes to the zoo, plenty of them does, so you never have to wait long.

If you be there don’t forget to taste an ice-cream, because I can tell from my own experience they are really good!

Cheers,

Luus & Lies

INTERNeX New Zealand: Mount Eden Sunset

Hi there!

If you are done with your work or you have a free evening and you don’t know what else to do? Go watching the sunset on Mount Eden. We’ve done it and it was so beautiful! When the sun is falling you see more and more lights in Auckland which give you a great view over the city by night.

Mount Eden is the second highest natural point in the whole Auckland region. You can easily go by bus from the CBD district. Go to Britomart and there will be a lot of busses who will bring you to the volcano. You can take the Outer Link busses 274/267/625/258/277 and many more I guess. One trip costs only $1,90 NZ dollar and you travel around 20 minutes.

View Mount Eden

Last but not least, we met our first Maori’s over there! They teached us a real Maori game. First you have to say welcome to each other on the ‘Maori-way’ like nose – to – nose and then you have to do a game with your hand called Papaki Rere – translation ‘Flying Hands’. They were also singing during the game.

Imaging… you stand on a volcano in the middle of New Zealand, with sunset views over Auckland, doing Maori games with real Maori’s is pretty awesome!

Maori game – Papaki Rere

So, check it out!

Cheers,

Lies & Luus