Archive for the ‘South Island’ Category

Milford Sound the 7th wonder of the world?

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Aspen House is very proud of what a beautiful place New Zealand is. Seems like the rest of the world has a chance to vote on this too! We found an interesting new clip recently that is raising the awareness of some of the world’ more special natural sites. And guess what, one of them was in New Zealand!

The Milford Sound is one of the 25 spectacular natural landmarks in the final phase of a global poll to choose the seven wonders  of the world.

Go to theNew 7 Wonders  website link here  and make a vote for NZ’s most amazing Fiord. People can vote on this site so spread the word and get your friends to vote. A panel of experts chose the finalists based on geographical balance, diversity and the importance to human life.

Otrher finalists are the Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon and Uluru.

Milford Sounds is in the south west of NZ’s South Island. Aspen House Hotel is your ideal base when you arrive in New Zealand and start your NZ trip. Rent from JUCY, NZ’s funkiest and most affordable car and camper company and get lots of special offers. Better still JUCY part owns Cruize Milford. So if you rent a car or camper from JUCY and get a two for one offer to see Milford Sound on Cruize Milford.

History! Milford is named after Milford haven in Wales. It runs 15 kms inland from the Tasman Sea and is urrounded by sheer rock faces.Lush rain forests cling to these cliffs while seals, pengiuns and dolphins are often spotted in the waters.

The New 7 Wonders campaign isn’t alone in thinking Milford Sounds is special. Rudyard Kipling called it the 8th wonder of the world! It’s also been judged as the world’s top travel destination in an international survey. It is in a world heritage site. (By the way Barcelona has lots of these too!)

Whale watching – a must do in NZ

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

We set off for Kaikoura after Blenheim ( approx 1 ½ hours drive) had been hit by a state of emergency. Roads were flooded and almost every mile was another slip. It was a gorgeous sunny day the water was flat and you’d never have believed the horrendous storm that had just gone through the area. Plenty of JUCY Rentals cars around.

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We were on our way to Whale Watch Kaikoura to see the largest predator on the planet and the largest animal in the animal kingdom. It’s an incredible drive with magnificent views, snowy mountains and a lot of coastline, even a segment with dozens of beautiful seals basking on the rocks.

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Whale Watch is located in the town of Kaikoura – a scenic two and a half-hour drive north from Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island. Out from Kaikoura is the South Pacific’s widest trench. Male sperm whales dive and feed here. This canyon is the only canyon so close to mountain ranges just 80 metres. This deep undersea canyon combines with unusual sea currents to attract an extraordinary abundance of marine life, the most famous being the Sperm Whale.

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You can go out Giant Sperm Whale spotting at all times of the year. We saw three on the three hour trip we were on. Whale Watch scheduled tours operate daily. The company has a 95% success rate so they guarantee an 80% refund if your tour does not see a whale.

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Fast Facts on the sperm whale

Kaikoura’s resident Sperm Whales are the biggest of the toothed whales and the worlds’ largest carnivore. They are equivalent in size to four elephants. Each of their teeth can weigh more than a kilogram and grow to 20cm long.

Giant Sperm Whales are the stars of the show and year-round residents. A typical Whale Watch tour may encounter New Zealand Fur Seals, pods of Dusky Dolphins and the endangered Wandering Albatross. Depending on the season you may also see migrating Humpback Whales, Pilot Whales, Blue Whales and Southern Right Whales. Kaikoura often hosts the world’s largest dolphin – the Orca – and is home to the world’s smallest and rarest – the Hector’s. There’s plenty of sea birds to spot while you look for the whale.