Attraction

Porirua District Council has declined a request to invest $1.9m in an adventure park project, citing the project’s high risk and lack of affordability for ratepayers.

Te Waikoropupū Springs near Takaka in Golden Bay will be the first water body in 10 years to receive special legal protection.

One of the secrets to the success of Secret Spot Hot Tubs in Rotorua is the fact that it opened just a few months before Covid-19 struck.

People have until next Friday 9 October to submit feedback on the draft management plan for Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe/Ninety Mile Beach.

The Government has granted $2m for development work at the Otorohanga Kiwi House in South Waikato.

Wellington Cable Car will shut for three weeks for its annual maintenance, longer than its usual one week maintenance shutdown.

Work to rebuild Canterbury’s iconic Christ Church Cathedral is set to start as soon as alert system guidelines allow, after the original start date for physical work was postponed due to Covid-19.

A new health and wellness spa at Rotorua will be built following a $17m funding injection into the region from the Provincial Growth Fund.

Event Cinemas has opened its newest complex at Westfield Newmarket.

Christchurch’s hot pools at New Brighton have been blessed ahead of its official opening.

Design work on the upgrade of the visitor infrastructure at Punakaiki is set to begin.

The team vying to bring the UK’s iconic Eden Project eco-tourism attraction to Christchurch has secured a ‘licence to occupy’ agreement.

Orana Wildlife Park veterinary staff have euthanased Dumai, a 16-year-old Sumatran tiger, due to chronic renal failure.

NTT has appointed Auckland Zoo’s head of visitor experience to lead the new attraction.

A new addition to popular Waikato tourist attraction, Hamilton Gardens, will be formally opened by Mayor Paula Southgate on Monday 3 February.

Rainbow’s End is banking on a positive summer and a new visitor experience to help improve results, with a new 7D Dark Ride launching early this year.

Geologist and researcher Margaret Bradshaw has been honoured at the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch for her achievements in the field of Antarctic science.

The owner of Auckland’s Rainbow’s End and Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa has painted contrasting pictures for the two attractions in its latest interim results for the six months to September 2019.

The opportunity to come face-to-face with the world-renowned All Black haka, test your lineout skills against your favourite player, and hear first-hand from legends of the game will all be part of the new All Blacks Experience.

Tekapo Springs is celebrating 12 years in business, and is getting ready to launch two new products ahead of the summer season.

The Star Field observatory complex and astronomy centre in Martinborough is set to open later this month, with a new dark sky experience at Ruakokoputuna.

Proposals are being sought for the final design of West Coast’s $25.6m Dolomite Point redevelopment near Punakaiki.

Ngāi Tahu Tourism’s Rainbow Springs at Rotorua has opened a new 902 sq m welcome hub containing a café, retail space and ticketing area.

Ngāi Tahu Tourism and Antarctica New Zealand have entered a new partnership which offers a Franz Josef glacier guide the chance of a secondment at Scott Base.

Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre and local iwi have launched a new cultural tour.

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism and the local tourism industry have launched their first-ever ‘Locals Week’.

A $12m Provincial Growth Fund injection for the Sarjeant Gallery is set to “put Whanganui on the map as a vibrant cultural hub” according to Fletcher Tabuteau.

A new forecasting tool designed to provide investors with insight into potential demand for new tourism products has been launched by the government.

After more than a year’s work, the Tourism Attractions Programme prospectus is unveiled.

The first kiwi chick of the season arrived at Rainbow Springs’ National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa on Friday afternoon – weeks before the season usually starts. 

The council is seeking a new plan that will ensure Milford Sound maintains its iconic visitor status.

The end of a four-year-long, $500k+ process is finally in sight, says founder and CEO Russell Alexander.

Sector consultation is underway on the proposed expansion of the National Aquarium of New Zealand.

The two zoos have both lost bigs cats this week due to the animals’ poor health and age.

Skyline Queenstown has launched its Night Luge experience after installing 225 lights and 5.5km of cabling on its luge tracks.

Christchurch City Council is looking for a private operator to lease the new café that is being built as part of the hot water pools complex in New Brighton.

Enterprise Dunedin plans to continue promoting Baldwin Street as part of the city’s mix of tourism product despite it losing the steepest street in the world title.

Auckland Zoo will take its first directly booked cruise passengers this summer with the luxury Seabourn Cruise Line starting to promote the attraction as a shore excursion.

Tourism Holdings has appointed Auckland advertising agency YoungShand to manage the “creative and media aspects” of its Discover Waitomo business.

The $11m attraction has brought around 100 new jobs to Takapō / Lake Tekapo.

Ngāi Tahu Tourism and its joint venture partners have opened their Dark Sky Project at Takapō / Lake Tekapo to the public following a launch event attended by Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy.

The $10m astronomy experience at Takapō / Lake Tekapo opens its doors on Tuesday.

Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa and Auckland’s Rainbow’s End suffered dips in visitor numbers over FY19 with owner Rangatira Investments downgrading its long-term earnings forecast for the latter attraction.

Skyline Enterprises is seeking permission for night luging and lighting at its Queenstown attraction that could see it remain open for customers until 10pm. 

The Auckland attraction has struggled to lift numbers over the past three years.

The new boss will join the $10m attraction in June, a month before the stargazing experience is due to open.

Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa’s new $4.5m thermal pool extension will see five pools constructed on wooden piles in an effort to protect a number of 90-year old giant Redwood Trees.

However, the agency says it is working on 29 other hotel opportunities across NZ.

The closure of foot and road access to the West Coast’s Fox Glacier has left local operators including Glacier Valley Eco Tours juggling bookings and considering alternative options in the face of uncertainty over future access.

The Northland Regional Council is investing $500,000 to help bring forward a proposed $8m-plus cultural centre and tourism attraction at Opononi.