Attractions

Recruitment is underway for key roles to join the attraction ahead of its 2 December opening date.

The family went to a number of tourism experiences in the city last weekend, including Skyline Rotorua’s gondola and luge.

A roof fire in the Anglican St Paul’s Cathedral in Dunedin has been contained and early reports suggest little damage from smoke and water.

Wellington’s Cable Car will be back in service from this Saturday 8 August after its annual maintenance shutdown.

Tourism projects in the Chatham Islands, Rotorua, and the Far North will share in just over $110m in new funding announced by the Government.

The operator says the cash is coming from the PGF and the Government’s $3bn infrastructure fund.

The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute Vesting Act 2020 has been passed by the House. 

While the southern ski fields saw better than expected numbers during the holidays, major North Island attractions also saw good attendance.

Reduced prices and extra costs mean businesses have had to work hard to make a profit.

The Govt is investing the cash in Fiordland’s Homer Tunnel, an Arrowtown museum, and a Balclutha hub.

The development at Punakaiki will also feature cycle paths, walkways, and a new viewing platform.

Wildlife institutions suffering from the impacts of Covid-19 can apply for support.

Hamilton City Council has delayed an extension to its Victoria on the River boardwalk and an upgrade to the city’s Transport Centre because of Covid-19.

Ngāi Tahu is restarting its Dark Sky Project at Tekapo but is ditching its multi-million-dollar hotpool scheme at Queenstown.

Experience Wellington is seeing visitor numbers at some key sites return to around 60% of normal, as the council-owned operator forges ahead through its Covid-19 recovery. 

With only four redundancies made to date, Christchurch Attractions is preparing to bring most of its operations back online for a local and domestic market.

A re-opening special offered the first 20 people through the doors a 50% discount on adult Gondola tickets on opening day. 

A significant development plan for the attraction is on hold until visitor volumes return.

The National Aquarium of New Zealand has launched a virtual encounter with its Little Penguins.

Four new ‘visitor experience centres’ will be built along the West Coast as part of the Te Ara Pounamu pathways project.

Experiences in Doubtful Sound, Milford Sound, Te Anau, Stewart Island and the TSS Earnslaw and Go Orange Jet Boats in Queenstown would relaunch on 4 July

Preventative work is taking place on the Christchurch Gondola cableway towers ahead of its planned reopening on 1 July.

Regional Facilities Auckland has reopened the Auckland Town Hall, Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki,  The Civic, Bruce Mason Centre, The Cloud, and Shed 10 on Queens Wharf.

The new money takes the total invested from the fund into the $33.2m Whangarei project to $18.4m.

“We have to recreate our future rather than wait for it to come to us,” says GM David Blackmore.

Rainbow’s End, Polynesian Spa have good bank, shareholder support, says Mark Dosser.

A mountain bike park and thermal spa pool will be investigated as potential new destination attractions for Picton, says Marlborough District Council.

Auckland-based tour operator Bush and Beach have launched a new series of ‘Kiwis guiding Kiwis’ products for the domestic market.

 The Dunedin attraction opened its doors this morning after a period of consolidation and cutbacks.

Multi-year upgrades at Pukeiti Gardens have resumed because of the importance to Taranaki’s post-Covid-19 recovery, says Taranaki Regional Council chair David MacLeod.

Wanaka adventure tourism operator Wildwire is extending its Koha Climb product to domestic tourists.

Northland’s new Manea Footprints of Kupe centre is set to include a memorial to the SS Ventnor and those who were lost when it sank off the Hokianga coast in 1902 after securing a $100,000 investment from the Provincial Growth Fund.

Jobs will be lost across all of the group, says the company.

Whale Watch Kaikōura has temporarily closed and its customer service team will cancel and issue refunds for any tours booked from the March 24 to June 30.

Weta Workshop is temporarily closing its Miramar-based Weta Cave store and tours.

More than 240 jobs could go in a temporary closure of one of the country’s top attractions.

Regional Facilities Auckland has gained Toitū carbonreduce certification.

Taupō may have rejected the Fly-Line experience but the New Zealand licence holder says he is looking at other locations across the country for the venture.

A surge in visitors is predicted for the Awaroa/Godley Head site overlooking Lyttelton Harbour.