Attractions

Cultural attractions are suffering but one operator has found a path forward, managing to boost domestic visitor numbers above pre-Covid levels.

Grovetown Lagoon has become a popular area for walking, biking, picnicking, kayaking, food gathering and bird watching.

New area better sign-posted, with multiple parking spots for cars, coaches and campers.

Lighting to form part of Matariki season event on 10 July.

The new visitor centre project dovetails with plans to promote Whanganui River Road as a tourism driving route.

A heritage/ environment centre, a mountain bike park and a hot-pool style aquatic facility proposed.

Historic ride set welcome guests again by end May.

New cinema to be located in Christchurch’s The Landing Shopping Mall.

The Queenstown attraction is waiting for a trans-Tasman bubble to help turn around its fortunes.

A new sign installed at Tapataia Mahaka Peters Lookout on Highway 80 to Aoraki Mt Cook tells the stories of manawhenua in Te Manahuna Mackenzie Basin.

Wellington’s iconic Cable Car, launched in 1902, will celebrate its 119th birthday this month.

The Napier attraction has enjoyed one of its busiest seasons to date, with more than 100,000 visitors since 16 November.

A South Island high-country station which plays its part in the Mackenzie tourism landscape as the birthplace of the Hamilton Jet has been put up for sale.

Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa – The Living Māori Village is now open again following a nine-month hibernation.

The Fort Stony Batter tunnels on Waiheke Island have been reopened following a six-year closure.

The Manea Footprints of Kupe, an interactive cultural, heritage, tourism and education centre, has opened in Opononi in the Hokianga.

The sculpture would make a lasting contribution to Whangarei’s tourism and education landscape.

Northland’s current infrastructure project pipeline will bring massive benefits to the region, says Employers and Manufacturers Association chief executive Brett O’Riley.

Queenstown’s Deer Park Heights is opening its gates again after 11 years.

After five years ushering in millions of visitors, Auckland Zoo’s head of visitor experience leaves to lead the country’s newest attraction.

Rotorua’s National Kiwi Hatchery will reopen to visitors in time for both the September school holidays and to celebrate the hatching of its first kiwi chick of the season.

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.