SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - New Zealand is not for sale, despite somebody in neighbouring Australia trying to offload the nation of four million to the highest online bidder.
With a starting offer of just one cent, brisk bidding for the prime chunk of South Pacific real estate quickly boosted the price to 3,000 Australian dollars before eBay pulled the plug on the auction this week. “Clearly New Zealand is not for sale,” eBay Australia spokesman Daniel Feiler told the New Zealand Press Association, adding that 22 bids had been made before the company acted. From Online auction site eBay …
More people are saying that Australasia is the place to be: Conde Nast Traveller Awards rewarded NZ with the top spot for travel. According to the poll of the people who have the money to spend on type of travel tourism boards want, New Zealand got 99 out of 100 for scenery, 98.87 for for environmental friendliness and 97 for safety.
Overall, New Zealand scored 97 points. Thailand had 94, Australia came in with 93 and Italy stuck it out with 92. From Travel magazine poll puts NZ top
In an amazing feat of fitness, gear quality, survival skill and sheer, dumb luck, a Kiwi diver was discovered bobbing in the ocean three days after disappearing. Some old Navy comrades picked him up after an air search was called off…makes you feel good about your chances of a long search, huh? New Zealand diver survives three days in ocean
And just when you thought that a strong economy was a good thing, the tourism people have to get all up in your face:
The strength of the New Zealand dollar is starting to worry tourism operators, with one of the big players in the industry warning people are starting to choose other, less expensive countries for their holidays. From Dollar’s strength threatens tourism?