Tourists
People scared to leave houses in protest-torn Peru
A New Zealander living and working in Peru says protests in the country are out of control and everyone is scared. Over the weekend, the train that carried visitors to Machu Picchu suspended the… Audio
Aussie accent heard on streets of Rotorua, Queenstown again
The long weekend brought a glut of tourists to the North and South Island's unofficial tourism capitals.
While leaders in Queenstown and Rotorua suspect the vast majority were New Zealanders… Audio
Los Angeles has turned into a 'city of nightmares'
The rich and famous are fleeing Los Angeles in droves as junkies and the homeless 'walk the streets like zombies.' Caroline Graham has lived in the City of Angels since the early 1990s and says LA is… Audio
Samoan economy rocked, despite no Covid-19 cases
Samoa continues to have no confirmed cases of Covid-19, but like almost everywhere else in the world, the local economy has been hit hard by lockdown restrictions. Chef and restaurateur Joe Lam joins… Audio
Calling Home: Charles Olsen in Madrid
Having been enticed by a love of Spanish art and flamenco guitar, New Zealand artist and poet Charles Olsen arrived in Spain in 2003 with the intention of staying for a month. Seventeen years later… Audio
A travel writer's guide to the roads less travelled
Travel writer Mary Jane Walker says people should always travel to the places they tell you not to. She is the author of the 'Maverick Traveller' series of books. Audio
Queenstown mayor tells locals: Back bed tax or pick up the bill
Queenstown locals will be able to vote on whether they back a proposed five percent bed tax during a referendum in a fortnight. Video, Audio
Voting set to begin on Queenstown bed tax plan
The Queenstown Lakes District Council is proposing a 5 percent bed tax on visitors to cope with the growing burden of tourists to the area.
Hawke's Bay growers say long term labour solution needed
Pipfruit growers in Hawke's Bay who feared their fruit being left to rot have welcomed the Government's declaration of a seasonal labour shortage. The move will allow some visitor visa-holders to take… Video, Audio
Famous mermaid pools to be closed off to the public
Local iwi are to place a rāhui on Northland's famous mermaid pools to stop damage to the environment. Locals have complained about an influx of visitors and rubbish in the area as pictures online… Video, Audio
Warning of more possible slips at Cape Kidnappers after walkers escape rockfall
Another significant slip at Cape Kidnappers narrowly missed two walkers over the weekend, and a geologist is warning that more could be on the way.
Tourist demands force rural GPs to ignore local patients
As rural towns' populations swell in summer and GPs are called out on emergencies, their practices are left without doctors for hours on end. Rural GPs are calling for more funding and resources… Audio
Three people remain in hospital after tree fell on them
Three people are likely to spend a second night in Dunedin Hospital after a large willow tree fell on them at the Shotover Jet base at Arthurs Point near Queenstown. Audio
Tourism industry braces for China 2019
With the launch of the NZ-China Year of Tourism now just a month away, how well equipped is NZ to grow the industry and what flow-on effect will a luxury visitor market have on the regions? An… Audio
Hoiho deaths leave Southland population on brink
With just one breeding pair left at Curio Bay, a trust protecting yellow-eyed penguins - one of the world's rarest penguin species - says its local population is at crisis point.
Protect and promote: Can DOC really do both?
3.7 million tourists visited NZ last year, many heading to National Parks and camping grounds. South Island Bureau Chief, Belinda McCammon, explores whether DOC can manage growing tourist numbers and… Audio
Skripal suspects claim they were tourists
Two men named as suspects in the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in the UK town of Salisbury have told media outlet RT they were sightseeing.
Tourist levy not needed - tourism industry
The tourism sector says tourists are already more than paying their way and shouldn't pay a proposed new border levy. Tourism Industry Aotearoa says a new report shows the Government is earning 2.6… Audio
Fee hikes for overseas tourists could put some off
From October, the government plans to make foreign tourists pay twice as much as locals to stay in tramping huts on four of the country's great walks, including the Abel Tasman track. Video, Audio
Local tour operators shut out of Auckland ports
Auckland's port company rejects suggestions it may be breaching competition law, in the way it runs the city's publicly owned cruise ship terminal. Local tour operators say they are denied access to… Audio