Tour One - Christchurch, The Garden City Museums, landmarks, kiwis, tramps, parks, a casino, rock climbing, punting, art galleries, native bush, splendid views and nearby winter sports areas Tour Two - Alpine Pacific Triangle Kaikoura, Hanmer Springs, Waipara wineries, Maori, thermal pools, alps, whales, dolphins, biking, skiing, tramping, fishing, sheep farms, art, bungy jumping, golf, historic buildings, a vintage train, caves, and scenic views Tour Three - The Golden South - Otago & Mackenzie Country Dunedin, Queenstown, Wanaka and Mount Cook Village plus gold rush towns, penguins, albatross, museums, vineyards, stone fruit orchards, rushing rivers, skiing, fishing, hiking, many lakes, and the majestic Southern Alps Tour Four - The Magic of Westland Southern Alps, lush rain-forest, turbulent rivers, silver ferns, gold, rugged coastlines, reflective lakes, historic gold towns, jade, penguins, magnificent glaciers, keas (alpine parrots), whitebait for tea and friendly people

An hilarious tale about an epic event, written from a unique perspective. To be able to appreciate the story, the reader needs to be young at heart, have a vivid imagination and a love for adventure. If that sounds like you, join the writer on his journey, and experience his daily ups and downs with him.The Tour Aotearoa is a mountain bike 'brevet' (a timed, long-distance cycling event) covering the length of New Zealand. The Tour is held biennially and requires participants to follow a set route covering 3,000 km which consists of existing mountain bike trails scattered throughout the country and connected by back country roads. The Tour is unsupported, so participants carry their own gear. To be awarded the brevet, the riders need to cover the full distance within 30 days. The writer took part in the 2018 edition of the Tour. His experience was different from what he expected. He encountered all types of challenges, from getting lost to physical ailments, serious weather events and loneliness. In between he had plenty of time to contemplate and let his thoughts and imagination run free.

¿The bird flapped its wings and rose into the air, its long, white-feathered tuft flowing from its neck like a beard. Louie felt the world tilt beneath him. He held on tightly to Cloudbird¿s neck, as his house and Tui Street became smaller¿¿ There is something mysterious happening on Tui Street. One by one, the Tui Street friends are swept up in a series of adventures, each with a strangely familiar fairy-tale feel.

When Sean Astin, veteran Hollywood actor of over 30 movies including The Goonies, and Rudy, landed the part of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, he knew it was going to be different to anything he'd ever worked on before. Here he shares his heartfelt opinions on his early movies, how he got the part of Sam at that point in his career, and what it was like to be on set for nearly two years of his life. How did he and the other cast members get along? What were the excitements and the dangers they faced during filming? What happened the evening that Elijah Wood lost the keys to his room? How did Sir Ian McKellen cope when he didn't like the music the hobbits listened to during make-up and what happened when the crew considered striking? Revealing and immensely readable, There and Back Again is the behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be involved in the making of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time.

The Rough Guide to New Zealand is the essential guide to this spectacular country, with lively coverage of its coolest cafés, most vibrant nightlife, best sights and hotels and tastiest restaurants and bars. Everyone from the country rambler to the fearless adventurer, wine buffs to Lord of the Rings fanatics are catered for in this comprehensive guide; with colour sections providing a guide to New Zealand's highlights - whether exploring Maori culture, getting stuck into adventure sports or keying into the country's unique ecology. There's thorough coverage of New Zealand's magnificent scenery: craggy coastlines, sweeping beaches, primeval forests, snow-capped mountains and bubbling volcanic mud pools. You'll also find historical and cultural information - even teaching you how to do the world-famous haka. The Rough Guide to New Zealand is rounded off with detailed town maps to help you get around and stunning photography that brings this extraordinary country to life. Make the most of your time on earth with The Rough Guide to New Zealand.

Based on the hugely popular Facebook page 'Shit Towns of New Zealand', this book describes New Zealand's towns and suburbs from the affluent to the effluent, the rural to the urinal, profiling all the best places not to visit, or heaven forbid, live. Slagging off our towns is as much a national pastime as binge drinking and ball sports. Ever since a Dutch bloke in a sailboat did a drive-by and claimed to have discovered the place, New Zealanders have revelled in taking the mickey. The towns and cities reviewed here have been carefully selected using an exacting set of scientific criteria, combined with extensive field research and a healthy sense of humour. 'Offensive.' Todd McClay, Rotorua MP 'Pretty funny.' Frankie Stevens, National Treasure

This exciting new collection examines the relationships between warfare, myths, and fairy tales, and explores the connections and contradictions between the narratives of war and magic that dominate the ways in which people live and have lived, survived, considered and described their world. Presenting original contributions and critical reflections that explore fairy tales, fantasy and wars, be they "real" or imagined, past or present, this book looks at creative works in popular culture, stories of resistance, the history and representation of global and local conflicts, the Holocaust, across multiple media. It offers a timely and important overview of the latest research in the field, including contributions from academics, story-tellers and artists, thereby transcending the traditional boundaries of the disciplines, extending the parameters of war studies beyond the battlefield.

Rough Guides har eksistert i mer enn 30 år og er kanskje verdens mest populære reisehåndbokserie. Guidene gir informasjon om stedets kultur, historie og severdigheter. De er kjent for å gi detaljerte opplysninger om overnatting, restauranter, sport og aktiviteter - også for lavere reisebudsjetter.

After ten years in New Zealand, Joe Bennett asked himself what on earth he was doing there. Other than his dogs, what was it about these two small islands on the edge of the world that had kept him - an otherwise restless traveller - for really much longer than they seemed to deserve? Bennett thought he'd better pack his bag and find out. Hitching around both the intriguingly named North and South Islands, with an eye for oddity and a taste for conversation, Bennett began to remind himself of the reasons New Zealand is quietly seducing the rest of the world.