Things to do in New Zealand | New Zealand Tours from India
New Zealand is housed in the southwestern region of the vast Pacific Ocean and close to the middle of the water hemisphere on Earth. Declared to be the sixth largest island country, it has two main islands and more than seven hundred smaller islands. Together, the two main islands (North and South) have diverse tourist attractions to admire.
Besides, the country has fourteen national parks with rich indigenous biodiversity. Notably, most species (above 80%) are tagged as endemic due to dispersal. In this blog post, based on the places to visit in New Zealand, let’s find out what the best things to do in the country are.
Discovering New Zealand by Tourist Places
When hearing about New Zealand, you must have heard of Auckland too, one of the popular cities in New Zealand. Still, Wellington is its capital city. Apart from these two, the other famous cities include Napier, Rotorua, Christchurch, Taupō, Queenstown, and Mount Cook. With no further ado, let’s explore the top New Zealand tourist attractions.
Auckland
Indeed, it is a must-visit city in the North Island, New Zealand. Surrounded by rainforests, harbors, and volcanoes, there are a hundred places to visit and a hundred things to do in this beautiful destination. Highlighting a few of them here:
- Exploring the cuisines and signature dishes at restaurants and roadside eateries. Britomart, Devonport, and Mission Bay are the best places for this activity.
- Dive into the arts and culture of New Zealand at Auckland Museum, Auckland Art Gallery, Aotea Square, National Maritime Museum, Motat, etc.
- Stargazing at the Stardome Observatory & Planetarium is one of the things to do in Auckland.
- Do not miss visiting Auckland Botanical Gardens, Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, and Butterfly Creek. You can explore the wonderful marine life, insects, plants, etc., here in these places.
- Whale- & dolphin-watching is also a must-do activity. You can do this by taking a cruise from the harbor.
Need help with passport/visa services, travel, or accommodation reservations? Contact us!
Rotorua
The two important to-dos in Rotorua are:
- Knowing Māori culture—the Aboriginals: Learning about this Māori culture enables you to learn a lot about the New Zealand aboriginal people, their traditions, etc. If you are more interested, you can plan for a one-night stay at Tamaki Māori Village.
Important note: These two things to do in Rotorua are entirely unique to New Zealand and you cannot find them in any other countries or tourist places. Hence, they hold significance among tourists.
- Bathing in therapeutic waters: The Rotorua natural waters are considered one of the world’s best therapeutic waters due to hot geothermal conditions. Hence, you have to take a bath in the natural waters of Rotorua or enjoy relaxing at the spas in and around the region.
Aoraki or Mount Cook
Located on the South Island of New Zealand, it is the highest mountain in the country. Though the mountain is surrounded by icy glacial lakes, trekkers and mountain climbers never miss an opportunity to visit here.
Taupō—one of the must see places in New Zealand
Water enthusiasts must visit Taupo, as it has gushy waterfalls and cascades to mesmerize you. Taupo Lake and the sparkling Waikato River are to be cherished at least once in a lifetime.
Wellington
Though the city is squeezed at the southern end of the North Island of the country, it has many places to see, like Te Papa Museum, Oriental Bay, Wētā Cave (must-visit for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ fandom), etc. Some of the major things to do in Wellington New Zealand, are:
- Riding the cable car
- Sculpture Walk
- Taking a ferry or kayak ride
- The famous Remutaka Cycle Trail
- Admiring the three-eyed Kiwi
- If lucky, experience the concerts and live theatres
- Touring the renowned vineyards
Which long weekend in 2024 is comfortable for you to tour New Zealand?
Stewart Island
This is the best spot for bird and nature lovers. You can see amazing endemic bird species, including kiwis, albatross, and weka. Have you seen a walking track with more than two hundred kilometers in length? That’s here on this astonishing island. These tracks take you in between and around the beaches and rainforests, which keeps you curious every moment of strolling.
Queenstown
If adventure is going to be your important thing to do in New Zealand, Queenstown is your destination. From the famous bungy jumping to river rafting, from surfing to boating, from quad biking to canyon swings, every activity is an adrenaline rush.
Other Places to See in New Zealand
- Hokitika Gorge for witnessing the real turquoise waters
- Limestone-made Waitomo Caves for a thrilling journey
- Mackenzie Basin for sheep farming
- Fiordland National Park for hearing magical sounds
- Abel Tasman Coastal Track for hiking
Are you planning to travel to New Zealand from India?
Planning a trip to New Zealand with a personalized itinerary and cost-effective travel is easy now with the leading tour operator in India—Emperor Traveline! They can guide you with the best tourist spots, things to do, foods to eat, etc., in addition to crafting a perfect budgeted itinerary that meets your needs.
Travel Industry will reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023 – Part 2
The travel industry is witnessing a new low, with the major reason being extremely low fares in the country, approximately 50% of the global average maintenance cost. It is widely expected that the government will lower the tax on ATF or at least introduce GST into it, and also bring down the airport fees as something that will revive the fortunes of the sector.
The logistics industry had performed well, particularly air cargo. However, the pandemic has affected the cargo movement too. The government is likely to remove bottlenecks such as the tax on fuels which is also expected in the case of aviation. But perhaps the best lesson that the pandemic has had for businesses, big or small, is the adoption of digital technology and how they can use it to scale up the existing capacity.
Businesses that are short of resources and revenues must know to how to give the best response to unpredictable market conditions. Economy of operational costs and optimizing efficiency is the key to running enterprises, and only technology can make it happen.
The crisis has also transformed the way work is done. ‘Work from home’ or ‘WFH’ is the ‘new normal’ offering the freedom to hire bright talents from anywhere globally. This also means reduced headcount whilst offering a better work-life balance. It is a helpful step towards facilitating greater participation of the fairer sex as well as the social inclusion of the differentiately abled.
Kerala, for instance, one of the most important tourist destinations in India, is also a growing IT powerhouse that can drive global business transformation and business process management in the travel and hospitality sector. The state is also looking to upgrade its higher education capacity by encouraging teachers to upskill their knowledge and universities to foster digital transformation in the administration area.
Travel will live on….From the founder’s desk of Emperor Traveline – Part 3
Let’s push the limits a bit, precisely what is required if you are part of the wide travel ecosystem to succeed out of the devastating effects of the COVID-19. We have been discussing the impact of technology on the revival of the travel sector in the previous two blogs and we will continue to deal with more technological changes viz. Digital health passports that will turn the tables on in this blog.
Digital health passports:
Health could be embedded in every travel process. A study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicates that the use of masks, visible sanitizing and screening will help enhance passenger’s feeling of safety post-COVID-19.
To date, there is no agreement or standard on the acceptable level of risk for permitting individuals to travel or reopening borders. Until or otherwise any vaccine is developed, the focus will be on shifting to assessing the risk of individual travellers. With the consent of the passengers, airline and travel companies could make use of personal data including underlying health conditions, age and travel history to come up with an individual risk profile.
Efforts to develop heath standards and protocols utilizing digital technology for the travel and tourism industry are still in infancy. Erstwhile, airlines including Emirates have ensured that passengers need to undergo on-site COVID-19 testing. European airports have framed industry guidelines and regulations for passenger health screening.
While not novel a technology, the use of thermal cameras at airports is more prevalent post COVID-19 outbreak. There are many apps built for symptom-tracking and contact-tracing in several countries. Google and Apple are on the verge of finalizing contact-tracing software for developers to put together compatible apps.
New health-screening and tracking tools ensure the safety of passengers. All said and done privacy and data issues too have to be dealt with all the while. Any solution has to be fully transparent and secure if the travellers are to approve them for wider use. Sharing of data on a ‘need to know’ and ‘authorized to know’ basis, with prior consent conforming applicable guidelines and regulations should be in place.
10 points on how the Indian Travel & Tourism industry is affected by COVID-19 crisis
1. Foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) last month declined by 9.3% month-on-month and 7% year-on-year, according to reliable government sources.
2. The number of FTAs in February 2020 were 10.15 lakh against 10.87 lakh during the same period in 2019. The number of FTAs in January 2020 were found to be 11.18 lakh.
3. The number of visitors to the newly built Statue of Unity in Gujarat dropped by over 38 % during January and February.
4. As a result, the revenue collection during the same period declined by approximately ₹5 crore.
5. A report by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the total revenue from ticketed monuments was INR 247.89 crore in FY18, INR 302.34 in FY19 against INR 277.78 crore in FY20 between the months April and January.
6. According to a reliable report by an Archaeologist of ASI, Agra Circle, at the Taj, the number of tickets sold at the Taj during the month of March fell over by 6,000 tickets compared to the period between January and February.
7. Two days prior to the first shutdown during the month of March, the authorities at the Taj were hardly able to sell 8,000 tickets, according to the ASI reports.
8. As per the report by the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality, about 70% out of a total estimated workforce of 5.5 crore (direct and indirect) that is over 3.8 crore could go jobless.
9. Tourism Industry is one of the biggest sectors, and the ongoing COVID-19 could impact 10% of the total GDP of the country.
10. The recovery phase for the travel and tourism sector of the country is estimated to be 8-10 months, even if the government were able to fight the COVID-19 crisis successfully.
10 points on how the global Travel & Tourism industry is affected by COVID-19 crisis
1. The World Travel and Tourism Council has warned that the ongoing Corona virus could axe 50 million jobs all over the world in the travel and tourism sector.
2. Of all regions, Asia is likely to be the most affected. Wuhan province in China is believed to be the source of this worst pandemic affecting almost every region of the world.
3. The council has also mentioned that it would take at least 10 months for the travel and tourism industry to recover and revive its prospects.
4. As the tourist industry currently makes for 10% of the global GDP, the COVID-19 pandemic has put 50 million jobs in danger, with travel expected to slump by a quarter later this year. Asia will take a heavy punch due to this slump.
5. Around 8, 50,000 people travel every month from Europe to the US, which pumps in $3.4 billion every month to the US coffers.
6. Of the 50 million job loss estimated, Asia accounts for nearly 30 million jobs lost, Europe 7 million; the US makes for 5 million job loss and the rest in other parts of the world.
7. The slump in global travel in three months is estimated to cause job reduction between 12% and 14%.
8. The council has warned that the restrictions in place in many countries could only make matters worse for travelling medical experts and delivery of medical equipment and essential supplies.
9. The International Air Transport Association has estimated that Airlines’ passenger revenue will fall by $314 billion in total or 55 percent from the previous year.
10. A report by the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization mentions that a total of 217 nations and territories all over the world have imposed stringent travel restrictions to fight the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
All about the Fort Aguada – the Fortress of Strength
- Goa, the smallest state in India in terms of area and word length, synonymous for the spectacular beaches, stunning parties and ultra modernity has lot more to offer in terms of heritage and culture in addition to its exciting touring destinations popular the world over.
- A stark reflection of the state’s colonial history, the Fort Aguada is built in 1510 after the Portuguese conquered it comprehensively.
- The fort that stands stall is located on the Sinquerim beach at the mouth of the Mandovi River facing the Arabian Sea.
- Built between the years 1609 and 1612, the name of the fort comes from ‘agua’ meaning ‘water’. There is a spring within the fort that enabled the crews of passing ship to top up their freshwater sources.
- The fort was bifurcated into two sections: the upper part functioning as a watershed, and a fort well insulated by a deep dry moat. The lower part served as a safe hour for the Portuguese vessels to hoard and top up their supplies, in addition to being a bastion, gun powder room and a clandestine escape passage during emergency.
- Besides the huge cistern of the fort could store up to 2, 30,000 gallons of water. The high fort served as a citadel against invading forces during the Portuguese rule.
- Main attractions of the fort include a four-storey lighthouse, one of the oldest in Asia, which was raised in 1864. However, it has remained out of use since 1976.
- Interestingly, huge bonfires were lit on the ‘Hills of Pilot’ just above the site of the Church of Immaculate Conception in Pune to guide the sailing ships into safety.
- It was under the administration of Antonio de Oliveira that he turned the lower part of the fort into prison, and protestors who demanded that Goa be handed back to India were imprisoned here. Today, it is more popular as Goa’s central jail housing those accused of trafficking and narcotics-related offenses.
- Much of the fort today is acquired by the Taj group of Hotels as a Heritage hotel. Get yourself transported back to the time where the angry waves rolled the ships into its sheltered harbour. Definitely, worth a visit.
Emperor Traveline steps into the 41st year of Customer service
A big shout of gratitude to all customers for helping us step into the 41st year of service. We couldn’t have achieved anything without your incredible support and continuing patronage. We are all geared up to offer even more superior service to all our customers as we understand them the best.
From tour packages to exotic touring destinations local, domestic and abroad in different segments including corporate, education, family, honeymoon, pilgrimage, and adventure to flight and train ticket reservation to Passport & Visa services, Money transfer, Overseas Insurance, and Overseas SIM card services, our range of service is diverse as much as challenging. At a time when technology was sparse, Emperor Traveline romped up its infrastructure to deliver the best travel booking and related services to our esteemed customers.
When we started off there were not many computer applications, let alone software, tools, and modern-day apps. We carved a route for ourselves in the area of travel services and soon other agencies followed suit. The fact that we were able to expand to Chennai and Hyderabad from Coimbatore early on speaks volumes of our growth.
Emperor Traveline has partnered with other travel service providers and organizations including SIGTOA, TAFI, SKAL, Western Union Money Transfer, Ministry of Tourism (GOI), ATTOI, OTOAI, IATA, ATO, ADTOI, TAAC, Tamilnadu Travel Mart Society, TAAI, Incredible India and many others.
A hallmark of our service is the timely execution of travel bookings and seamless processing of customer orders. We have also gone the extra mile in almost every occasion to bring a smile to our customers. Our customer’s satisfaction is the foundation upon which we have built our business. And as we continue to deliver extraordinary service to our customers, we once again express our sincere gratitude to all our customers. Also, kindly let us know how we can improve our existing customer service further as this will enable us to better our offerings.
Top 10 Travel Essentials
One of the most rewarding experiences of your life is to travel the world over and visit new cities. However, if you do not carry the right things with you the journey can become quite uncomfortable.
To make your trip feel like your home away from home carry these top 10 travel essentials with you.
1. World Adapter
Plug sockets that you find in another country need not match your device. But if you carry a world travel adapter, there is no need to worry. While buying the adapter, just check on the packet if it will fit every socket of the world.
2. Portable Power Source
While travelling you may not always be close to a power source and you might not feel comfortable asking someone to share their device. By carrying a portable power source you will be able to charge most of your electrical items whenever and wherever you want. Even if your hotel is not providing a plug socket you need not worry.
3. Travel Towel
For your round the world trip you need two towels – one to keep you clean and one for the beach. Carry a micro towel. It will dry fast and is lightweight. It won’t take much space in your suitcase and is low maintenance. It will keep you sand free, clean and dry in minutes.
4. Earplugs
To block out the snorers, earplugs are an essential item. To get the beauty sleep you deserve all you need is a good pair of earplugs. This will make your travel much more comfortable.
5. Padlock with a combination
Get a padlock with a combination. Searching for keys, especially while travelling, is not an easy task. A padlock with a combination will give you more security and make your life a lot easier.
6. Wet wipes
Wet wipes are really useful while travelling. It saves you the trouble of going to the toilet every time you want to eat something. You can use them not only to wipe yourself but any surface.
7. Sleeping liner
Hotels rooms are not always neat and tidy. You will always have the fear of whether there are bed bugs and who stayed in the bed or whether it is a clean blanket that you are using. All these thoughts can give you sleepless nights. Sleeping liner will make your hotel stay much more comfortable. You will have peace of mind, and you will feel at home. They can be folded up nicely into a small ball and are lightweight.
8. Flip Flops
Flip flops are very comfortable and lightweight and you can use them on long journeys. A good pair will go with any outfit.
9. Packing Cubes
The ultimate travel organiser is packing cubes. It can be daunting to leave the comfort of your wardrobe but your backpacker life will be made easy by packing cubes. You can rely on them even though you can’t expect too much organisation in your life while travelling.
10. Camera
Travelling is all about making memories. So while travelling you need a good camera to capture them. To look back and see what an amazing journey you had you need a camera. To save photos you can invest in memory sticks as well.
Emperor Traveline, The Leading Passport Service Travel Agent in Coimbatore
The Passport and Visa Division acting under the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India provides various passport services to the Indian citizens. Citizens can apply for passports through two schemes for a different fee.
1. Normal Scheme
2. Tatkaal Scheme
Passports applied under Tatkaal Scheme will be processed in a short time that the applicant will be able to receive the passport within 3 working days. In the case of a normal scheme, the processing time takes longer.
The three services available in issuing passports are:
1. Issue of Fresh Passport:
If you are applying for the first time, you can make use of this service by filing your application with all the supporting documents for reference.
2. Re-issue/Renewal of Passport:
You can utilize this service based upon any of the following reasons:
1. Lost passport
2. Passport expiry
3. Damaged passport
4. Personal particulars update
3. Issue of Police Clearance Certificate:
The issue of PCC certificate comes under the miscellaneous services. You will be provided this service as part of the background verification procedure with reference to your personal particulars.
Indian Passport Services by Emperor Traveline
Emperor Traveline, a self styling travel organization in the city of Coimbatore provides quick and hassle-free Indian Passport facilitation services. They are the leading online passport agents in Coimbatore, approved by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. They ensure proper passport documentation and efficient processing of all Indian passport services.
Emperor Traveline operates with a goal to provide timely and infallible passport services to clients in a cost-effective manner. Their passport services in Coimbatore encompasses a golden opportunity for those looking forward to complete their documentation for obtaining a New Passport, Passport Renewal or Emigration Clearance work in a day thereby reducing loss of precious time and effort standing in long queues at the passport office for enquiry.
Getting your Indian passport done through the online passport services at Emperor Traveline also comes as an advantage to all working individuals or those into business, who have leave restrictions, housewives, school/college going children and a real benefit for senior citizens or minor kids who need assistance at every step. Getting an online passport appointment done is now compulsory; however it depends on the traffic of applicants.
At Emperor Traveline, they provide complete Assistance for the following activities in Indian Passport Services:
1. Issuing new Indian passport
2. Renewal of Indian passport
3. Indian passport formalities
4. Indian passport documentation
5. Child passport services
6. Online passport appointment
7. Passport formalities
8. Passport documentation
Their online passport services include complete guidance, preparing your Indian passport documentation online, scheduling your online passport appointment with Passport Seva Kendra for your bio-metrics, etc.
How To Apply For Passport Online
The very thought of applying for a passport in India puts us off. Many are confused how to fill the form and which documents are needed. If you are one of these people, relax. To avoid such troubles, many people get the help of travel agents because no one wants to waste hours running from pillar to post to get things done.
You can now apply for a passport online. However, it is not an easy process. You’ll still have to go to the passport office. But a travel agent can help you by giving you the right guidance. They can arrange all types of domestic and international travel, and even provide assistance with passport and visa applications.
To apply for passport online, you have to go to the Passport Seva website. You will see an orange coloured box “New User? Register Now”. Click this box. You will now see a user registration form. Fill it up to create an account. While filling, be careful as you should not make any mistakes. Select the passport office of the city you’re living in now, not your native place. For instance, if you are currently living in Coimbatore select passport services in Coimbatore. Applying for passport online is not that hard a task. It is just like filling any other application form.
After filling in all the details, click Register. Your account has been created. Now you can go back to the Passport Seva website and login. You can just enter your email address and continue.
You will see many options like “Fresh passport or Re-issue”, “Tatkal passport” etc. Make your choice and then go to the next page.
Here you will be asked to fill your personal information. To fill the application form, you can either download the PDF form to fill it offline or you can use the form online and fill it instantly. It is better to use the PDF form. However, there is no harm in filling it online directly.
Click on the link — Click here to download the Soft Copy of the Form -to download the application form. Your form will be downloaded in a Zip folder. Unzip this folder to find the Passport Application Form in PDF format. You can open this file by double clicking.
After filling in all the details, read the Self Declaration and click on I Agree. Then mention the name of the place and date. Finally click on Validate and Save.
After submitting your passport online application, check for available slots and then make the payment. After payment, don’t forget to take a printout of the receipt of the application. You need to take it along with you on the appointment day. Also, check for the bar code on the application. Ensure that is clearly printed and whether the information regarding the payment confirmation is on it or not.
If all this is too confusing for you, get the help of a travel agent. They will clear your queries and will help you get the documents processed without any delay.
If you have already applied for a passport online, the next step is to go to the Passport Seva Kendra at the time mentioned in the receipt. Before that, make a passport checklist, so that you won’t forget any documents that you may need to submit while visiting the Passport Seva Kendra. If you have all the documents required, your job at the office will be over within two hours. And your passport will be send to the address given to you within a few weeks after police verification is complete.
