(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 23, 2009 ) Wellington, New Zealand - The authority on all things travel, Lonely Planet, has made a rather strange addition to its brand new book dedicated solely to New Zealand’s South Island – the city of Wellington, which is situated on the North Island…
320,000 Australians, 61,000 Britons and 43,000 Americans fly direct to New ZealandÂ’s stunning South Island each year, bypassing the North Island altogether.
Thus, the need for a South Island-only guide was established by Lonely Planet and was released this month. “This is something that our readers have been crying out out for, and we’re pretty excited to be finally bringing it to them,” says Errol Hunt, Author and Lonely Planet’s Australia-Pacific Commissioning Editor.
“It’s aimed at travellers who spend their entire time in New Zealand on the South Island, so removes the need for them to buy the heavier full-country guide,” he added.
But, the new guide may puzzle some readers – as they flip the pages to discover 32 pages of information about Wellington, the capital of New Zealand and situated on the North Island.
Adam Bennett, Media and Communications Manager for Lonely Planet, said the addition was intentional.
“It’s an acknowledgement of Wellington as a travel hub,” he said adding that many tourists fly into the capital and spend a few days there before heading south.
The South Island is celebrated for its astounding scenery- snow capped mountain ranges, crystal rivers and the cosmopolitan cities of Queenstown and Christchurch – the latter a hotspot for Brits emigrating to New Zealand.
‘Truly wild places are rare in today's world but the South Island delivers them in droves: fiords, sounds, glaciers, cloud-topping mountain ranges, remote islands, raggedy peninsulas and wide river plains,’ adds the guide.
The South IslandÂ’s highlights are listed as being:
Tramping in Fiordland: "New Zealand's rawest wilderness area, a jagged, mountainous, forested zone sliced by numerous deeply recessed sounds (which are technically fiords) reaching inland like crooked fingers from the Tasman Sea."
Washing down oysters with wine in Marlborough: "The name of the genius who discovered that Marlborough's cool, sunny climate is perfect for growing grapes has been lost to history, but the wine world is now toasting his (or her) legacy: Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough Wine Region is a world-class winner."
Skiing the slopes around Queenstown: "With a cinematic background of mountains and lakes you actually have seen in the movies, and a 'what can we think of next?' array of adventure activities, it's little wonder that the South Island's premier tourist town tops many travellers' Kiwi itineraries."
Taking a city break in Christchurch: "Undoubtedly one of New Zealand's most liveable cities, combining an easy-going provincial charm with the emerging energy and verve of a metropolis. Modern bars and restaurants complement Gothic architecture, and locals know how lucky they are to blend all the attractions of a city with the relaxed ambience of a small town."
Despite promoting tourism to the South Island with the new guide, it does also include a section which covers the negative impact that tourism is having on some aspects of the South Island wilderness and wildlife. Those naughty campers who shampoo their hair in the crystal waters of the Catlins are named and shamed.
The large numbers of tourists drawn by the South IslandÂ’s stunningly rugged scenery also causes locals to avoid parts of the island and the small planes bringing tourists to the island have also been blamed for causing noise pollution over Queenstown.
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