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September 2017. Issue 160
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The Queen Charlotte Walk / Cruise
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The Queen Charlotte Walk / Cruise is a truly unique and exciting way to explore the treasure that is the Marlborough Sounds, the shining jewel of the South Island of New Zealand
.
Join us onboard the small cruising ship the Affinity for a cruise that will leave you with a lifetime of memories and new friends.
The advantages of walking and living aboard Affinity is that your accommodation follows you and is there at the end of your days walk with a hot shower and the same bed. All your meals are cooked for you. If you are going ashore over the lunch period a packed lunch will be sent with you.
You don’t have to worry about your luggage as it is still in your cabin and you have no heavy packs to carry every day.
What's included:
- All accommodation
- All meals
- Luggage transport each day
Please note:
The walk/ cruise tour is unguided but full track route and notes are provided. If you prefer a guided walk, please see our
Queen Charlotte Walk
page for details.
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Breathe better, walk better
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Breathing is as natural as walking for the human species, we perform both actions instinctively however just as correct walking techniques prevent injury, proper breathing techniques can provide benefits as well. Good breathing cleanses the lungs and allows the blood to take up oxygen and release carbon dioxide. The oxygen rich blood is delivered to the heart and then the rest of the body, helping our muscles function. Deep breathing is also effective in helping calm and relax the body in times of stress.
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When we walk at a moderate pace we should be slightly breathless but still able to hold a conversation. Most of us would be guilty of not breathing deeply enough; here are some steps to train yourself to breathe properly using the belly to get a full inhalation and exhalation.
Step 1 – Lift your chest slightly to improve your posture
Step 2 – Relax your shoulder blades down & tuck your chin in slightly
Step 3 –Slowly push your stomach muscles out to create a slight pot belly
Step 4 – Now let your tummy relax back
Step 5 – Now breath In by pushing your abdominal muscles OUT
Step 6 – Breath OUT by pulling or letting your abdominal muscles IN
Step 7 – Repeat with slow easy breaths in & out.
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The Tasman Great Taste Trail
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The
Tasman Great Taste Trail
takes you on a leisurely ride through Nelson's most beautiful coastal and inland routes offering stunning views along the way.
On the first 2 days you
pass vineyards, breweries, orchards and no end of exciting places to stop and enjoy the local attractions.
You then journey by vehicle “over the hill” as the locals call it, to Golden Bay and all this delightful area offers, including - Pupu Springs - the cleanest and clearest water in the world.
Two days of easy biking awaits you in the Golden Bay area before you travel back "over the hill" to ride your final day alongside the beautiful and tranquil Motueka River.
The
Tasman Great Taste Trail
is graded as "Moderate" and is 200km over 5 days.
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Spanish Wineries Are Now Making Wine in All Colours of the Rainbow
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People have been making wine for thousands of years, but in only three colours – red, white and rose.
Not anymore.
Spanish companies have come up with ways to make all natural wines in pretty much any colour imaginable, from vibrant blue to green and even pink.
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It all started last year, when Spanish startup Gïk unveiled the world’s first blue wine. They spent two years working with scientists at the University of the Basque Country and food researchers at Azti Tecnecalia trying to use anthocyanin, a natural pigment in the grapes’ skin, in order to manipulate the colour of wine.
It became a great commercial success, with the company reporting in January that it had sold over 100,000 bottles in under six months.
But competition is ramping up, as other Spanish wineries are using similar technology to create all kinds of unusually coloured wines.
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BOOK NOW!
Be assured of your place on one of our exciting tours for the 2017 / 2018 season.
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Enjoy $100
off the listed tour price for the following tours
limited spaces available
For New bookings Only
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ENJOY
$100 OFF
For New bookings Only
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ENJOY
$100 OFF
For New bookings Only
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ENJOY
$100 OFF
For New bookings Only
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ENJOY
$100 OFF
For New bookings Only
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ENJOY
$100 OFF
For New bookings Only
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Saturday 11 November
Saturday 25 November
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Call us now
New Zealand: 0800 377 378
Australia: 1 800 044 633
World: +64 3 962 3280
Email
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Spanish Natural Park looks like a giant brain from the air
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The San Fernando marshes in Bahía de Cadiz Natural Park, Spain, are sometimes referred to as “Nature’s Brain”, because of their uncanny resemblance to a human brain, when seen from high above.
Covering an area of 105 square kilometres, Bahía de Cadiz Natural Park consists of wetlands, beaches, pine forests and reed beds, and has long been a popular destination for nature lovers, but it only received its unusual nickname a couple of years ago, when an aerial photo started doing the rounds online.
It was taken by wildlife photographer Cristobal Serano who immediately spotted the similarities between the marshes and the human brain. The first time he flew over them, he decided to capture the unreal sight on camera.
The green areas are naturally coloured by the Ulva algae, while the purple islands further inland get their colour from purple sulphur bacteria.
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The Mesopotamia High Country Walk
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The Mesopotamia High Country Walk is an awe-inspiring four day fully guided walking tour.
Your walking tour focuses on Mesopotamia Station, the high country farm originally established by the English writer Samuel Butler in 1860. Butler was the son of a clergyman and destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, however he resisted and emigrated to New Zealand, choosing the life of a high country sheep farmer instead. This experience was to form the basis of his most famous literary work “Erewhon”.
Mesopotamia Station was purchased in 1945 by the Prouting Family, the current owners who have been farming here for several generations. Join your local walking guide to explore this historic station, and its surrounding trails. This is not a public trail; we walk over farm tracks, paddocks and tussock lands as we explore the station. Walks can include some hill climbs, small stream or creek crossings and walking on varied and uneven terrain, so is classified moderate.
You will experience soaring landscapes, snow capped mountain ranges and wide open tussock covered tundras. High country stations have a unique part in the history of New Zealand and the early pioneering characters have been immortalised in print in numerous books covering this era.
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ENJOY
$100 OFF
For New bookings Only
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Busy Woodpecker Almost Brings Down Power Pole
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Woody Woodpecker’s exploits only seemed possible in the popular Looney Toons cartoon, but one real-life woodpecker recently proved that the birds can do some pretty incredible things, if they put their mind to it, like peck through an entire wooden power pole.
Last week, a photo posted by the Snohomish County Public Utility District in the USA did the rounds on social media, garnering dozens of shares and comments, and for good reason.
It showed a wooden power pole barely hanging on by a thread, after having been pecked by a hard-working woodpecker. How the pole was still standing, considering the damage that had been done to it, is anyone’s guess, but a few more pecks or a strong gust of wind would have probably brought it down.
Luckily, County staff managed to change it in time.
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The Otago Central Rail Trail
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The Otago Central Rail Trail is ideal for cyclists who wish to see some spectacular Central Otago scenery, at an easy pace, on flat (gravelled) terrain.
The Otago Central Rail Trail runs for 150kms between Clyde and Middlemarch (close to Dunedin), passing through the towns of Clyde, Alexandra, Chatto Creek, Omakau, Lauder, Oturehua, Wedderburn, Ranfurly, Waipiata and Hyde. It is regarded as one of the best Pacific cycle tours available.
The heritage of the old railway line has been preserved, with the retention of viaducts and bridges, and some of the old Railway Stations.
Trains typically travel through hills, around hills but (if it can be avoided) not uphill (the maximum gradient is 2%).
The idea of the Rail Trail was promoted by the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC), and The Otago Rail Trail Trust, formed specifically to help create this family-oriented recreational facility.
The Trail is a public reserve, and motorised vehicles are not permitted. Therefore walkers and cyclists have no traffic concerns as they traverse the level surface.
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These species populations are highly susceptible to rat and stoat attack and have been targeted for protection in Battle for our Birds 2017
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Battle for our Birds in 2017
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Battle for our Birds is DOC's successful national predator control programme that protects our most vulnerable native species.
The programme uses biodegradable 1080 applied by air over large areas of rugged terrain to knock down rats, stoats and possums. Trapping and other ground-based predator control methods also play an important part.
Widespread forest seedings will again this year lead to an increase in rats and stoats, putting our endangered native wildlife at risk. Areas of greatest risk are concentrated in North Island forests with fewer South Island areas affected.
DOC are planning the Battle for our Birds predator control programme over about 800,000 hectares of conservation land, aiming to protect their most at-risk populations of vulnerable native species. Their field staff and scientists will monitor predator levels to ensure predator control is targeted where it’s needed most.
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Tuatara Tours
is a major concessionaire to the Department of Conservation and contributes to the funding of ongoing research in conservation.
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Tuatara Tours NZ Ltd - Ground Floor - 148 Victoria Street
Christchurch 8013
New Zealand
POSTAL ADDRESS
Tuatara Tours NZ Ltd - PO Box 13544
Christchurch 8141
New Zealand
PHONE
New Zealand: 0800 377 378 - Australia: 1 800 044 633
World: +64 3 962 3280
EMAIL
WEB
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