New Zealand Gets Some Icy Visitors….

With temperatures here in New York approaching almost 70 degrees today, I think we can safely say that Al Gore might have been right. People in New Zealand are also experiencing some strange occurrences–even during the summer.

Several mammoth-size icebergs have started drifting ever closer to the NZ mainland causing shipping hazards–and a boom in tourist interest. Opportunistic agencies have setup helicopter flights that are taking spectators out to the bergs–and even landing on them! Have a look at this video below. These were spotted from my hometown of Dunedin! Simply confirms my opinion of New Zealand being one of the most unique countries in the world. Where else does this happen?

Brits Rank NZ As ‘Coolest’ Travel Destination

New Zealand is still considered a protectorate of Great Britain by the United States — which is why you can experience the best of both worlds with dual-citizenship. The love between the UK and NZ however extends beyond political borders with Brits recently declaring New Zealand as the ‘coolest’ destinateion in the world. According to the NZ Herald,

“British consultancy Superbrands conducted an online survey of 1725 people for its Coolbrands monitor, rating New Zealand as the coolest place to travel.

New Zealand came out as the top destination, ahead of Morocco, Fiji, Prague, Australia, the Maldives, Amsterdam, Brighton, the Bahamas and Bermuda.The London News had New Zealand at the other end of the temperature scale — “The hottest place to be”, it called the country, saying it was reaping the benefits of a marketing campaign.”

This is not surprising. A few years ago, National Geographic Traveler named the South Island of NZ as one of the most amazing places on the planet. The entire South Island. For the rest of the Herald article, click here!

Why New Zealand Rocks: The Post Office Is Not A Post Office

Anyone who lives in the U.S. is familiar with the dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles. It’s a soul-sucking tradition to stand in line at the DMV at least several times in your life and wonder why it’s this damn complicated to get a license renewed. New Zealand conveniently does away with this blemish of North American society by getting rid of the DMV all-together. In fact, the New Zealand post office is your DMV. That’s not all–at the NZ Post, you can also pay for utilities, traffic tickets, buy food and magazines, and other daily hassels in one easy location. Better yet, the lines are short, swift, and the people generally pretty friendly. Sending overseas packages is also a snap!

Check out their site for more information–but believe me, once you experience this type of post office, you’ll wonder why North American Post has its head on backwards.