Spring is finally upon us, and what better way to rejuvenate and celebrate the onset of the warmer months than with a day of indulgence at a day spa?

The Rotorua pools are a popular destination for tourists and travelling Kiwis. Rotorua may be one of the tourism destinations of New Zealand with its unique mix of adventure and therapeutic attractions, but there’s no doubt the spa Rotorua experience is at the top of all visitors’ lists.

If you’re planning a mini-vacation, a weekend away or a longer break during the off-peak season, check out the Rotorua pools and soak up the serenity.

Looking for a way to beat the blues mid winter? If hitting the slopes isn’t your thing, why not indulge in something a little more relaxing and warm up in a luxury hotel for a few nights?

There are tons of great winter packages around this time of year, with many fantastic off-peak season bargains leaving more mini-break cash in hand for a spot of shopping.

Modern hotels offer the ultimate in style and comfort, so whether you pick somewhere close to home or you decide to get out of town for a few nights, pamper yourself and select one of the luxury hotel rooms on offer around New Zealand to unwind and spoil yourself.

Make a luxury hotel booking online now for a romantic mid winter weekend away, a girls or blokes getaway, or to take some luxurious time out just for you.

For more ideas on winter packages and mid winter getaways check out the NZS.com directory.

Looking for the best job in the world? Your competition is stiff – over 200 people have applied for the job as the caretaker of Hamilton Island, off the coast of Queensland, a position which requires the successful applicant to explore the Great Barrier Reef, laze by the beach and make friends with locals.

The 6-month position will pay $180,000 NZD, and has created so much interest that the job application site has crashed today after over 800,000 visits since Monday. Technicians were forced to boost the site’s server capacity several times this morning, as applicants uploaded their one-minute video applications by the dozen.

The position is not a competition and is a genuine job listing, requiring legitimate caretaking tasks as well as the more leisurely activities which must be regularly completed. The caretaker will also get to live rent-free in a $6 million villa, and will need to report back on their experiences via blogs, video diaries and media interviews.

Launched as a viral marketing ploy to draw intention to Hamilton Island as a tropical holiday destination, it is estimated that the campaign will generate $85 million NZD worth of publicity worldwide.

Image from Flickr.

Are you set with your holiday season travel plans yet? For most of us, the answer to that question is still no, even though we’re only 6 weeks out from the festive break. The reason? Searching for the best travel deals can be such a tasking experience it’s enough to make you want to stay home!

Trying to find the cheapest flights and best accommodation for you and your family isn’t always easy, especially when you don’t know where to start. Scour the daily paper every morning looking for flight sales? Open five windows or tabs at once and compare site after site (and trying to remember which prices included taxes and other costs and which didn’t)? It’s all a bit much, especially at this time of year.

Luckily, NZS.com has just launched a brand new travel deals section – and we’re about to make planning your holiday a whole lot easier for you. Our new travel page is powered by Wego, and searches over 100 different travel websites, including online travel agencies like Zuji, consolidators like Orbitz, airline websites, and hotel websites. This means we can find you the best deals available online, even sale fares and limited promotional deals from budget airlines like Pacific Blue and Jetstar.

It’s fast, it’s easy, and you can customise just about every variable – from flight times to price range – so make sure you plan your travel this Christmas via NZS.com’s New Zealand travel deals section.

It’s an ‘international holiday‘ many New Zealanders are not terribly familiar with, but Halloween has become increasingly popular in New Zealand over the past decade – and it’s happening tomorrow night.

While originating in Ireland, we typically think of Halloween as a purely American tradition. With its roots in Celtic custom, Halloween relies on the atmosphere of darkness and withering foliage (as seen at this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere), so it’s not surprising that with October 31 in New Zealand approaching long, light, summer nights, the trend isn’t as popular as it is Stateside.

However, largely through media images (how many Halloween specials of The Simpsons have you seen?), this generation of Kiwi children are eager to jump on the ghoul and goblin-lead bandwagon and into the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve.

Do we celebrate halloween? What can New Zealanders expect from it this year? While private Halloween parties are the most common celebration of the event, trick-or-treating isn’t uncommon in New Zealand, especially if you live in a area populated by younger families. Make sure you have a bag of chocolates and lollies on hand in case you get a few spooky visitors – you don’t want to be the house that gets the ‘trick’ (although unlike in the movies, it probably won’t involve rotten eggs or toilet paper).

You can get in to the spirit low-key style by watching on of the many scary movies which will screen on NZ TV tomorrow night, or rent a DVD classic like Psycho, Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street.

Image from Flickr.

It’s just a week away, the first of the many stat holidays for the 2008 summer holiday season. Queen’s birthday at the beginning of June was the last long weekend New Zealand was privy to – so we’re all relieved to have Labour Day coming up next Monday after a four-month-drive of full working weeks.

The 27^th of October signifies the beginning of long weekends, with most of the regional anniversaries occurring between November and March, and along the way Kiwis get to enjoy Christmas, New Years, Waitangi Day and finally Easter finishing off the summer season in April.

Let’s hope the Kiwi weather gives us another great summer, can you smell the BBQs already?

What are your plans for the first long weekend? If you haven’t made any yet, grab a cheap flight out of your home city and check out one of the great central backpackers New Zealand has to offer. Backpacker accommodation in New Zealand isn’t just for international students anymore; many city backpackers offer all of the luxuries of hotel accommodation (from private rooms to bars to WiFi access) at a fraction of the cost. The best thing about a backpackers is that normally you can book in on the fly, without a reservation – or with very little notice. Why not do something spontaneous and check in to a backpacker hostel this weekend?

Looking forward to a long weekend? The NZS.com team certainly are. Queen’s Birthday is celebrated is this Monday – but you may not know that it’s not actually her real birthday, the celebratory date changing of the monarch’s birthday is a long standing tradition amongst the British royal family. To get the full story on why the Queen has two birthdays, check out our Queen’s Birthday Holiday article.

What’s a better way to celebrate Queen’s Birthday this weekend than catching Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical live on stage! The classic Aussie road movie is brought to life (or shall we say, larger than life?) across the Tasman for 2 weeks only, now showing in Auckland until June 7. Tickets are available from Eventfinder.

Not interested? Enjoy the last public holiday of the season, for most New Zealanders we won’t get another one until Labour Day!

Image from Flickr.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday (yes, May the 11th!), so you’ve still got time to organise something special for Mum this weekend. If you are looking for the perfect mother’s day gift, try one of our top three ideas:

• A beauty treatment – even the busiest Mum won’t be able to turn down a soothing facial or relaxing massage voucher from a beauty therapy clinic.
• Chocolates and a Mother’s Day DVD – sit down for a little quiet time with Mum over some sweet decadence and a heartwarming chick flick, she’ll enjoy it even more if she knows the film isn’t really your thing.
• Make a handmade Mother’s Day card – you can keep it simple, just a nostalgic picture of you and a cheery Mother’s Day poem will show her that it’s not just your credit card that loves her.

Celebrating Mother’s Day is something you should enjoy too. Instead of just giving a gift, why not do something with her she won’t expect, something out of the ordinary? You might frequent fancy restaurants but Mum probably never treats herself to a fine dining experience, so find a silver service restaurant that will make her feel like royalty.

If you are far away from Mum and haven’t organised a gift to send her yet, you’re probably a little late unless you can afford to airmail your present. Letting Mum know you appreciate her from afar is important, so don’t leave her empty handed – contact a flower delivery service in New Zealand (just call or e-mail from anywhere in the world) and ask them to choose something in your price range, and pay by credit card. An unexpected bouquet will have Mum smiling for days.

Image from Flickr.

How do New Zealanders celebrate Easter?

This holiday, traditionally a time for remembering the death and resurrection of Christ, is now celebrated as a time of new beginnings… and chocolate.

Chances are, even if you don’t consider yourself religious in any way, you’re probably still celebrating Easter with some of the most ancient symbols of new life – eggs, baby chicks and rabbits. These are all symbols of fertility, life and newfound hope. So, while you’re enjoying some hard-earned chocolate bunnies, Easter eggs and hot cross buns this year – think about the meaning behind all those delicious Easter treats!

This Easter…

Activities for Easter - Get creative with Easter crafts, go on an Easter youth camp, make gift baskets and cards, or throw a themed Easter party.

Easter baking - Nothing beats homemade hot cross buns, and they’re easy for kids to make too!

Make your own Easter eggs – Who knew it was so easy to make

Easter gifts - Give a little something at Easter to friends, family or corporate clients. Try Easter flowers, gift baskets, Christian gifts or the traditional favourite – Easter eggs.

Learn about Easter – Learn more about the traditional meaning and stories of Easter, and celebrate with others at your local church.

A day to celebrate love and romance!

A chance to let your special person know they’re special. An excuse to send a Valentine to your secret crush. An opportunity to find the love of your life. However you celebrate Valentine’s Day, there’s plenty to organise. We can help. For Valentines Day conundrums and queries, take a look at our handy guides:

• Valentines Day dating – Taking someone out for a romantic Valentines date is the perfect way to get to know a potential mate or share some time with your love.
• Valentines Day flowers – Let flowers speak for you with classic red roses or a bouquet of fresh flowers.
• Valentines Day gifts – Shop smart for your loved one, choosing from top gifts for him and her.
• Valentines Day dinner – Share a romantic dinner at a local restaurant or cook up a stay-at-home feast for two.
• Valentines Day history – The day of love celebrates the life of a Saint who was put to death for performing marriage ceremonies!

Embrace the day, and get some love and romance into your life this Valentine’s Day.

Image from Flickr.