Travel Guides NZ to reveal what Kiwis really think of domestic holidays

A actuality present often known as the “Tripadvisor of tv” is about to supply an unfiltered take a look at New Zealand as a vacation spot.

Journey Guides NZ will comply with 5 teams of extraordinary Kiwis as they tackle the job of journey critics, score and reviewing completely different vacation experiences.

Followers of the Australian model of the collection will know a giant a part of the attraction of the present (for each the contributors and viewers) is the worldwide locations – glamorous areas like Tokyo, Bologna and Sri Lanka.

Then Covid-19 hit, and native makers had been all of a sudden tasked with creating a really completely different wanting present, stated Journey Guides NZ govt producer Andrew Szusterman.

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“As soon as we realised that the worldwide model was not going to occur in 2021, we had a fast dialog going, ‘how can we make this profit native tourism?’”

With the assistance of Tourism New Zealand, the group at South Pacific Footage put collectively a listing of potential areas, with Northland, Southland, Gisborne, Marlborough Sounds, Fiordland and Auckland making the ultimate minimize.

“We had been fairly eager to not go to the large vacationer locations you’ve seen on TV earlier than,” stated collection producer Hayley Cunningham.

“We had been keen on a number of the smaller areas, that had been type of the highway much less travelled.”

The subsequent problem was scouting out “bizarre, wacky and great” actions, with Cunningham, Szusterman and one other producer spending per week in every vacation spot.

The primary episode, for instance, sees the journey guides trying out the Adrenalin Journey Water Park in Ruatangata West, and The Parrot Place chicken park in Kerikeri.

“It’s not simply bungy leaping and skydiving – we uncovered fairly a couple of actions that most individuals received’t find out about,” stated Cunningham.

Naturally, the producers hope the present will encourage Kiwi viewers to exit and see their nation, as home tourism stays essential whereas borders are nonetheless closed. The present can also be set to display screen in different international locations later down the monitor.

However you’d be fallacious in considering the present is simply an prolonged advert for Vacation spot NZ.

Similar to their Australian counterparts, the Kiwi journey guides – a various group which displays New Zealand’s melting pot of cultures – are in no way shy in sharing their opinions.

The Northland episode sees one solid member declare that the historic city of Russell was the “worst a part of his vacation”, because it “simply appeared such as you needed to have some huge cash to be there”.

“At its coronary heart, it’s a overview present,” stated Cunningham.

“We would have liked to stay true to that for the viewer.”

Szusterman added: “As a result of we have now such a various solid, there’s going to be various opinion.

“What we love in regards to the collection is whereas some individuals like sure actions and lodging, others don’t. I feel general it offers a very honest, balanced take a look at New Zealand.”

Journey Guides NZ, TVNZ 2, 8pm from Thursday February 18.