Author archives

The Travelbug office gets a slide

You know how you can sometimes tell when the writers of your favourite TV show simply have an off day and look for an easy way out? They’ll write an episode that takes the cast to Hawaii for a holiday, or do a musical or even worse a flashback show. Sometimes when you write a …

Tipping in New Zealand – why don't we do it more often?

Close your eyes and imagine you’re at an Auckland hotel. You’ve just checked out, and a nice hotel employee piles your bags onto a trolley, takes them outside, waves over a taxi and helps you get your stuff into the car. Before you get in the taxi do you a) thank him sincerely and give …

Palmageddon – in defence of Palmerston North

Last week, Travelbug unwittingly started a Palmerston North slag-a-thon, and I feel it is important to set the record straight a little and make my case for why Palmerston North really is a wonderful place. But before we get into the detail, a bit of background about how Palmageddon started.

9 great NZ hotels with free wi-fi

The interweb. It’s here, it’s now and it’s hot. But is it free or reliable at many New Zealand accommodation businesses? I’ve stayed plenty of places around NZ when travelling for work, and one of my constant frustrations is dealing with, or trying to find, a good quality internet connection at decent prices. Most of …

Verified vs unverified reviews: the battle continues

On Travelbug, we like to foster an environment where travellers help keep each other informed. We want our users to have great accommodation experiences, and we ask them to place reviews on places they’ve stayed. We prompt them with an email after their stay and we show an accommodation provider’s rating in search results and …

Down the Rangitikei in a dodgy raft

Down the Rangitikei in a dodgy raft I used to think that the best sort of raft was one that didn’t sink. But I don’t think that anymore, not after a trip down the mighty Rangitikei with some work mates on a recent offsite: it turns out a sinking raft can be just the sort …

2011 in review – what a year!

Crikey, it’s the 22nd of December already and I’m fortunate enough to be heading off on a big North Island road trip holiday at the end of today. (Ed – lazy bugger!) Before I do, though, I thought I’d pop up a quick summary of our Top 10 from the year on Travelbug. What have …

Rugby finals fever and secret accommodation deals

We’re all done bar the final and the fairy tale continues for the All Blacks who are through to the championship game of their home tournament and one last showdown against a recent World Cup nemesis – France. And Aaron Cruden shows that boys from Palmerston North can jump straight into the big time and …

8 great New Zealand holiday parks

With all the rugby-related activities at present it’s hard to look much past October 24th (when the Richie McCaw and his mighty All Blacks will surely hold aloft that wonderful shiny trophy), but sure enough time is marching on and summer is fast approaching. And you know what that means: it’s time to book your …

Travelbug’s rugby fever beatbox opera

The World Cup is in full force and getting more attention than Sonny Bill with his shirt off. Wellington has been rocking, with teams and fans galore, a brilliant fanzone right outside our Travel offices and now the All Blacks arriving readying themselves for their clash against the mighty Canucks. So caught up in rugby …