Santa Monica, CA – Cycling enthusiasts look no further – the first of the New Zealand Cycle Trail’s “Great Rides” just opened near Hanmer Springs on the South Island. This is the first chance for cyclists to cover New Zealand on the nationwide cycle network.

The trail passes through the iconic backcountry of St. James Conservation Area and is marketed and branded as one of the country’s Great Rides under Nga Haerenga, The New Zealand Cycle Trail.

The 64 km-long St. James Cycle Trail offers iconic scenery and a mix of trail standards. Ride down spectacular river valleys, past high-country lakes, through beech forest and grassland valleys.

Of the 18 nationally promoted cycle trails, it requires the greatest level of experience to complete.

Experienced mountain bikers are expected to complete the full trail in roughly 10 hours. There are four huts along the way, providing a chance to make a weekend of it.

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For information about New Zealand’s extensive vacation options, log onto the 100% Pure New Zealand website at http://www.newzealand.com/. 

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For more information, please contact Paul Holman at paul@ahacreative.com or 604.303.1052.

Santa Monica, CA – Wellington, New Zealand is the highest ranked capital city to be featured in Lonely Planet’s ‘Top 10 Cities 2011’ list in the new Best in Travel 2011 guidebook. This is the first time a New Zealand city has been included on the list.

Lonely Planet’s Asia-Pacific Travel Editor Shawn Low said Best in Travel 2011 draws on the knowledge, passion and miles travelled by Lonely Planet’s staff, authors and online community. Previously, the top 10 countries, regions and cities have been listed alphabetically, but Lonely Planet has revealed them in ranked order for the first time in its sixth edition.

Best in Travel 2011 writer Catherine Le Nevez describes Wellington in the book as “Cool-with-a-capital-C, crammed with more bars, cafes and restaurants per capita than New York.”

“With its quaint wooden houses tumbling down a ring of hills to the city center, clustered on reclaimed land around the glittering harbour, in ‘100% Pure New Zealand’, the country’s most innovative and inspiring city might just be the ‘Best Little Capital in the World’.”

The abundance of arts and cultural events, the culinary and film scene, and the city’s attitude to sport are among the things that make the Wellington stand out. Wellingtonians also get a well-deserved mention.

“Wellingtonians are modest-as; they just figure if you’re going to do something, why not do it well?,” Le Nevez writes. “Its compact size energizes its sense of community. Locals love their city…and get a kick out of helping visitors fall in love with it too.”

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For information about New Zealand’s extensive vacation options, log onto the 100% Pure New Zealand website at http://www.newzealand.com/.

For other media information, log on to http://www.media.newzealand.com.

For high-resolution images, visit http://www.images.newzealand.com/.

For year-round travel deals to New Zealand, visit:
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/getting-to-around-nz/getting-to-nz/travel-deals/canada/.

For more information, please contact Paul Holman at paul@ahacreative.com or 604.303.1052.