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Warkworth

Going further, staying in touch42 Queen Street, Warkworth T: +64 9 425 8009

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CHINA Lynette has just returned...

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Going further, staying in touch42 Queen Street, Warkworth T: +64 9 425 8009

E: info@warkworthtravel.co.nz www.warkworthtravel.co.nz

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Mahurangimatters 17 October 2012 | 35

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global adventuresTR AVEL MAT TERS

Having just returned from this amazing destination, I am happy to share with you some of my impressions.Hainan Island: Situated off the southern coast of China, Hainan is an up and coming holiday destination. On the same latitude as Hawaii, Hainan offers a temperate climate with kilometres of long sandy white beaches, amazing resorts, crystal clear waters, rainforests, hot springs, spas, fishing, golf, duty free shopping, culture and much more. A great alternative to Hawaii, Phuket or the Pacific Islands.Tiananmen Square: Until you actually stand there, you cannot appreciate the size. One million people can stand within the square shoulder-to-shoulder. The size and historical significance gave me one of those ‘I am actually here doing this’ moments. The Forbidden City was a similar experience with it’s 9999.5 rooms (because 0.5 more would have been for a ‘God’ and this was for a mortal being) holding many stories and amazing architecture. The tranquil and beautiful Summer Palace is home to the world’s longest corridor, some 780 metres long with over 1000 hand painted panels.Xian and the terracotta warriors: “Wow” pretty much describes it. When I was young, I heard about this place where they had discovered an ancient buried army and have always planned to see it. The photos you see don’t do justice to the size of the excavation sites. Discovered in 1974, more and more relics are being uncovered daily. To date, only two whole statues have been uncovered with the rest having to be put back together taking nine months and costing around $15,000 each – no mean task. The Emperor died in 221 BC and it appears that his task was unfinished but in creating this army to guide him through the afterlife, his empire collapsed only four years after his death because he took all the

Riding overseas Motorbikes and scooters are a great way to get around when you’re overseas, however accidents do happen and New Zealanders should ensure they have adequate travel insurance for all eventualities. If you intend to hire cars, motorbikes, jet skis or any other motorised vehicle while overseas, talk to your travel insurer to check your insurance policy covers this and seek advice on any restrictions that may apply such as whether you will be covered if you are not licensed to drive a motorbike in New Zealand. Travellers should be as safety conscious when on holiday as they would be in New Zealand, even when local laws appear to be more relaxed so don’t forget wearing a helmet goes hand-in-hand with riding your hire bike or scooter.

Passport checkMany countries require a passport to be valid for at least six months beyond your intended departure from the country. If you do not have six months validity on your passport, you may be stranded overseas as a result of being refused entry to a country, or offloaded at a transit point, and you will need to apply for an Emergency Travel Document or replacement passport in order to continue your travels. Travellers should check with the embassy of any country they are visiting or transiting through for passport validity requirements, visa requirements and any other requirements for entry. Make sure there is at least one clear page in your passport for immigration stamps. Take a copy of the personal details page of your passport with you and leave a copy at home with a trusted friend or family member.

Automatic visaNew Zealanders making short-term visits to Australia should buy comprehensive travel insurance to cover non-emergency health care costs, including repatriation and ambulance costs. New Zealanders automatically get a Special Category Visa when they arrive in Australia provided they meet certain security, character and health requirements. Getting an arrival stamp in your passport is the only evidence that you hold this visa. If you use SmartGate, you are granted a Visa but do not get an arrival stamp in your passport. You can then stay and work in Australia indefinitely as long as you remain of good character.Source, www.safetravel.govt.nz

Travel bitesDiscovering the old and new in ChinaBy Lynette Giles, of World Travellers Warkworth

riches with him. Considered by some to be the 8th wonder of the world, this is definitely a site worth visiting. Loved it!The Big Three – Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou:As three of the top four most populated cities, I was expecting them to be a bit grim but was pleasantly surprised by how clean and green each city was. There was not a sign of rubbish on the streets and the Feng Shui plantings throughout made for very pleasant and well organised cities, even if the traffic was a little chaotic at times. All three cities were very easy to get around with cheap taxis and great subways. There are plenty of signs in English and most young people speak ‘a little’ English if you need help. Beijing is a city of contrasts, with the Hutongs (alleyways) with traditional buildings (houses, shops and such) running side by side with new modern multi-storey office blocks and apartments. Shanghai is bright, shiny and new. You can view an amazing display of extremely modern high rises featuring the second tallest building in China, with the tallest still under construction. There are also beautiful European buildings extending into the shopping areas and the Peoples Square with signs and lights to rival Times Square in New York. Old Shanghai features the city’s oldest tea house and boasts the best steamed buns in town! You want shopping? Shanghai is your city. From exclusive brand names to market style bargaining, you can buy it all and at great prices. Guangzhou is the business hub of China and a great place for shopping – I would recommend it for a couple of nights stopover as it’s easy and not too much of a culture shock.Did I enjoy my Chinese adventure? Definitely! Would I recommend it to others? Absolutely!

| Mahurangimatters 17 October 201236

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globaladventures

“I’d love to see the Arizona desert,” Jim said.“Why on earth do you want to see desert?” I asked. “It’s just miles and miles of nothing.”“I want to go to Monument Valley,” he said. “Where they filmed those old John Wayne westerns. You know, cowboys riding between enormous red mesas.”“Uh huh.” I couldn’t remember the mesas, but I probably didn’t go to the right movies. So we went back to the Insight bus tour brochure, and settled on a coach tour travelling through California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. The second half of the tour would take us through deserts, mountains, and canyons. And, of course, Monument Valley.The first deserts were the Mojave and Sonora Deserts – brown and dusty, with purple foothills lining the horizons on both sides. As we rolled into Scottsdale, near Phoenix, the Australians on board the bus burst into shrieks of delight – they’d spotted a Walmart! This was followed by groans of despair when the bus didn’t stop. The next day we climbed into the foothills of the Colorado Plateau, stopping at Sedona to be jolted up a rough track in a convoy of jeeps to view the bright red and orange cliffs. The day finished at the Grand Canyon, which looked as unreal as an oil painting.

Finally we were travelling across Navajo land. Tumbledown shanties and rusty RVs were scattered here and there among the valleys and boulders as if dropped at random from the sky. The Painted Desert was achingly beautiful – the massive escarpments surrounding us were layered with brown, red, orange, grey and green, while the desert was tinted in delicate shades of gold, pale green and blue-green.We overnighted at Lake Powell, a manmade lake which looks completely out of place – like finding a deep blue lake on Mars. And finally, we set off on the drive to Monument Valley. I could sense my husband’s pulse race as we drove further into the desert and passed groups of towering mesas (flat tops) and buttes (pointed tops). We stood on dusty red promontories and viewed these monoliths reaching to the empty sky, as if they’d just pushed up from the fiery heart of the earth. The Navajo have given them names. It was easy to spot the Left and Right Mittens, but others clung to their anonymity. We didn’t spot John Wayne – but we came away feeling that we’d been to one of the most spiritual places in the world.This spiritual feeling continued over the next few days - as we floated in a blue raft down the Colorado River between 1200-feet-high canyon walls - and as we viewed the lolly-pink spires and minarets of Bryce

Arizona adventure tale scoops travel competition prizeWorld Travellers Warkworth recently held a competition, asking clients to send in their best travel stories. The winner was Lorraine Orman, of Warkworth, and the following is her winning story:

Monument Valley By Lorraine Orman

Canyon - and as we cricked our necks to spot the tiny red dots (climbers) hanging on the glowering cliffs of Zion National Park. However all feelings of being at one with Mother Earth were shocked out of us when we finished the Insite tour in Las Vegas. But that’s another story...

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The author Lorraine Orman.