What is going on with Air New Zealand these days? They are releasing one gimmicky promo after the next. First, there was the group of people who wore body advertisements for the Kiwi airline, then came airline employees covered in body paint, followed by the announcement of a matchmaking flight and then some more body paint.
This time, the matchmaking flight from Los Angeles to Auckland has decided to bring onboard a successful love match to inspire hope in the other singletons on the flight—Jason Mesnick and his girlfriend, Molly of the ABC show, "The Bachelor."
The October 13 trip is all about finding love (and filling up Air New Zealand planes), with a plane load of singles heading down to Auckland for a major party. And we're expecting at least a few Kiwi-American marriages to come out of this.
Since everyone else will be single, we're not sure that inviting Jason and Molly along is quite the right thing to do, but there's definitely one good side to it – to celebrate this announcement, Air New Zealand is offering tickets at $200 off. If you book by Wednesday with the LOVE200 code=, you'll get your return Los Angeles to Auckland flight plus all the attached partying for $580, which is a pretty low price to pay for the prospect of some Kiwi love.
Related Stories:
· The Matchmaking Flight [Official Site]
· From Body Paint to Matchmaking: Air New Zealand is Feeling Frisky [Jaunted]
· Air New Zealand Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: thetruthabout] ]]>
Just in case the sexy painted bodies of Air New Zealand staff aren't enough to get you hot and heavy with booking a ticket, there's yet another little marketing strategy coming out from the Kiwis this week: the world's first Matchmaking Flight.
Sadly the flight of fancy is still months away; you'll need to be free on October 13 to get involved in this Kiwi love-in. On that date, an Air New Zealand flight will leave Los Angeles full of singles making the trip to Auckland for the Great Matchmaking Ball.
Air New Zealand will even help you to get through the butterflies by opening up chats on their website by posting your profile and linking up with either Americans or Kiwis who plan to turn up at the ball too.
Round-trip tickets for this romantic route start at $780, which includes a party at LAX before you leave, special in-flight food and entertainment (games, even), and the singles-only ball in Auckland. This is all well and good, but they're leaving out the most important information: will any of those body-painted flight attendants be on board?
Related Stories:
· The Matchmaking Flight [Official Site]
· Air New Zealand Offers Singles Only Matchmaking Flight [The Australian]
· A New Paint Job for Air New Zealand … Body Paint [Jaunted] ]]>
A bit of neighborly rivalry is normal, but a couple of bloggers from Australia have taken their not-too-pretty description of next-door New Zealand a bit far, according to the tourism CEO of Auckland.
The Aussie bloggers who've just moved over to Auckland have been posting their opinions of New Zealand at their Fush'n'Chups blog and there's been quite an outrage over some of their ideas--for example, that Auckland is a "horrible soulless city" inhabited by "hobbits".
The bloggers are defending themselves by saying it's just a tongue-in-cheek blog and the Kiwis should get a better sense of humor. They even mention beautiful parts of New Zealand from time to time. The moral for the rest of us is to remember never to mistake a New Zealander for an Aussie, or there could be trouble.
Related Stories:
· Kiwis Upset By "Pathetically Rude" Aussie Bloggers [The Age]
· Fush'n'Chups [Official Site]
· New Zealand Travel Guide [Jaunted]
[Photo: mgrenner57] ]]>
Why eat in a plain-old ground-level restaurant when you can eat outdoors, high in the sky?
We've already told you about dining atop a giant concrete tree in Japan and in a crane 150 feet above the ground in Belgium. Now, the latest sky-high dining craze is the Yellow Treehouse restaurant, which opens this week in Auckland, New Zealand. ]]>
David Beckham should check out our World's Wildest Bungee Jumps next time he's on the road! The L.A. Galaxy player completed the 134-foot jump off Auckland's Harbour Bridge yesterday with some teammates, like the Mr. Badass he considers himself to be.
But not 100 percent badass: Sources on the bridge say Beckham paused before jumping to text his wife Victoria and the kids, just in case. Next stop, SkyJump?
Related Stories:
· Beckham's Harbour Bridge Bungee Plunge [Stuff.co.nz]
· It's Summer Somewhere: SkyJump and SkyWalk in Auckland [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: The Superficial]]]>
Chasing Racers is back, with a brand new Amazing Race 13 mashup. This map will update the morning after every new episode. Send along tips, rumors, gossip, locations and spoilers to our map editors, become a member and comment on the stories below and add to the Jaunted-Flickr photo pool to get in on the fray. Remember to zoom in, out and around on the map--with so much happening in each episode, it's easy to miss a map point.
Welcome back race fans! Season 13 soldiers on, and we're down to just eight teams. The action is intensifying and tempers are starting to flare. Will Ken and Tina keep up their streak of first place finishes? Will Aja and Ty work through their conflicts and focus on winning? Will we be treated to a smack down between the divorcees, Kelly and Christy and brother and sister duo, Nick and Starr?
LET'S FIND OUT!]]>
Year after year the same protest goes on in New Zealand: someone tries to ban the Boobs on Bikes parade as an "offensive public event."
And year after year, the courts decide that Boobs on Bikes can go ahead. This year it's an Auckland court saying that since last year over 80,000 people gathered to watch the topless gals (and guys) ride motorbikes through the city streets, it obviously wasn't offensive to everybody.
That means that on Wednesday all visitors to Auckland will probably spot the Queens Street parade, a precursor to the Erotica Expo. Get there early, because those crowds mean it's hard to get a good viewing spot. And there's plenty to be viewed.
Related Stories:
· NZ Court Gives Green Light to Boobs on Bikes Parade [Reuters]
· Boobs on Bikes Ride Again [Jaunted]
· New Zealand Appreciates the Human Form [Jaunted]
[Photo: dgansen]]]>