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] ]]> amandak 2009-03-25T10:33:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/16/62135/3733

Apparently even long after the presidential election has ended, viewers are still to tuning into Saturday Night Live on NBC. And this time, it's not just grounded teenagers watching. Politicians are also paying attention. And one politician in particular was pretty riled up over a recent skit. No, it wasn't Sarah Palin.

Lt. Governor James "Duke" Aiona of Hawaii recently voiced his displeasure about a skit that poked fun at folks who choose the Aloha State as their vacation destination. In fact, a whole bunch of people working for the Hawaii government are a little cranky over the way in which Hawaii hospitality was portrayed, claiming skits like these are further wounding their already beaten down tourism economy. ]]> kjb 2009-03-16T10:24:31-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/