Playful Dolphins Tempt Me; “Let’s Swim Together”

New Zealand, a land below the equator, has opposite seasons compared with Korea’s in the northern hemisphere. So summer is nearing an end there. “The Bay of Islands” in northern New Zealand is a beach with a moderate subtropical climate, producing abundant fresh fruits including kiwis and oranges. The islands are composed of 144 islets originated from its unique territory that even more intricately dots the ocean than various sizes of islands around the Hallyeosudo, dotted with 400 islands and islets in the Korea Strait off the southern coast. Thanks to its stunning landscape and climate, it has long established itself as “a must-see” travel spot for New Zealanders in life.

Seeking Travel Information with the New Zealand Travel Planner –

The Travel Planner has two steps: seeking information on travel destinations (including maps) and setting up an itinerary on a date basis. It was designed to make reservations (for flight, accommodation and activities) via a travel agency.

First of all, I need to fill out a user profile at www.newzealand.com. My e-mail address and password will do. This is what you should do if you are seeking information in the first step. Click on the “Destinations” tab on the top menu. They have split the country into 24 component parts and the New Zealand Map with each number marked on it. On the left hand side, there is a title, “Where Do You Start?” under which there are four sub-categories: “24 Regions,” “National Parks,” “Driving Routes,” and “Themed Highways.” The Bay of Islands we are looking for is in the Northland area marked number one. I placed the cursor on the word and an information window popped up. I double-clicked it and the travel page on Northland opened. There is a list of travel information items on the left information window as well: “Don’t miss,” “Scenic highlights,” “Transport,” “Activities & Attractions,” “Information Centers,” “Accommodation,” and “Towns,” all in Korean. On the bottom is a section called “Memories” submitted by travelers.

Below the map on the right hand side are “Seasonal Tips.” That “you can swim with dolphins” in summer (from December to February) is attention-grabbing. “Further Information” on the left bottom side introduces the e-mail address and website of Enterprise Northland, the local tourism office. Before I move onto the next page, there is one thing I need to do – store this page in the “Collection” in the Travel Planner. I may click “Bookmark” on top of the Travel Planner to do so.

Now into details: click “Don’t Miss” and “Playtime in the Bay of Islands” to show all sorts of activities, including going swimming with dolphins, a “Hole in the Rock” cruise, an exciting speed boat ride to the tip of Cape Brett, visiting the Waitangi Treaty Grounds (an agreement made in 1840 between Queen Elizabeth and a Maori representative guaranteeing the Maori authority over their land), catching an authentic kapa haka performance and more. I stored this page and clicked “Activities & Attraction” below “Don’t Miss.” Tons of information popped up – Air Activities (gliding, paragliding and sky diving), Art, Culture and Heritage (heritage attractions, museums, galleries and etc.), attractions (farms, gardens, spas, wineries, volcanic/geothermal and etc.), land activities (4WD Adventure, golf, horse tracks, trekking and etc.), Water Activities (salt water fishing, boat cruises, surfing, sailing, kayaking and etc.), wildlife encounters (whale watching and etc.) and tour and sightseeing (guided tours, sightseeing tours, independent tours and group tours).

The jewel of the Bay of Islands is its boat cruises. Click “Boat Cruises” in Activities and 15 pieces of information pop up. I clicked “Kings Dolphin Cruises & Tours” out of the five with the Qualmark Sign (New Zealand Tourism’s official mark of quality). Detailed information along with photos is provided and even the location is placed on the map. I wrote a question on the climate in March and sent it to the e-mail address on the website and within 24 hours, I had an answer, saying March has a similar climate with summer. I was amazed at the speed. All information may be up online in Korean, but English is used for exchanging e-mails.

Setting a Travel Plan with the Travel Planner-

Now I have enough travel information, so I move on to setting my itinerary. I click on the “Travel Planner,” and the window of the “Travel Planner Calendar” pops up, introducing how to make a travel calendar. Click “Continue” at the bottom and then on the left hand side in the new window, squared boxes (or the calendar) pop up marked “Day 1,” “Day 2,” and “Day 3” on the right. Click the “Set Start Date” box above the calendar, which automatically indicates the date on it. Then drag the item on the left window with a mouse and place it on the desired date. Plan-setting is as simple as this. The Travel Planner is “a well-made program catering to almost all possible requirements (services and information) in setting a travel plan prior to traveling to an unknown destination for foreign travelers.”

summer@donga.com