Adv 223 Yumpu

#223
All is not OK
I do not like crowds, really; crowds, queues,
dentists, you know, people in my personal
space. Last week we were in Queenstown,
I did not mind the one-meter rule at the
airport, nor having to wear the mask on the
plane, I enjoyed the space.
But as we flew into Queenstown the sky
was blue and the Remarks had a slight
dusting of snow. I looked down to see that
the carpark was full, a field of parked cars
(it was not until later did I realise that it
was rental cars and campervans parked
up for storage due to a lack of use). As we
exited the airport it was half empty, we went
to the rental car office, same again, and
when we drove to our hotel in the centre
of Queenstown we got a carpark directly
outside.
If you have ever driven into Milford Sound
then you will know the usual chaos as
tourist buses and cars all head for a glimpse
of this unique part of our country. Last week
we flew into a completely empty carpark;
there weren’t just a few buses, there were
none! It was like a ghost town. I overheard
someone say, ‘this is great with no crowds’,
and I get how you could feel like that. But no
crowds means no jobs, no income, no food
on the table, and it is not like in Milford you
can stop being a kayak guide and go and
work in Bunnings.
It will be like that throughout New Zealand;
any tourist town, any tour operator, any
corner dairy where people will stop to buy a
pie or a fluffy kiwi. It is important for us to be
so aware it’s not OK for everyone.
www.adventuremagazine.co.nz
Digital, Hardcopy, Web, Social
FOR THE ADVENTURE
WWW.DCBREWING.CO.NZ
@DEEPCREEKBREWINGCO
I don’t know Queenstown well, I don’t
know the names of all the streets, but at
one stage I stood in the middle of the road
looking both ways and the only person I
saw was my own reflection in a closed store
window. (Admittedly it was a Monday but
you get my point.)
Most of the restaurants are still open but
many have nobody in them. A town that
survives on huge numbers of tourists is
struggling.
New Zealand has done amazingly well with
Covid, regardless if you feel it has all been
a bit draconian, we are safe, and people
are happy with that. The economy seems
ok, people generally seem ok. But it is not
OK. New Zealand's tourism industry
directly and indirectly employs
almost 400,000 people, or just over
14 per cent of the workforce and it
has all but gone. The loss in income
due to a lack of inbound tourism is
around 13 billion per year!
Now this is not a rant about opening
boarders and Covid being a con,
far from it. Personally, I think we
should stay safe; boarders should
remain secure till we are sure it is
safe. But I think it is important that
we accept that all is not OK for
everyone. There are hundreds of
thousands of people who have lost
their jobs or are now only working
part time. There are thousands upon
thousands of businesses that are
not making any income and in fact
are losing money just trying to stay
open. It is so important for us to
realise that some in our community
are not OK, because it is easy to
forget.
Exploring a bit of our own backyard with Canyon Explorers, Queenstown
Then what can we do about it?
It is as simple as buying local; buy from your
local store, stay off Ali Express, Wish and
Amazon. It might cost you ten dollars more
but that ten dollars might help keep a fellow
Kiwi in business. Visit local this summer,
don’t buy your kids another T-shirt from
some overseas website for Christmas, get
them an experience that will be the highlight
of their summer, a memory that will last and
will help sustain a business till we are back
to normal.
It is OK to admit that not everyone is OK,
and we may not be able to fix it, but we can
help. Steve Dickinson - Editor
www.adventuretraveller.co.nz
JOBS
www.adventurejobs.co.nz
EDITOR & ADVERTISING MANAGER
Steve Dickinson
Mob: 027 577 5014
steve@pacificmedia.co.nz
ART DIRECTOR
Lynne Dickinson
design@pacificmedia.co.nz
SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES
subs@pacificmedia.co.nz
DISTRIBUTION
Ovato, Ph (09) 979 3000
OTHER PUBLICATIONS (HARDCOPY AND ONLINE)
www.adventuremagazine.co.nz
www.adventuretraveller.co.nz
www.adventurejobs.co.nz
www.skiandsnow.co.nz
@adventurevanlifenz
PUBLISHERS
NZ Adventure Magazine is published six times a year by:
Pacific Media Ltd, P.O.Box 562
Whangaparaoa, New Zealand
Ph: 0275775014
Email: steve@pacificmedia.co.nz
adventuremagazine.co.nz
adventurejobs.co.nz | adventuretraveller.co.nz
Contributions of articles and photos are welcome and must be accompanied by a stamped
self-addressed envelope. Photographic material should be on slide, although good quality
prints may be considered. All care is taken but no responsibility accepted for submitted
material. All work published may be used on our website. Material in this publication may
not be reproduced without permission. While the publishers have taken all reasonable
precautions and made all reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of material in this
publication, it is a condition of purchase of this magazine that the publisher does not assume
any responsibility or liability for loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy
or omission in this publication, or from the use of information contained herein and the
publishers make no warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to any of the material
contained herein.
HOMEGROWN TAIAO
TAIAO
ADVENTUREMAGAZINE.CO.NZ 01