D-Day approaches. It’s semi-finals weekend in Auckland for the Rugby World Cup and the place is buzzing. So is the ‘travel retail retreat’ at Kohimarama Road in Mission Bay, Auckland. Last night the newly arrived house guests – Colm and Breeda McLoughlin, John and Karl Sutcliffe and yours truly – welcomed Adrian Littlewood, Paul Divers
Events
Black is the colour…
Choose your colour. Red or Blue? Black or Gold? The choices are few and simple. Who do you support this weekend as the Rugby World Cup reaches its semi-final stages? Downtown and suburban Auckland is awash with colour: plenty of black of course but mounting swathes of gold, blue and red for Australia, France and
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Events
And then there were four…
‘Poms bomb, Wales prevail’ screamed the headline in the Herald on Sunday, a dual reference to the English defeat against a rejuvenated France and Wales’ triumph in the titanic Celtic clash with Ireland. Meanwhile the Aussies reached into the very depth of their collective Antipodean soul to sneak the narrowest and bravest of wins against an
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Events
A day unlike any other
“At 12.51pm the fault… can no longer resist the immense pressure. It ruptures, dispatching shockwaves upwards through the oblivious city and through the Port Hills to the sea beyond. In the seconds which follow, the earth writhes and roars like a wounded animal, gripping Christchurch in a web of destruction. This will be a day
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Events
The journeyman who would be king
‘Stay positive, says Dan’s dad.’ Only in New Zealand… The front page headline of Christchurch’s ‘The Press’ newspaper was dedicated not to international affairs, not to the aftermath of the local earthquakes, not to the soaring local employment rate. Instead it referred to an interview with the father of New Zealand’s stricken sporting hero Dan
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Events
At the mercy of nature
Sumner is a picture postcard-perfect seaside suburb of Christchurch. Its valley is ringed by volcanic hills, whose houses command magnificent views over the Pacific Ocean. I grew up in such a house, at 2 Nayland Street. As a young boy I used to gaze for hours from our top-storey window at the ships out to
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Events
Rugby a welcome diversion to a shaken city
I’ve arrived in New Zealand, where I’ll spend most of the next month watching the Rugby World Cup that has gripped the nation. After a breathtaking flight over the Southern Alps (above and below) my first stop is my hometown of Christchurch where I arrived yesterday. Initially the garden city, as it is known, was due
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Events
Curiouser and curiouser…
A senior executive at one of the world’s leading travel retailers was left baffled this week when he approached the stand of a much-respected fragrances brand, one that is very popular with the upper-class in the UK. “Sorry, we don’t sell in duty free,” he was told curtly. Needless to say the retailer in question was
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Events
TFWA 2011 draws to a close
[Picture: TFWA] What do you do when the people go home? And what do you do when the show is all done? I know what I’ll do in the alone of my time But what will I do with the leftover wine? – Melanie Safka, ‘Leftover wine’ And so another Cannes show draws to a close.
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Events
Tragedy taints Cannes show
At the closing press conference for TFWA World Exhibition 2011, association President Erik Juul-Mortensen rightly began by expressing his deep sorrow at the death of a delegate last Sunday night following a street brawl. The 37-year-old was named by Cannes police as Lee Elton Fischer from London. He fell badly on the pavement after being
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Events
Back in a brand new world
And I’ll drink and dance with one hand free Let the world back into me Oh I’ll be a sight to see Back in the high life again – Warren Zevon, Back in the High Life Again The Moodie Report is back in Cannes, operating from our familiar though temporary bureau opposite the Palais des
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Airports
A banner day for Korean travel retail
I’m back in South Korea, in very familiar surroundings at the excellent Hyatt Regency Incheon Hotel. I’ve looked out at this view over overlooking Incheon International Airport (pictured below) many times down the years. I have been travelling to Korea annually since the early 90s and forged many close relationships here. I’m here to cover
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Events
Moody report not promising as McCaw seeks protection
The biggest event in the industry calendar is just days away. No, not TFWA World Exhibition, but the Rugby World Cup, where judging by the amount of correspondence being received at Moodie HQ, the trade’s representation might be just about as big as the Cannes show. There’s a healthy level of banter building up and