Air New Zealand's Top 7 "Tearjerker" TV Commercials!

That's right - "be honest" - just how many "kleenex" did you REALLY use for the first 4 videos - and that includes all of you GUYS too - come on - 'fess up?! lol

OK ...now move right on down to the voting section and tell the world what you really think...see you there...

NOTE: TO VOTE - IF YOU'RE IN A HURRY, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE VERY BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE - otherwise - take your time and enjoy the many inspirational facts about New Zealand as you make your way down the page...

Look - I KNOW there are going to be people out there secretly saying to themselves - "I saw Lord of the Rings - loved the look of the place - but still haven't got a clue where it is". This map is for you....so don't feel embarrassed - just go check it out - you're never too old to have a geography lesson...right?

Well - since the topic of this lens is "Air New Zealand TV commercials" - it seems only fair that i should do a "plug" for Air New Zealand - the airline - in case some of you are looking to travel in the near future and are looking for great service at reasonable prices. As i said earlier - you should definitely checkout Air New Zealand airfares and Air New Zealand travel destinations because this airline consistently wins top international awards in the industry - year after year.

For a small airline they have some really exciting destinations like London (UK), Los Angeles (USA), San Francisco (USA), Vancouver (Canada), Hong Kong (China), Tokyo (Japan), Shanghai (China), all of the major island destinations in the Pacific (like Raro, Fiji, Tonga, Nuie, New Caledonia, Hawaii, Samoa, & Tahiti) and, of course, all the major cities in Australia and New Zealand.

Air New Zealand has one "trump card" shared with only one other airline in the world and that is the ability for its customers to fly completely around the world exclusively with the one carrier. That's right - you can fly around the world with Air New Zealand and never change airlines - how cool is that? For instance - if you live in L.A. - you could fly Auckland, Hong Kong, London, L.A. - as a totally seamless service.

Because Air New Zealand is a long haul carrier flying some of the longest routes in the world (e.g. L.A. to Auckland is 13 hours non-stop), they have a fleet of 747s, 767s and 777s - all less than 10 years old - reliable well serviced work-horses that consistently deliver speed and comfort.

Airfares to New Zealand are always competitive as the home carrier - so if you're thinking of a vacation in New Zealand - always checkout Airnz.com first for the best specials. Their site always has great deals on hotels in New Zealand too.

If you are planning a trip to New Zealand then allow me to recommend the two best website resources i know of for this task:

1. The official Tourism New Zealand website 100%PureNewZealand - is a fantastic resource for New Zealand vacations and holidays.

2. If you're looking for a more "experiential" resource then I recommend New Zealand Vacation. This site has been created by two American tourists with the express aim of relaying their personal experiences of New Zealand. The detail and passion with which Madeline and Marla describe their 6 month journey through both islands of New Zealand is phenomenal - it is well worth checking out this informative site.

Once you've visited our country - you'll understand why people really do rave about it - I'm not going to go into endless superlatives here - except to say - that if you want to see a lot of unique and beautiful scenery in an uncrowded and natural environment (and much of the flora and fauna IS unique because of our isolation from the main continents when the planet was formed) then come on down.

The really great thing about NZ is that you can see such a vast array of scenery variations in such short distances. You'll be looking at spectacular snow-capped mountains one minute and then next minute you'll be on the coast looking at white sand beaches - then an hour later be in the middle of a volcanic plateau watching boiling mud and spectacular geysers all with very few tourists around to impose on you. Get a rental car and drive - it's the best way to see the country.

If you can't quite make it anytime soon then - why not check out some of the beautiful natural products made her on two of my favourite New Zealand products web sites - ProductsFromNZ.com and ShopNewZealand.co.nz. New Zealand sheepskin and cowhide is the highest quality in the world - what about a great pair of real cowhide ugg boots for winter - just one example of the high quality products available at ShopNewZealand!

Right now the New Zealand Govt is heavily promoting New Zealand as a great place to live and work. Last year a record 17,000 "new Kiwis" arrived from the UK alone to make a new life here. If you've ever been tempted to live in another country - well - now is the time to make an application - we'd make you very welcome. Here are two great resources on the topic...take a peek....

1. The "Nu Kiwi Report" is THE definitive guide to immigrating to New Zealand. Written by two new immigrants - it tells in you spectacular detail all the "ins and outs" of relocating and what you can expect from life in a new culture and society. I thoroughly recommend it for it's quality and value. The Nu Kiwi Report.

2. Recently New Zealand launched a campaign in Australia to invite Australians and expatriate Kiwis to come on over. Watch the fun little video New Zealand Now and then take a look at the web site NewZealandNow.info!

So come-on down now - FOR GOOD? MAYBE?!

Oh - and before you move on - you'll want to meet the Prime Minister - Helen Clark - send her an email - i quite often do - she's very accessible and very cool for a PM too!