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Kumeu Scarecrow Festival

March 24th, 2009 · Fairs & Festivals, Free Audio Guides, New Zealand Audio Guides

Thursday 9th to Saturday 19th April 2009


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About 20 minutes drive west of Auckland, New Zealand is the historic West Auckland district of Kumeu. Originally settled by Croatian migrants who brought with them generations of wine-making heritage. Some of the oldest cultivated vines in the country are out this way and date back to the 1890s. For lovers of beer there are also boutique breweries which have sprung up in recent times.

Coming a long way since I featured some of the original wineries in a university wine column there are some very good wines to be tasted these days with Matua Valley and Nobilos two of the better known. Wineries of Kumeu Valley

The popular Scarecrow Festival is all about fun with entrants creating scarecrows of all types and imaginative forms running along state highway 16 and through the participating vineyards and businesses. A great fun day out is to head off as a couple or with the family or friends and tailor your stops to your tastes as you follow the trail. And for the adrenalin junkie; whether it’s surfing, fighting paintball battles, mountain biking, trail riding on quad motorbikes or 4 wheel drive vehicles there is plenty for you too! Free trail maps are available from he Kumeu Visitor Information Centre, 306 SH 16, Huapai (open 7 days 10am-4pm)

West Coast New Zealand Beaches

West Coast New Zealand beaches

If you prefer a more genteel day there a variety of cafes and restaurants with great food, galleries featuring superb artists, boutique shopping for clothing, speciality foods, arts & crafts and much more. Of course the stunning scenery, from the pounding surf of the West Coast beaches to bush scenery and the picturesque wine country round off a complete day’s excursion.

And while you are visiting the Auckland Region, why not take a morning or a full day to visit Devonport, Auckland’s Maritime Village, just across sparkling Waitemata Harbour from Auckland CBD for a step back in time to a tranquil, arty and historic village.


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Ettalong Beach Central Coast NSW Australia

August 21st, 2008 · Australia Audio Guides, Free Audio Guides

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Ettalong Beach is a tranquil beachside community 88kms north of Central Sydney.It’s approximately 1 hr 15 mins drive north of Sydney.In this Talk’N Tours Podcast you will be introduced to Ettalong Beach on New South Wales, Australia’s picturesque Central Coast.

Ettalong Beach Channel

Ettalong Beach Channel

The most picturesque way of travelling to Ettalong Beach is by ferry from Palm Beach. It’s a quick 30 minute sail across the waters of Broken Bay. Sssh, don’t let everyone know!

Ferry to Ettalong Beach

Ferry to Ettalong Beach

Ettalong Beach is located at the north western end of Broken Bay and looks across the narrow Brisbane Waters to picturesque Wagstaffe. In the Aboriginal dialect of the Guringgai People, Ettalong is said to mean “a place for drinking” and in days past a well dug in the sand behind Ettalong Beach supplied fresh water to passing sailing vessels.

Ettalong Beach Markets

Ettalong Beach Markets

There are over 100 businesses located in Ettalong Village and there are markets every weekend. For information on services in Ettalong Beach visit  The Qwert Community Directory for an extensive local search directory for the Central Coast of NSW Australia and Ettalong Beach.

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Australian Beach Culture & Safety

February 27th, 2008 · Australia Audio Guides, Free Audio Guides

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Australian Surfer

Australian Surfer

Australia’s beaches are not only one of the great attractions for visitors to that sunburnt country they are an integral part of the Australian psyche and national identity.

17 ½ million Australians live within an hours drive from the beach and most sunny weekends see them getting a good work out.  Even during the week at the more popular city beaches the number of beach goers is significant.

Most native Australians have a healthy respect for the surf and beach safety instilled in them from an early age with parents, syblings, uncles, aunts and extended family and friends educating the young ones in safe beach use.  Visitors and new arrivals to Australia regretably don’t often have this collective knowledge and training to call on and many get into difficulty in the surf each year which results in many unecessay deaths.  2005 resulted in 87 deaths by international visitors by drowning.

2007 was the centenary of  the foundation of the Surf Lifesaving Movement, designated as the “Year of the Lifesaver”, recognising its role in keeping the Australian beaches safe and contributing to the unique Aussie beach culture.

In this podcast Talk’N Tours provides some useful background to Australian beach culture and even more important information about how your visit to an Aussie beach can be made even more enjoyable and safe. Remember a beach may “look safe” but unless you are family with surf beaches there are many hazards such as tidal rips which can get you into a lot of trouble very quickly indeed.

Talk’N Tours provide this information for general education purposes and accept no liability for any inaccuracies that may or may not be present in the podcast.  Talk’N Tours recommend beach users to follow all safety directions from Lifesavers & Lifeguards and specifically advise that Talk’N Tours accept no liability for any actions or results of use of a beach that may result from reference to these materials.

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