Topdeck Travel Blog

Every year on April 30 a strange phenomenon takes hold of the Dutch people.

Souce: Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board

The symptoms of Oranjegekte (Orange craze) or Oranjekoorts (Orange fever) are the wearing orange clothing, caps and scarves, dying hair orange and decorating of houses and entire streets with orange, orange and more orange while letting their hair down for a day of pure mad fun!

The people of the Netherlands pull out all the stops as they throw a party of epic proportions to celebrate the official birthday of their much loved monarch Queen Beatrix.

The festivities begin on April 29 with Queen’s Night Koninginnenacht and go through until the evening of the next day Queen’s Day Koninginnedag.

Souce: Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board

It’s a day of live music, beer tents and street parties – kind of like Oktoberfest crossed with a massive street carnival – as Amsterdam’s famous canals fill with boats, and the streets are lined with people.

The main stages for entertainment in some of the city’s main squares Rembrandtplein, Nieuwmarkt and Museumplein, but parties and music can be found throughout the city.  All the clubs in Amsterdam organise special events and some of the best are outside and free for everyone.

Aside from the party, the whole country holds a 24-hour free market vrijmarkt where anyone can sell anything they like without a permit or paying tax. It’s the perfect chance to pick up knickknacks and the required orange outfit so you can party with the locals in style until the wee small hours.

If an all-day party in one of the world’s most exciting cities sounds like you, why not go with Topdeck?

Source: Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board

We arrive in town the day before the festivities and kick things off with a walking tour which includes the infamous Red Light District.

You won’t miss out on any of the Queen’s Day action as we’re staying right in the heart of Amsterdam!

If you’re after a change of pace there are plenty of slightly more cultured activities on offer from Anne Frank House to the Van Gogh Museum (remember to book your tickets in advance!) or you could always chill out in one of the city’s many coffee shops.

Before leaving, we’ll take you on a visit to a traditional Dutch farm where you can see how cheese and clogs are made.

With 24 hour celebrations and a vibrant atmosphere Queen’s Day is definitely a memorable time to visit Amsterdam!

QUEEN’S DAY FACTS

• Orange is the colour of the day as the Queen’s royal line goes back to William of Orange.
• Queen Beatrix’s real birthday is January 31 (It’s too cold at that time for outdoor celebrations.)
• April 30 was the birthday of Beatrix’s mother and predecessor, Juliana.
• About 800.000 people come to Amsterdam for Queen’s Day

Part II of sales manager Aaron’s New Zealand Adventure

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After a day of culture and learning it was time to shake things up a bit!

For a little adventure, Az’s next stop was the Agrodome, also in Rotorua, famous for its giant swing, bungee and of course, the Zorb.

For those of you who don’t know what Zorbing is, it involves climbing into a giant clear plastic water-filled ball in your swimsuit and rolling down a hill. Simple!

Az says once you start rolling you have no idea what’s going on.

“Zorbing is the funniest thing I have ever done!”

Once his head had stopped spinning, Az found himself strapped into a hang-gliding harness and winched up 50m in the air before pulling a rip cord and swinging down to earth.

Az getting ready for some extreme swinging!

You’ll be glad to hear he made it out in one piece and was able to catch his breath on the next excursion – Milford Sound, in New Zealand’s South Island.

Az is a true blue Aussie, but even he had to admit it’s impossible to beat New Zealand when it comes to natural beauty.

“As a country that’s visual spectacular, nothing compares,” he says. “It’s absolutely amazing.

“One minute you’re driving through rolling hills, the next minute mountains. It just feels good to be there, really clean and fresh.”

Cruising overnight on the Sound, Az says it felt peaceful like no one else was around.

“All around you are sheer cliffs coming down into the water. Forests and waterfalls are everywhere.”

Milford Sound is also home to families of seals, penguins and dolphins and even whales can be seen on the odd occasion.

From the ship passengers can kayak, take small boats or even swim into little bays around the Sounds.

Beautiful Milford Sound

“When it comes to natural beauty you can’t beat it!”

All this from an Australian.

HURRY! 20% Off Selected NZ Trips Ends 30 November 2011!

Topdeck’s sales manager Aaron popped down to New Zealand to find out what makes this little country the place to be.

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Aaron, Az to his friends, was sent to New Zealand with a mission - take in its most famous features including the unique culture, heart stopping adventure and breathtaking scenery and tell us all about it!

While there, Az had the chance to take part in one of Topdeck’s most loved exclusives – an overnight stay on a Maori marae.

As the original inhabitants of Aotearoa (New Zealand), Maori hold a special place in the country’s history and culture.

Az admits he had a limited, and possibly stereotypical, view of Maori culture to start with, but this all changed when he stepped foot on Taheke Marae in Rotorua.

Taheke Marae in Rotorua

“I thought it would be touristy, but instead found a vibrant, working marae full of everyday people living as one big family from little children to elders of the tribe,” he says.

The Ngati Hinerangi people, a Hapu (sub-tribe) of the Te Arawa tribe, have opened their doors to Topdeck travellers giving them the chance to learn about and experience Maori culture first hand.

First, they were giving the traditional welcome onto the land which involves both groups greeting each other with a waiata (song) and finally hongi (pressing noses).

“Now we are cousins and can come back whenever we like,” says Az

One of the highlights for Az was getting taught the history and story behind the famous haka. He was even shown a few moves by one of the tribe’s haka experts!

Az testing out his new haka moves

Az says it was impossible to fault the tribe’s hospitality.

Just when the group were settling in for their evening meal there was a black out across all of Rotorua.

But it was going to take more than a power cut to stop these hosts from feeding their hungry guests.

In a flash, the chefs were off to their homes and in no time were back on the marae with gas BBQs and cookers cooking up a storm.

After dinner, the evening was spent with the tribal elders, sharing stories and asking questions.

“I have a new respect for these people. It was a life changing experience.”

*Come back next week as Az checks out the more adventurous and scenic side of New Zealand*

Book any northbound New Zealand trip before that is 10 days or longer and departs between 01/01/2012 - 31/03/2012 and get 20% off with Topdeck’s NZ is the New Black promotion. (offer ends 30 November 2011)

by Kara Segedin

Ten minutes from full time and I couldn’t bear to watch! Peering through my fingers, this was scarier than any horror movie!

Would they, wouldn’t they? One tiny mistake and the hopes of a nation would be dashed.

And there it was, 80 minutes down and the whistle blew – the All Blacks were the 2011 Rugby World Cup champions and the crowd in our little London pub went wild.

We managed to show a little decorum and shared words of commiseration with our French friends, but it was near impossible to wipe the smiles from our faces!

The Rugby World Cup has been the perfect showcase of New Zealand’s all-round greatness (no bias here of course!). With matches played the length and breadth of the country, visitors to NZ’s shores were treated to the stunning and varied landscape of this small island nation. Not to mention the world class Kiwi hospitality.

Take a dive in Queenstown

When you grow up in New Zealand it’s easy to take its natural and cultural wonders for granted.

Watching matches with mates from overseas, the World Cup has given me the opportunity to see my NZ through the eyes of a visitor and it’s been a great excuse to brag about my home town and country to my Aussie, British and North American friends.

“Yip, the North Island is awesome. Beaches, bush, vineyards, world class restaurants and nightlife – what more could you want.”

Check out the Bay of Islands

“Oh, and the South Island – heaven on earth springs to mind topped off with some of the warmest people on the planet.”

If I was going to describe New Zealand to someone who has never visited I’d say it is a land of contrasts.

Sunny, sandy beaches, snow-topped mountains, lush bush and chilly glacial drifts – NZ has it all.

It is home to both extreme, heart pumping adventures like skydiving, bungee jumping and jet boating and more leisurely activities such as horse riding, kayaking and tramping.

Mouth-watering food, beer and wine found in even the smallest town and a unique Maori heritage that goes back hundreds of years, this small island nation at the bottom of the world doesn’t lack culture.

Spend the night on a traditional Maori marae

Topdeck trips take you right across the country from North to South and vice versa or focus on one of the two islands.

Experience all sides of New Zealand with an overnight stay on a tradition Maori marae, get your thrill fix in the adventure capital Queenstown, sample life on a sheep farm and take in the scenery on a cruise through Milford Sound.

And who knows, you may even spot an All Black in the flesh taking a much deserved break on one of the country’s beautiful beaches.

Fancy your own NZ adventure? Visit Topdeck’s website & get planning!

Cruise the beautiful Milford Sound with Topdeck

By Kara Segedin

This blog post might be a tad late, but you’ll soon see why….

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The Topdeck office is insane at the best of times, but this part of the year is even more hectic than usual.

Not only is it the peak of our European summer travel season, but our operations team is flat out putting together all the bits and pieces to organise our trips for 2012.

Then our design and marketing team work day and night cramming all this information into a sparkly, new brochure for your hot little hands.

*phew*

But there is no rest for the wicked and thanks to popular demand for the first time ever we have created a special 2012 Europe pre-release!

This means our faithful Topdeckers can starting planning and saving for their European escape earlier than ever before.

We have released dates for 18 of our most popular trips at 2011 prices and as a rew

ard for being an eager beaver you will save 10% off the base trip price if you book and pay in full before 30 September 2011.

You can also get an additional 5% off if you have travelled with Topdeck or Connections Adventures before or are booking multiple trips from the brochure for a total saving of 15%. (To download your own copy of this e-brochure, just visit topdeck.travel/brochure-request)

Get right into the heart of a country with our regional Explorer trips, travel with your creature comforts on EuroHotel. Mix it up on EuroClub or get back to basics (and more bang for your buck) with EuroCamping.

Was your favourite trip missing from the pre-release? Not to worry, our full 2012 brochure isn’t too far away.

We made it through to the other side and can breathe a little sigh of relief.

Until the next brochure release that is!

Where will you be in summer 2012?