A young French cyclist has gone missing in Iran. I was almost with him.
One of those was Lennart Monterlos, a fresh-faced Franco-German 18-year-old only seven
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
A young French cyclist has gone missing in Iran. I was almost with him.
Last year, I left England and cycled across Europe to Turkey. It was a three-month, 6000km bikepacking trip that took me beyond the confines of tourist hotspots and introduced me to a whole community of other bikepackers. One of those was Lennart Monterlos, a fresh-faced Franco-German 18-year-old only seven
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- NZ Herald
New Zealand tops global list in adventure tourism for young travellers
'It is good for travelling by van, bus or hitchhiking and also good for travelling on a budget. New Zealand has been named the top adventure destination worldwide for young thrill-seekers in a global study. Photo / 123rf 'Food and living costs are rather expensive, but there are many beaches, hikes, caves and viewpoints that are all freely accessible.' However, the need for a car to visit many of these spots was restricting. 'I think New Zealand is something for nature lovers and for backpackers who are open to discovering a country without much luxury,' Enzmann said. Industry operators also remain confident in Aotearoa's ability to draw adventure-loving customers. Intrepid Travel's NZ general manager Simon Mckearney said bookings from Australian and Kiwi customers were up more than 80% year-on-year. 'What's interesting is the mix of people choosing New Zealand – 65% are women and 51% are travelling solo. Hannah Enzmann, a 22-year-old German traveller, says New Zealand is "the perfect destination for young people who want to take their first big trip". Photo / Facebook 'The biggest groups are younger travellers aged 21 to 40 but we're also seeing strong interest from those over 50. 'New Zealand's appeal comes from its ability to offer meaningful, small group travel experiences that combine adventure with safety and cultural connection.' He pointed to trips crossing the Southern Alps and taking in Queenstown as examples that balance challenge and scenery while 'allowing travellers to connect with local communities'. Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association board chairman Haydn Marriner said New Zealand's unique mix of extreme sports, hiking, water activities and wildlife experiences make it 'the perfect environment for young visitors'. But he warned more must be done to attract them, as youth travel to Australia outstrips New Zealand's numbers in raw figures and as a proportion of overall visitors. 'As an industry, we are worried that youth and adventure tourism have been under-resourced in favour of short-term, fast-growth sectors such as the luxury 'silver surfers' and Australian family markets,' Marriner said. The industry is concerned New Zealand is losing young visitors to Australia, says Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association's board chairman Haydn Marriner. Photo / 123rf 'This has come at a cost, especially considering the youth market is proven to not only bring direct spending, but also years of return visitation and priceless international word-of-mouth through online and social media channels.' As the only country in the study to score 70 points, Aotearoa stood out for its abundance of scenic treks (34.56 per 100,000 visitors), water and land-based adventure sports, and commitment to safety. Metrics ranged from the number of hiking trails and beaches, to wildlife reserves, outdoor activities and other benchmarks that sway adventure chasers to one destination over another. The volume of social media posts that follow each tourist (1124.09 per 1000 international visitors) positioned New Zealand as a place people are eager to promote online. Rustic Pathways' chief executive Shayne Fitz-Coy said the best destinations combine outdoor activities, social media engagement and safety considerations. 'New Zealand stands out by offering teens a safe environment to push their boundaries through hiking, water sports and wildlife experiences. 'For parents planning their teens' next adventure trip, focusing on countries with strong safety records and diverse activity options provides the ideal balance of excitement and security.' Marriner said global studies like these that highlight New Zealand's attractiveness 'should be a catalyst for serious reinvestment and renewed focus on our youth and adventure sectors'. 'These visitors bring diversity, energy, and immense economic benefit, and they help secure New Zealand's place in the hearts and minds of future generations of global travellers.' Ten best adventure destinations for travellers aged 18-22: New Zealand (70/100) Brazil (62.7/100) Peru (62.39/100) Costa Rica (61.75/100) Belize (58.58/100) Finland (58.35/100) Australia (57.61/100) Chile (56.47/100) The Philippines (54.95/100) Iceland (54.91/100) Five least adventurous destinations for travellers aged 18-22: Saudi Arabia (23.78/100) China (30.82/100) Pakistan (31.69/100) Guyana (32.45/100) Turkey (32.91/100) Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.
Otago Daily Times
06-08-2025
- Otago Daily Times
‘Friendly' folk the lure for new citizen
Elisa Maierl (second from left) celebrates becoming a New Zealand citizen yesterday. She is pictured with her mother Christine Maierl, her husband Liam Guthrie and her sister-in-law Madeleine Guthrie. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON It has been a whirlwind few months for Elisa Maierl, who capped off a wedding in her former home country of Germany by flying back to New Zealand to become a citizen. But she would not have had it any other way, and now it was time to put down roots, she said. The German-born physio first came to New Zealand in 2012, after her parents decided it was time for a change. It was only meant to be for a year but ended up becoming permanent because they liked the place so much. "The people are very friendly here," Ms Maierl said. "Germans are very straightforward, and Kiwis tend to be very friendly and, yeah, very, very polite. "So we liked to run a lot, so we went for runs, and everyone greeted us and said hello, and that would never happen in Germany, so that was very nice." Settling into Columba College was initially a bit different. "We don't really have private schools or semi-private schools [in Germany], and we don't have uniforms, and we don't have single-sex schools". She met her now-husband Liam Guthrie at the end of secondary school — both were "chemistry nerds" who took health science in their first year at the University of Otago. Over the past year, it has been a whirlwind for Ms Maierl, who went back to Germany for her wedding and travelled for several months before touching down in Dunedin recently to complete her citizenship. "I thought that the bureaucracy of becoming a citizen wasn't actually too bad. "Now we're back, we thought Dunedin would be a great place to set up some roots and now plant my tree." Seventy people became citizens yesterday at a special ceremony in the Fullwood Room at the Dunedin Centre. They included: Claudia Margit Ammann (Germany); Jorg Thilo Frauendiener (Germany); Richard William Annable (Canada); Sharie Michelle Razo Aviso (Philippines); Zachary Aviso Vallarta (New Zealand); Christine Arishma Begg (Fiji); Goeknil Meryem Biner (Germany); Colette Majella Bolger (Australia); Karen Bernadette Cookson (United Kingdom); Ian Geoffrey Swain (United Kingdom); Callum Paul Cooper (United Kingdom); Kerry Jane Cooper (England); Paul Roy Cooper (United Kingdom); Marlyn Robina Dass (Fiji); Courtney Jeane Giddens (United States of America); Rachael Louise Hart (Australia); Carl James Hatfield (England); Joerg Hennig (Germany); Maud Schroeder (Germany); Olga Herdt (Kazakhstan); Lichelle Sano Jadulan (Philippines); Laura Keller (Germany); Ahmad Mohamad Lababidi (Syria);Huiyuan Li (China); Yuan Lyu (China); Elisa Marlena Maierl (Germany); Shobin Mathew (India); Remya Shobin (India); Agna Shobin (India); Aloysius Shobin (India); Alonso Abram Shobin (New Zealand); Thomas Mattern (Germany); Claudia Ott (Germany); Hanna Ott (Germany); Holger Thomas Regenbrecht (Germany); Helen Plowman (United Kingdom); Reyna Kristi Prameswari (Indonesia); Robert Luke Pritchett (United States of America); Ling Qiu (China); Alban Nicolas Ribet (France); Felix Terence Andrew Robinson (Australia); Róisín Leila Scott (Australia) Min Shin (Korea); Tina Marie Noreen Sleigh (Canada); Shane Stockenstroom (Zimbabwe); Shanice Stockenstroom (South Africa); Zander Stockenstroom (South Africa); Bryan Navarro Sunglao (Philippines); Tosoimatuu Talatonu (Samoa); Ivona Talatonu (Samoa); Toso Junior Halla Talatonu (Samoa); Vanessa Manderine Talatonu (Samoa); Mark Antorythan Tosoimatuu Talatonu (Samoa); Henry Nathan Tosoimatuu Talatonu (Samoa); Graideena Karauna Tosoimatuu Talatonu (Samoa); Kevin Leigh Tucker (China) Francois Dirkse van der Westhuizen (South Africa) Ezelle van der Westhuizen (South Africa); Sascha Warnken (Germany) Armin Harald Baesler (Germany); Alexander Ethan Yeo (New Zealand).
