Get it Off in New Zealand!

Naturist's in New Zealand!

Katikati Holiday Park is now living up to tourism’s 100% Pure New Zealand branding.

The guests, from overseas and around the country, wear no clothes during your stay, but they will put on a top if they are getting sunburnt or the weather turns chilly.

Katikati Naturist Park in Wharawhara Rd has been named as one of 29 national tourism awards finalists, and will contest the visitor accommodation category along with six other operators.

The naturist park, owners Kevin and Joan Sampson, is joined by Waihi Beach Top 10 Holiday Park, boutique operator Stafford Villa in Auckland, budget hotel Nomads Capital in Wellington, and upmarket hotels and resorts Grand Mercure St Moritz in Queenstown, Holiday Inn Wellington + The Langham, Auckland.

The Sampsons, who opened the 3.5ha park more than 12 years ago, are delighted to be among such distinguished company. “Over the years we’ve had positive feedback from our customers and we’ve tried to run the park in a professional way,” said Mr Sampson, a former Treasury economist.

“We’ve sunk a lot of money in the property, and we wanted to see how we stacked up against other operators,” he said.

The park has chalet and cabin accommodation, and sites available for camping, caravans and motor homes.

In the financial year ending March 31, the Sampsons hosted more than 3000 visitors, representing 13,000 guest nights. They have had visitors from 17 countries, staying an average of four nights, and can accommodate up to 200 people at one time, particularly in the busy January and February summer months.

Mr Sampson said the national judging process was very rigorous. They sent off a six-page expression of interest in February and after being accepted in to the second round, they then had to fill out a 26-page document detailing their business.

The national finalists were named at Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand (Trenz) in Rotorua, and two judges will make a three-hour site visit to Katikati within a fortnight. The winners will be announced at a Tourism Industry Association NZ gala dinner in Christchurch on August 5.

Waihi Beach Top 10 Holiday Park, operated by Ian and Vicki Smith, was last year named the best holiday park in the country _ but this time the Smiths have competition from the naturists just down the road.

Whakatane-based White Island Tours is also a national finalist, for the second year running, in the visitor activities and attractions category.

The coastal Bay of Plenty region has an unprecedented three national finalists, the same as Destination Rotorua.

Tim Burgess, general manager of Tauranga-based Tourism Bay of Plenty, said that having three finalists was “`massive. Those businesses are judged against the very best in New Zealand they are not soft awards.”

He said the finalists helped give the region a national profile.

By Graham Skellern

Let it All Hang Out - South Africa!

Now imagine that everyone is naked. Giggle. Go on you know you want to. Nudity is after all pretty damn funny? things jiggle, wobble and sag. Yep cellulite is real and few people possess the improbable anatomical proportions of Barbie and Ken.
That being said, clothes are pretty funny too. Arbitrary Slaves to fashion trends, we squeeze into unreasonably tight jeans, trot around in stilettos and sweat it out in three-piece suits. Not to mention all that highly impractical underwear.
Naturists (cue more giggling) tend to be of the opinion that ? weather permitting ? it is better to be free of the shackles of clothing. Concealment, for some, is simply not a valid enough reason for wearing clothes.
However, naturists are not all hippies campaigning for a clothes-free world. Nor are they perverts, exhibitionists or immoral hedonists. Well, not necessarily. Essentially, naturism is the practice of accepting the human body for what it is ? nothing to be ashamed of.
The South African Naturist Federation, which serves as an organisation for like-minded individuals, acknowledges that the lifestyle still carries a bit of a stigma, but reminds visitors to the website that ?there is nothing lewd, crude or distasteful about the unclothed body.?
Agreed ? well, in most cases anyway. And while I enjoy wondering around my house in the buff as much as the next person, I suspect that my neighbours and our trusty law-enforcement officials may object if I step out of my front door in all my natural glory.
So, where exactly can you go bare in SA?
For the more casual naturist, there are a few unofficial nudist beaches dotted around the country. On the Atlantic Seaboard, next to Llandudno, you?ll find the renowned Sandy Bay. Further up country, you can strip down on the Port Alfred beach situated below the Great Fish Point Lighthouse (approximately 24 km out of town) and you can tan au naturel at the lagoon in Umhlanga.
?Unofficial? is an important word here and if you happen to notice that everyone else is fully clothed ? or wearing skimpy bikinis ? it is probably a good idea to keep your kit on.
Naturist resorts
For the more intrepid naturist, there are a number of private naturist resorts, catering largely for families and couples. These resorts tend to have rather strict rules and those suspected of voyeurism or indecency are generally asked to leave quite quickly.
While newbies (and those with valid objections) are given some leniency, most resorts have a no-clothes rule for adults in the public areas of the resort.

• Kiepersolkloof: Situated on 207 hectares of unspoilt bushveld in the North West province, Kiepersolkloof is the oldest private naturist resort in South Africa. It offers camping and self-catering cottages at reasonable rates and has a swimming pool and braai facilities.
• Sun Eden: Just over 100 km from Joburg, this beautiful game farm welcomes both day visitors and those wishing to stay in the cosy cottages. Aimed at families and couples, the resort includes a swimming pool, restaurant and pub. Guests are encouraged to socialise with each other at the disco and karaoke evenings.
• Harmony Nature Farm: Situated in the Magaliesberg mountains in the North West province, this privately owned family resort is home to zebras, monkeys, baboons, duikers, jackal and a variety of bird species. Guests are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation with camping, caravans and chalets all on offer. Leisure facilities include swimming pools, a steam-room, a dance hall, bars, a snack bar and a beauty salon.
• Kudumanzi Nudist EcoPark: Approximately two hours drive from Joburg, this resort is located on a protected game farm. Guests can stay in the Nudist Bush Lodge, which is located next to the river and caters for up to 16 people (eight couples), or they can camp in one of the six luxury tented facilities. Game typically seen on the farm includes giraffe, kudu, zebra and crocodiles. The range of activities on offer includes nude game drives, walking trails, quad biking and personalised picnics.
• Haakbos Naturist Lodge: Situated 10 km outside if Bela-Bela on the Modimolle road in Limpopo (one and half hours drive from Joburg), this resort is one of the newest in South Africa, having only been established in 2006. Aimed at both couples and singles, it claims to be the most cost-effective naturist resort in the country. Visit as a day guest or camp overnight.

For something further afield, Kalypso Tours ? South Africa?s nudist and clothing-optional tour operator ? can help you organise a naturist trip through South Africa.
The naked truth
If you?re new to letting it all hang out, there are a few basic ?rules? which you should bare (sorry, I couldn?t resist) in mind.

• It is rude to stare.
• Always sit on a towel.
• Use sunscreen.
• Remember to put your clothes on when you leave.
• Public sexual activity is still indecent
• Get permission before photographing others.

California Palm Springs at The Terra Cotta Inn - Clothing Optional?

Palm Springs, California has the BEST year round nude sunbathing weather in the world. And Terra Cotta Inn is the most popular nude sunbathing resort in the western US. We have guests from all over the US, Canada, England, Australia, and Mexico stay with us.

With autumn here, now is the time to take the leap into deep fall discounts. Purchase your tickets between select Alaska Airlines cities by September 27, 2011, and travel between October 3 and December 14, 2011. Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights on all days so book now for the best selection of flights. See below for details:

Click here to go to Alaska Airlines Sale Webpage

You can fly into either the Ontario, California airport (symbol ONT) Just 70 miles away, or directly into Palm Springs (symbol PSP).

Now is the perfect time for a fun, romantic, sunny, unique vacation experience. One that you will want to repeat over and over.

Never been to a clothing optional resort before? No problem. We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time as reported by the Desert Sun newspaper, Palm Springs!

Last November, MSNBC picked us as the Best value nude sunbathing resort in the western US.

And in July 2011, the Los Angeles Times newspaper picked us as the most popular of ALL small resorts in Southern California. Pretty cool that our nudist resort is more popular than all the boring textile hotels. And they picked the city of Palm Springs as the runner up best travel destination of ALL Southern California.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 to make reservations or for more information. We answer the phones from 8am-10pm PST.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com/

Visit our Facebook resort page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Hope to see you this year in sunny Palm Springs at Terra Cotta Inn!!!

TCI, also known as Terra Cotta Inn - Come join the fun

Only 3 rooms left at TCI, Terra Cotta Inn Nudist Resort this weekend Sept 23th and 24th.

The weather is fantastic in sunny Palm Springs, California at The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa. Perfect for nude sunbathing.

Start your weekend off right with a fun, sunny getaway to The Terra Cotta nude sunbathing resort Inn in sunny Palm Springs.

Our guests always have so much fun here which is one of the reasons why we have the highest occupancy rate of ALL nudist resorts and one of the highest occupancy rates of all hotels in Palm Springs. Also the highest repeat guest rate. We are the ONLY nudist resort out west that caters to couples on vacation which means we are busy 7 days a week instead of just weekends.

So give us a call at 800-786-6938 and come on out this weekend. We also have day use available too.

Now is the perfect time for a fun, romantic, sunny, unique vacation experience. One that you will want to repeat over and over.

Never been to a clothing optional resort before? No problem. We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time as reported by the Desert Sun newspaper, Palm Springs!

Last November, MSNBC picked us as the Best value nude sunbathing resort in the western US.

And in July, 2011, the Los Angeles Times newspaper picked us as the most popular of ALL small resorts in Southern California. Pretty cool that our nudist resort is more popular than all the boring textile hotels. And the picked the city of Palm Springs as the runner up best travel destination of ALL Southern California.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 to make reservations or for more information. We answer the phones from 8am-10pm PST.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com/

Visit our Facebook resort page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Hope to see you this summer in sunny Palm Springs at Terra Cotta Inn!!!