KEY POINTS:
The tourism industry is reporting a bumper start to the summer for some operators, despite one of the coldest Decembers in more than 60 years.
Tourism Industry Association chief executive Fiona Luhrs said the Christmas and New Year period had been one of the most successful for operators
in many parts of the country.
Luhrs said: "Although many outdoor activity operators were hampered by the poor weather over the Christmas-New Year period, other tourism sectors, including accommodation and transport, have reported record numbers.
"TIA members are also reporting strong forward bookings through to April, boding well for the industry in 2007."
Tourism Auckland chief executive Graeme Osborne said feedback placed November and January significantly up on last year, with December only modestly ahead.
However, "it's too early to come up with any definitive conclusion on trading for the period," he said.
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said it was the coldest December for at least 60 years in New Plymouth, Wanganui and Blenheim, while for Wellington it was the coldest in more than 70 years.
The national average temperature for December was 1.9C below normal at 13.7C.
Rusty Poppe, owner of Taupo-based jet boats operator Rapids Jet, said people usually booked just a day or two in advance, making the business dependent on the weather and the last week had been pretty slow because of rain.
Poppe said: "As soon as the sun comes out people come out, so the finer the weather the better."
The company, however, benefited when bad weather in the winter stopped people skiing.
Rapids Jet runs two boats on the Nga-awapurua (Fulljames) rapids on the upper Waikato River with about three quarters of customers coming from overseas.
Last year just under 10,000 customers took a ride - a target he hopes to beat this year.
Trevor Hall, chief executive of Tourism Holdings - whose operations included Maui, Milford Sound Red Boat Cruises, Kelly Tarlton's and Waitomo Glow-worm Caves - said he had no complaints so far.
"Our motorhomes are busy, our boating operators have had a good summer so far, our caving operation is having a great summer ... Kelly's has been busy ... so we've had good growth on last year."
Continuous bad weather could affect the brand of New Zealand but one-off freak weather patterns basically indicated to tourists that they were just unlucky, he said.
A Tourism Industry Association survey of regional tourism organisations and operators found that business for Northland tourism operators was up by 30 per cent in some cases, Rotorua attractions such as Agrodome had a record period and up to an extra 30,000 people were estimated to be in Gisborne during New Year and the Rhythm and Vines Festival.
Luhrs said many areas and operators were getting smarter at developing indoor activities.
"While the official statistics for the season will not be available for several weeks, it's evident from this initial feedback that in most areas it has been one of the busiest Christmas-New Year periods for some time."
COLD COMFORT
Tourism Christmas-New Year Season
* Northland operators up to 30 per cent ahead.
* Record period for some Rotorua attractions.
* Up to an extra 30,000 people in Gisborne.
* Coldest December in 60 years in some areas.
