Speedsters over here



Not for the faint-hearted. However, this could be great for brushing up those driving skills in the event that you're called upon to drive a rally car.

Still for those that feel the need for speed - how great an experience would this be? At Rally Drive N.Z. down in Hamilton, you can have the spin of your life as a passenger roaring through the Maramarua forest at up to 150kph... or if you're feeling really generous (or club together with some mates), you could present your petrolhead friend with a place at the Rally School Weekend. They'll have both theoretical sessions and practical sessions, culminating with a drive with a champion rally driver. Vrrrrrrroooooooooooooommmmm...

For information about Rally Drive N.Z. and their programmes, visit the website:
http://www.rallydrivenz.co.nz/rallyschool.htm

Up close and personal

More on experience presents - remember Trent the Big Cats zookeeper at Auckland Zoo, and how he went to South Africa to pick up the two cheetahs? Well, I'm sure you've heard of the Cheetah Experience you can have at Auckland Zoo - getting up close and personal with the cheetahs. As in patting them and being in their space. But did you know that there are other encounters you can do at the zoo? Elephants, hippos, sealions, primates... even the tigers. Of course, depending on the experience, you may not necessarily be having physical contact with the animal (do you really want to pat that tiger?), but you'd still be having a whale of a time getting a behind the scenes look.

Definitely feel-good aspects too - a percentage of the costs will go towards conservation fieldwork.

Check out the tours and experiences offered by Auckland Zoo here: http://www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/functions/index.php#zoom

It's all about you

Everything's personalised these days. I'm all for it myself - I love having stuff that's been made especially for me. Not that I have much of these things, but what I do have I like. Customisation is a great thing to do when out hunting for presents. I came across this fantastic calendar at a friend's place - her dad had sent twelve photos away and had them put into a calendar. These nifty personalised calendars would make an especially great gift for those rellies or friends living overseas - give them a taste of home (and not just the usual tacky pictures of the Sky Tower).

Here's a website for getting a personalised calendar (or greeting cards, bookmarks and mouse mats): http://www.personalisedgifts.co.nz/

Happy designing!

Tastebud alert

Here's an interesting idea... cooking lessons. I don't mean cooking lessons only for those who can't cook - I mean the cooking lessons that help any cook get to the next level. A lovely friend of mine gave her partner a cooking lesson at the Auckland Fish Market's cooking school, where they were doing a session on cooking fish the French way. Great night out, great food - and the recipe to take home. I'm into 'experience' gifts - not always about the material items!

You can find more information on the variety of classes that the Auckland Fish Market has at their website: http://www.afm.co.nz/seafood_school/classes.cfm

And if you want some other gifty ideas for those foodie mates of yours, check out Milly's Kitchen in Ponsonby. Great range of everything from beautiful copper pots to Le Creuset dishes, and the most amazing range of bakeware that I've ever seen. Milly's Kitchen even runs cake decorating classes, so put that one on the consideration list!

More information on Milly's Kitchen and their offerings here: http://www.millyskitchen.co.nz/

Presents that keep giving

Tacky title I know, but I really couldn't think of another way to describe it! A great gift for all ages and genders is a magazine subscription. They can be surprisingly affordable, depending on how many issues a year the magazine has.

Bridal magazines are fantastic engagement gifts, just as interior design or architecture magazines are perfect for new home owners. The choices are endless. There's practically a magazine out there for every hobby or interest under the sun.

Personally, I like Simply You - this is an NZ fashion and style magazine that's published bi-annually. Guys might be into FHM or Empire or Autotrader...

Make it even more special by getting someone a subscription to a magazine that's from overseas. American Vogue, or some of those amazing European design magazines - that's an indulgence!

It's so easy as well - you can either present someone with the first issue of the magazine, having completed the subscription form that'll no doubt be inside, or get a gorgeous card and inform the lucky recipient of their forthcoming surprises.

Try some of these websites to look at what's available. You can even subscribe via some of these.

http://magshop.co.nz/ContentNZ.aspx

http://www.mercurysubs.co.nz/index.html

Mini decadence

I think a little decadence should always be incorporated into presents. There are times when buying someone exactly what they need is appropriate - but it's so much more fun to present people with things that they just wouldn't treat themselves to.

Leather gloves fit into this category. Beautifully soft and imminently practical for those chilly days, leather gloves are a lovely luxury that's fairly affordable for that special gift. Just the ones that go just above the wrist are great - you can get the full length ones of course, but I think they can be a bit OTT.

Leather gloves are great for both men and women - you guys look pretty sharp when black leather gloves are added to your work suit!

Where to get these? Good old-fashioned classy department stores. In Auckland, go to Smith & Caughey's on Queen St, in Wellington go for Kirkcaldie & Stains and in Christchurch try Ballantynes.

Fitness Freak?

Got to get something for a mate who's really into their sports and fitness? Why not give them a piece of workout wear? Brands like Nike, Puma and Adidas are really pumping some serious designs out these days, sometimes styley enough that you'd wear them outside of the gym! It says a fair bit when Stella McCartney's teamed up with Adidas to create a line of sportsgear.

Just don't forget to ask for an exchange voucher!!

Taste sensation

I'm a tea drinker. There's so many different teas out there, each with distinctive flavours and the most intoxicating scents. Of course there are those that strike the bung notes, but loose leaf tea, freshly brewed, really is a lovely indulgence. We're starting to get some lovely specialty tea stores around the country now - so take advantage and head along to one for some tastebud tickling.

A selection of different teas make a lovely present, especially now that we're heading into the cooler seasons. There's nothing like curling up with a fragrant, steaming cup of tea and the weekend newspaper. Also, tea is easy to send around the country, easily fitting into one of those parcel boxes you can get at the PostShop.

Try Tea Total - they have a shop in Milford on Auckland's North Shore, but you can also buy online through their website http://www.teatotal.co.nz/index.php.