Newsflash! Diamonds found in Iceland
This may come as exciting news for all you diamond lovers out there! A German geologist thinks he has found diamonds in the “new lava” in the Westman Islands just south of Iceland. According to the geologist he has researched diamonds all over the world and thinks it’s likely that they can be found here.

The top seven diamond-producing countries today are Botswana, Russia, South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Australia and Zaire, so before you start packing your miner’s hat you might like to know that the Westman Islands are known for a lot more. Back in 1998 the islands became a temporary home to Keiko, the orca of “Free Willy” movie, Heimaey is the only inhabited island and is also one of Iceland’s major fishing centres.

If you want to try your luck at diamond hunting, or for those of you who fancy a spot of sightseeing, we offer a variety of holidays to Iceland and you can explore the Westman Islands on a day trip with Viking Tours, who operate bus tours everyday from September to April 2005, and boat tours until the end of October and throughout April 2005. For more information, contact our Iceland team on 01737 214 214 or visit the website www.discovertheworld.co.uk/iceland.

Kaikoura Seafest
Kaikoura's premier festival, Seafest, is an annual celebration featuring wine and food from the region and is a taste, sight & sound extravaganza. You can sample an impressive variety of products that are offered and presented in many weird and wonderfully creative ways - enjoyed with continuous live entertainment throughout the day. Being their 10th Birthday, they promise the best ever festival, full of great entertainment, celebrity chefs, enthusiastic exhibitors and lots of energy. The event takes place on 2nd October and will be held at the Takahanga Domain, on the Esplanade in Kaikoura.

Christchurch is a vibrant and compact city making it easy to explore and the seaside settlement of Kaikoura provides awe-inspiring scenery. The unique combination of ocean and mountains makes this a perfect place for eco-tourism activities. Discover New Zealand offers a range of accommodation as well as a variety of excursions including Whale watching and Dolphin encounters in Kaikoura. Contact our New Zealand experts on 01737 218 804 for more details on what we offer or visit our website www.discovertheworld.co.uk/newzealand.

For more information on the event, visit www.kaikoura.co.nz and www.seafest.co.nz

Lights... Camera... Iceland!

BEOWULF AND GRENDEL - FIMLING BEGINS
Icelandic/Canadian director Sturla Gunnarsson will start production for the live action film of the ancient poem Beowulf. Gerard Butler (of "Dracula") and Icelandic actor Ingvar E. Sigurdsson will play in the movie as the warrior Beowulf and his nemesis Grendel respectively. The story of Beowulf is said to have had a major influence on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The film will be made on location in Iceland and, according to Sturla, will not use any digital effects as many movies of recent years have done when recreating epic battles. Watch this space!

BJORK'S NEW VIDEO SET IN ICLELAND
Other exciting news is that of Bjork's newest video from her record Medulla, which will be filmed in Iceland by Spike Jonze, the talent behind "Being John Malkovich" as well as Bjork's video for her past big hit "It's oh so quiet". Be sure to watch out for this when it’s released!

You don’t have to be a film director to capture Iceland’s magnificent scenery. We offer a wide variety of holidays to this captivating place, from short breaks to fly drives and adventure holidays. Visit www.discovertheworld.co.uk/iceland and take a look at what we have to offer. Alternatively, you can order our Arctic Experience winter brochure or Iceland Summer brochure on 01737 218 801.