Warm fuzzies alert!  Meagan, an Australian living in Germany spotted a JUCY Campa on the streets of Germany and wondered how this little campa got so far from home.  So she emailed us.  Check out her email below and pic (to the left) that she took next to the campa.  

JUCY Spotting is one of our favourite games, who would have thought someone would recognise one all the way on the other side of the world! 

Hi,

I’m from Australia, but living in a town near Frankfurt, Germany at the moment. The other day I was driving down the street in a small town and my boyfriend and I couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw a JUCY camper!  I felt like I was back home!  We drove around the block and parked next to the camper for about 20 minutes wondering where this camper came from, how did it get to Germany and waited to see if the owner would come so we could have a chat.  Well they didn’t return to the camper any time soon so we took a photo of me in front of it, left a note on the windscreen and we drove off.  But its been baffling me ever since.  Sadly I didn’t get a reply from the note I left. We couldn’t even figure out where the number plate was from because it doesn’t look like its from anywhere.  But oh man, I was so happy to see the steering wheel on the right and an automatic!!!

Anyways, I’ve come to the conclusion that it has to be advertising! Is this true?

I’m not sure who will receive this email, but if by chance you are not authorised to give me an answer, can you please pass it on to someone who is instead of deleting it?  It would be great to receive a reply.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope to hear from you soon.

Meagan

We have since replied to Meagan and are sending her some funky JUCY Tee shirts.  And you never know, she may take our JUCY Wheels for a spin around Germany sometime in the future! 

Love
Lucy xx

Don’t like over-packaged goods?   JUCY & Cityhop are encouraging you all to vote for what you think is the worst & best packaging for 2011!  You have until the 29th of April to have your say.

Let manufacturers know we hate over-packaged goods and let them know what we love and why.

Love
Lucy xx

P.S  Did I mention that there are spot prizes?

Liam Friary, JUCY Rentals Fleet Supervisor competed in the 1/2 Ironman at Lake Taupo last weekend. 

Liam said, “What an epic journey and achievement for me and something to be really proud of.  It was slight over cast conditions and the swim was fast managed to get in a good group on the bike and found myself at position 46 out of 420 individuals males.  The run was the real test were I battled through and hung tough to finish 17th in my age group with a time of 5:13:10.  Time to reflect and rebuild onto Ironman next year – bring it on!!”

Well done Liam!  The whole team at JUCYville is very proud of you!

There’s nothing like a visit to the pub to quench your thirst. That’s what being an Aussie is all about, mate!

And when you’re backpacking down under, you’d be crazy to miss out on a few beers, laughs and good company with the Aussie larrikins. So if you’re on a JUCY Adventure around Australia make sure to stop by these 10 backpacker bars.

1.  World Bar (Sydney)
Best known for its teapot cocktails, World Bar is a four-storey Victorian terrace, smack bang in the middle of Bayswater Road, Kings Cross. While you can grab a quiet beer in the afternoon, the real fun starts later at night! If you stick around long enough you’ll find yourself cavorting with a mix of backpackers and Sydneysiders in the pulsing night club. Worldy.

2.  Side Bar (Sydney)
Right underneath a backpacker hostel and a minute’s walk from Sydney’s Central Station is the infamously cool – Side Bar. Known as the hub for Sydney’s backpacker nightlife, Side Bar is the place for chill-outs, slamming sessions, beer and laughs any day of the week. You know you wanna slide to Side Bar.

3.  Empire Hotel (Sydney)
For a night out on the town, including a selection of social misfits and change from a fiver for a glass of beer or wine, step inside the Empire Hotel. Also located in Kings Cross, with three levels to choose from – Ground Bar, Middle Bar and Plantation, you will be guaranteed a night of quenching beers and pumping DJ’s, your choice!

 4.  Woolshed (Cairns)
Cairns’ ultimate backpacker bar, the Woolshed sports cheap food and drinks and drinks all throughout the night. Clear the tables and set the stage for a dance floor, Coyote Ugly style, for a night of backpacker fun until the early hours. Whoot!

 5.  Three Wise Monkeys (Sydney)
Triple up on three floors with live bands, cold beer and head-nodding chill-out sessions with your mates. For a unique atmosphere and a choice of three different bars and levels, you’ll be sure to make a monkey of yourself at a night out here. Cheeky!

 6.  Isobar (Hobart)
Isobar is a hot spot for all you night owls looking for a place to kick up your heels and party, backpacker style. Eat and drink up with the hip and cool of Hobart, or climb the stairs to the club above for a groove to all you favourite dance hits. It’s also known for its flirty locals – so if you’re on your own you’re sure to find a friend at Isobar.

7.  The Joint Bar (Melbourne)
Open from 11am ‘till 5am every day, Joint Bar is the ideal place for trivia nights, killer pool sessions, blaring karaoke moments and happy hours. Your ultimate Melbourne backpacker experience is booked, at the Joint Bar!8.

8.  Little Creatures (Perth)
For a night of casual dining and cold beer that has won numerous international awards, Little Creatures is a must see for anyone and everyone who manages to make it to the west coast! Situated on the water front, relax on the outdoor decking with a home-brewed Pilsner and soak up the sunshine.

 9.  Tin Billy’s Bar (Brisbane)
For a great night in the heart of Brisbane head to Tin Billys. With live bands, disc mixing DJs, music videos on the big screen and sports events every night, you cannot leave Brissie without a local Tin-feeling experience.

10.  The Gaff (Sydney)
A backpacker’s dream bar hot spot, situated on Sydney’s very own Oxford Street is The Gaff. With scrumptious eats, a concaved dance floor for the party devils and the famous Power Hours (where backpackers can drink for free!), it’s a real winner.

So what are you fun-loving backpackers waiting for!? Make the most of your next journey by booking your JUCY rental (or JUCY Ride as we like to call it) and start mapping out your bar itinerary! But remember, drinking and driving isn’t cool, so if you’re planning a big night out – make sure you park your JUCY ride in a safe spot.

Love
Lucy xx

Lance Armstrong is one of the word’s best known cyclists, a household name and 7 time Tour de France winner.  In early November he announced through twitter that he entered to compete at the Eves Blue Lake Multisport festival in Rotorua!

Armstrong will be competing in the sprint triathlon and will test himself against New Zealand’s landscape.  Our kiwi athletes will all be stoked to have the chance to test their skills against a world great.  Just to be in his presence during the race will be a buzz for the athletes and spectators.

This is amazing for Rotorua, the event and New Zealand.  Rotorua is one of New Zealand’s top tourism destinations which will be sure to be buzzing even more than usual over this weekend as crowds poor in to see the man in action.

For most it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Lance Armstrong in the flesh.  If you are going to be in Rotorua over the weekend of the 29th and 30th of January 2011 then make sure you check it out!  Its going to be awesome……………..its definatley going to be on my to do list in the New Year along with some of the other JUCY Crew! 

Love
Lucy xx

JUCY is working with “Jucy” the movie – A Womantic Comedy of platonic proportions.  The movie’s Australian premiere will screen on at Palace Barracks on the 5^th of November and JUCY is stoked to be involved.

The stars of the movie (the girls, Jackie & Lucy) will arrive at the red carpet in style in one of our funky JUCY Rides! 

The nuts & bolts of the movie goes a little something like this (The Synopsis):-

Jackie and Lucy – together nicknamed ‘Jucy’ – are 20 something best friends who do everything together. Their days are spent working at a local alternative video store serving a variety of equally emotionally disenfranchised freaks and geeks. Always on the outside looking in but never alone as long as they have each other, they combat boredom with their own special brand of ‘joie de vivre’.

When badgered by friends and family for being in a ‘womance’ (the girl equivalent of a bromance – codependent, weird and incapable of living a normal life), the girls decide it’s time to grow up. Jackie will snag the dreamy boyfriend and Lucy will land the job of her dreams, but will growing up mean growing apart? In the spirit of Muriel’s Wedding and Bridget Jones’ Diary  this Aussie comedy speaks to everyone who survived the all too common quarter-life crisis with a little help from their friends.

Photos & stories from the premiere to follow after the big night!

Love
JUCY Lucy xx

What a hectic day it was today with some big crowds and fantastic weather on day three of the World Rowing Championships.  The guys at the JUCY Stand were all go talking to the masses of people stopping by to check out all things JUCY and have a chat!

All rowing went ahead with the Kiwi’s putting on a massive effort resulting in smiles on and off the water.  10 of the 15 New Zealand crews recorded wins setting the standard for the rest of the event going into the semi-finals & finals.

Back at the JUCY stand Green & Purple Jelly Bean lolly scrambles combined with JUCY tattoos proved very popular with the kiddies.  It created massive crowds, with hundreds of kids & adults getting JUCYfied.   Everyone was highly impressed with the JUCY Grande that we have on display – especially the penthouse!

Bring on another day of fantastic rowing, weather and JUCY fun!

Love
Lucy xx

With our JUCY Grande campa packed we were a bit down and out about the weather as we headed out of Auckland, but we had nothing to worry about. Half an hour out of Auckland and the sun was shining, skies were blue and spirits were high.

Lake Karapiro definatley turned it on for the event. When I say “The Event” I mean the World Rowing Championships which is the largest International sporing event to be staged in New Zealand since the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

As an official sponsor of the event we spent the day at the JUCY Stand talking to passers by, giving out JUCY Tattoos (which have proven to be a hit with the kiddies), JUCY Jelly Beans, talking about all things JUCY and showcasing one of our newest additions to the JUCY Family – the JUCY Grande campa!

In summary day one was amazing. The weather, the people, the smiles and the entertainment all resulting in a fantastic opening ceremony creating a “buzz” and “excitement” around the days of racing to come.

 We will be at the event all week, so stay tuned for more updates from me & the team.

Love
Lucy xx

The latest reports from Statistics New Zealand show that our tourism industry is booming. International tourism is sitting above the dairy industry as the economy’s biggest export sector.

The team here at JUCY knew NZ was pretty awesome (or choice as we say) and that people should visit.  This just proves that people love the idea of New Zealand as a tourism destination which is a promising result looking toward the future for our tourism industry.

Article posted on nzherald.co.nz is an interesting read with further statistics on the industry and comments from the Tourism Industry Association.

Auckland Mayor John Banks came to inspect the JUCY Hotel Wednesday August 11 ahead of the official party launch tonight. Banksie told Tim Alpe, CEO that he was very impressed at the noise that the Alpe boy were creating with their business.

Banksie commented on what a great photo JUCY LUCY took as he inspected the rooms and read some of her sayings! Banskie also said that when he travels on business he often ends up in flash places but the reality was that this was just the kind of room you needed – somewhere to put your bags and a place to go to sleep. Banksie was impressed!

Pictured Tim Alpe, His Worship the Mayor and Dan Alpe.