This year had everything from an airline announcing the first "Kids' Class" cabin in the world, to freeze-dried Big Macs. Photo / Supplied
This year had everything from an airline announcing the first "Kids' Class" cabin in the world, to freeze-dried Big Macs. Photo / Supplied
It wouldn't be April 1 without the early morning adverts flogging strange products and deals.
This year is no exception, with everything from an airline announcing the first "Kids' Class" cabin in the world, featuring "kickable seats, concierge Trunki service to the gate and an onboard teddy bear menu", to freeze-dried Big Macs for trampers, a radio station for cows and noise-cancelling hammers.
Photo / Supplied
Christchurch Airport also got in on the April Fools' Day act and said it was considering a runway with ramps.
Christchurch Airport is considering a runway with ramps. Photo / Supplied
"This would aid take-offs because of a steeper ascent and would reduce the amount of fuel airlines need to burn to reach cruising altitude," the airport joked.
"The ramps will also assist landings with the incline at the end of the runway reducing aircraft braking."
Mitre 10 advertised the "noise cancelling hammer" on its Facebook page, saying: "The biggest innovation in DIY. Now available in New Zealand."
Meanwhile, a radio station for cows was introduced in the Northern Advocate this morning.
The story had the headline "FM station targeting cows as main audience".
The first line read: "A Northland FM station believes it could be the first in the country to target cows as its major audience."
It went on to talk about "FM Moosic" going to air within weeks if they could secure a key sponsorship deal with dairy giant Fonterra.
"FM Moosic director Lirpa Sloof has operated a similar station in his homeland of Iceland, and said his research had confirmed that playing music to cows improved their milk production."
But some sharp-eyed readers would have noticed Mr Sloof's full name is actually "April Fools" spelled backwards.
ZM DJs pulled off a rather elaborate and cruel joke a year in the making which caused panic in the studio.
Of course, sometimes these pranks are actually double-bluffs.
Waikato Civil Defence poked some fun at Auckland in its April Fools' Day prank.
It posted a message and graphic on its Facebook page this morning asking for "submissions for the Joint Abandonment From Auckland ('JAFA') amendment to the Group Hazard Plan".
On the graphic, it said Auckland had been identified as a "significant hazard" for the Waikato region.
"New research shows that Auckland could potentially affect the Waikato in the following ways..."
It then listed some of the tongue-in-cheek potential hazards caused by the Super City, including "a dimished level of achievement in rugby", "commerical real estate being monopolised by caffeine-based enterprise" and "an increase in the 'man bun' hair style".
It also warned against "an overinflated housing market" and "an increased use of 4WD vehicles for 400m journeys to organic farmer's markets".
Submissions and suggestions will be accepted up until 12pm today, it said.
Tianna Marsh was the first person to try an unusual trade-in offer from the BMW Newmarket dealership after a front page advertisement in the New Zealand Herald on April 1.
The "April Fools' Day special" promised a new BMW to the first person who took their car and the front-page coupon to the dealership.
Ms Marsh was first there, arriving in her 15-year-old Nissan Avenir at 5.30am.
She was swiftly rewarded with the new car worth almost $50,000 in exchange for her old station wagon.
But this is not the case for the April Fools' Day ad on the front page of today's Herald.
Gold Coast Tourism took out an advert saying there were "new rules aimed at stopping Kiwi travellers from raining all over New Zealand's number one holiday destination".
The ad talked about the Gold Coast Weather Protection Unit (GCWPU), which aims to stop Kiwi travellers bringing bad weather with them on holiday.
"The unit will conduct searches on all suspicious travellers passing through the Gold Coast Airport looking for signs of now prohibited items."
According to the ad, these included pessimistic clothing or footwear such as sweatshirts, jackets, hoodies, beanies, scarves or boots; items carrying traces of precipitation; items exposed to rain, fog, snow, hail or storms in the past 10 days; umbrellas, rain jackets, ponchos or gumboots; thermal or woollen clothing including merino and polypropylene; hot water bottles or wheat bags.
