Rotorua
Sun and sulphur For more on Rotorua click here If you liked this post, you may also enjoy Mt Taranaki National Park, A Volcano in the Back Yard Know someone who might like this post?
Town and Country Surfboards NZ
Keeping it Kiwi When I was in high school, there was a small group of us that were infatuated with surfing. We covered our books and folders with surf stickers, and drew pictures of surfers riding unfeasibly large barrels and copping lethal wipeouts. Growing up in Melbourne, at least an hour’s drive away from the nearest surf beach, our opportunities to surf outside of summer holidays were limited. Too young to drive, we hung out for the times when one…
Gumboots
Form and function The intensity and volume of rainfall in New Zealand is biblical, and calls for serious waterproof gear. That’s why the slap slap of summer jandals turns to the plod plod of gumboots as winter closes in. In New Zealand, gumboots are not just for the farm or worksite. Kiwis are a practical mob, and ne’er an eyebrow will be raised if you wear your gumbies around town. In fact it’s hard not to feel like the odd…
Ever tried an oatcake?
Oatcakes are a Scottish savoury biscuit traditionally made of oats, lard and water. Legend has it that oatcakes are called ‘oatcakes’ because oats are the main ingredient, though perhaps the real origin of the name has been lost in the mists of time. That aside, the whisper round the croft is that oatcakes have been munched by Scots since the Roman times. Growing well in the Scottish climate, oats were the primary staple of the Scots’ diet in the olden…
The Queen Charlotte Track
Marlborough Man The Marlborough Sounds are a beautiful part of New Zealand’s South Island, and walking the 71km Queen Charlotte Track is a great way to experience the region. The trip to Ship Cove, the starting point for the Track, is a tour in itself offering spectacular views of the waterways and mountains. The small boat operators at Picton ferry tourists, locals and the mail to remote communities in the Sounds. The Queen Charlotte Track traverses both public and private…
Don’t ask the question if you don’t want the answer
‘Don’t open ’til Doomsday, you might not like what you find inside.’ Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Don’t ask the question if you don’t want the answer’? It’s a bind isn’t it: you’re hoping for the answer you want, but know there’s a pretty good chance it might not be the answer you get. Receive the answer you want and it’s a huge relief. Get the answer you don’t and it’s going to hurt. A lot. So what to…
Goodbye Alert Level 2
On June 8th, Jacinda announced the end of Alert Level 2 restrictions, and a move to Alert Level 1. The government’s decision was based on 40 days having passed since the last identified community-transmitted case of Corona, 17 days since a new case, and zero known active cases in New Zealand. Officials have stated that the virus will have been eliminated when 28 days have past with no new infections. The PM congratulated the Kiwi ‘Team of Five Million’ for…
Interislander Ferry
‘North, south, east and west.’ Last week I caught the Interislander Ferry from Wellington to Picton. Although Wellington is in the south of the north island, and Picton is in the north of the south island (stay with me), both towns are on the same latitude. However, when travelling to Picton it is still colloquially referred to as heading ‘south’ (though in fact you’re heading west), and heading to the north island from Picton is referred to as ‘north’ (despite…
Doin’ an Aussie
What is more Kiwi than the Swandri bush shirt bro? They’ve been keeping rural New Zealanders warm and dry for nearly 100 years. At the Puke Ariki (Maori for ‘hill of chiefs’) Museum in New Plymouth there is a little exhibit tracing the history of Swanndri clothing. Clearing up the heritage of the company, the information states: ‘While South Islanders attempt to “do an Aussie” on the swannie and claim this clothing icon as their own, the Swanndri story begins…
Minties
‘It’s moments like these…’ I’m a bit partial to a look through a local museum. Sure, after a while they all get a bit samey: a butter churn, a clothes wringer, and one of those irons you have to put in the fire before ironing your slacks. Maybe an assortment of horrific olden days pharmaceuticals, or an equally horrific mock up of a dentist’s surgery. The octogenarian volunteer that greets you upon arrival. However regardless of all this familiar stuff…