Volume X, No. 2
DECEMBER 1997
NEW ZEALAND ALPINE RESORT DRAWS FAMILIES ALONGSIDE THRILL SEEKERS

Families visiting New Zealand's beautiful alpine resort Queenstown, are discovering with the help of river rafting company "Extreme Green Adventure Co." that you don't have to be an adrenaline junkie to find adventure in the magnificent region.
Extreme Green realize adventure means differ- ent things to different people, and have introduced along with their faster paced rafting trips, a slower paced tranquil experience, designed for families and first time rafters.
Their Shotover River Full Day Scenic Trip begins with a flight to Branches Station at the top of the Shotover River. From here vacationers enjoy several hours meandering through easy waters, before stopping for a gourmet lunch at Skippers Bridge. Here they can also catch some of the bungy jumping action at this world famous site. Then it's back on board the rafts to Winkles Museum deep in Skippers Canyon to learn about the Gold Rush days from the late 1880s and pan for gold before returning to Queenstown via the scenic Skippers Canyon Road. The trip is suitable for most age groups and fitness levels and the company uses its oar frame rig to assist with smaller/weaker crews. Visitors have the option of driving to the launching site for US$130 or flying for US$185
Queenstown offers many other pursuits for families in addition to Extreme Green's practical new addition to the lineup. Staying on the water, "Fun Yaks" combine a half-day jetboating with a half-day scenic canoeing experience. No rapids are involved and the trip is described as suitable for five to 85-year-olds.
One of the more famous Queenstown institutions is the TSS Earnslaw 168ft steamship, known locally as the "Lady of the Lake". Visitors can lunch on board or take a variety of cruises to Walter Peak Farm, one of New Zealand's most famous sheep and cattle stations.
Here they learn first hand about New Zealand farming life, watch sheep dogs working, sheep shearing, and get up close to sheep, angora goats and red deer. Evening cruises to Walter Peak Farm include a memorable dinner at the farm's beautiful homestead.
For the most spectacular view of Queenstown, it's an easy and panoramic ride up Bob's Peak on the Skyline Gondola to a restaurant view of the city nestled against the gorgeous lakeside below. Situated just below the Skyline Gondola is New Zealand's leading Kiwi display at the Kiwi and Birdlife Park. Rare and endangered birdlife are protected in a natural sanctuary.
One of the most popular family day trips from Queenstown is to Milford Sound, an unsurpassed experience by coach or light aircraft. The awesome Sound towered over by Mitre Peak is a place of cascading waterfalls and contrasts.

SOUND LOGIC - from New Zealand Listener

The Doubtful Sound dolphins are a breed apart. They're bottlenose, which are common enough, but they push the envelope in every other way. Other bottlenoses like warm, salty water, losts of fish and range far and wide to get them. The pod of 60 bottlenoses at Doubtful Sound is on the margin of sustainable existence. The sound water is cold, and the top three metres of its plunging 430m depth is fresh and stained with tannin, shutting out light and weakening the food chain. Does this stop our boys? No, but it changes them.
The pod resembles feudal villagers, never venturing beyond its fiordal boundaries. Even Quasimodo, so-called for a deformity that stops the joyful jump, just gets on with life. And does this stop our girls? Definitely not. The Doubtful Sound pod is thought by Dr. Stephen Dawson, of the Department of Marine Science at Otago University, a co-founder of the Whale and Dolphin Trust, to be organised around its females--to be, unusually, matrilineal. Dawson says he's delighted with a just-announced yearly $25,000 grant to the trust from eco-tourism firm Fiordland Travel for further study of the Doubtful Sound dolphins.
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TOP RATED WARBIRDS OVER WANAKA AIRSHOW

Thousands of visitors will be winging their way to New Zealand's Central South Island in April for a nostalgic weekend of aviation magic at the Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow.
First held in 1988, Warbirds Over Wanaka is staged every two years and is internationally known as one of the top four Warbird Airshows in the world. Set in the heartland of the high country lake district of Central Otago, the region is a breath of fresh air from the snowy splendor of Mt. Aspiring to awesome glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, fiords and secluded sheep stations.
From April 10-12, over 60,000 visitors are expected to enjoy static and flying displays of vintage, veteran and classic warbird flying, including mock airfield attacks evoking images of World War II. The Royal New Zealand Air Force will join the aerial action and there will be a major helicopter display, along with vintage tractors, machinery, WWII military vehicles and classic fire engines. Visitors and attendees come from Australia, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, and of course New Zealand, to enjoy what has become the largest Warbird Airshow in the Southern Hemisphere.
The airshow is hosted at Skyshow Center at Wanaka Airport, eight miles from Wanaka township. The center is home to the largest collection of flyable WWII fighters in the Southern Hemisphere. These aircraft, from England, America, Japan and Russia, will be flown during Warbirds Over Wanaka. The year- round Skyshow Center experience is unique, from real Warbird flying in a Mustang, or Harvard, to scenic flying over Milford Sound, Mt. Aspiring or Mt. Cook, open cockpit flying, aerobatic joy rides, tandem skydiving and more.
Wanaka is a day drive or a quick flight from Christchurch. April is a golden time in the region as fall turns trees from green to gold, scarlet and orange and every hill valley, riverbank and lakeshore flares with color. The jewel of the Southern Lakes region, azure blue skies and panoramic alpine grandeur are a back-drop to sparkling lakes and swift mountain rivers.
Kirra Tours "Warbirds Over Wanaka Tour" offers three days at the Warbird Airshow. The tour, from April 4-15, 1998, departs from Christchurch, heading by luxury coach across the Canterbury Plains with snow-capped Southern Alps to the west. On route are the milky blue waters of Lake Tekapo and Mt. Cook Alpine Village.
The next day is spent in Dunedin, a gracious city of 19th century buildings. Visitors can explore the city, visit the world acclaimed albatross colony, or take the Taieri Gorge rail excursion. A visit to Olveston House--a restored historic home--follows the next day, capped by a night
on the shores of Lake Te Anau, set within magnificent beech forest. The next destination is the world- renowned resort of Queenstown and on route, a stunning launch cruise of the glacier-carved Milford Sound.
Dinner is at the Skyline Restaurant overlooking Queenstown nestled beside the sparkling waters of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range. The next day is free to enjoy the many activities of the region, from white-water rafting and bungy jumping to shopping, fishing or cruising on the lake.
The Warbirds Over Wanaka Airshow is the next stop for three days. First held in 1988, Warbirds Over Wanaka is staged every two years in the heartland of the high country lake district of Central Otago. The region is a breath of fresh air from the snowy splendor of Mt. Aspiring to awesome glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, fords and secluded sheep stations.
The tour costs US$987 per person. The tour in- cludes 11 nights hotel accommodation, luxury coach transport, the specialty dinner at Skyline Restaurant, admission to Olveston House, the Milford Sound Cruise and a three day pass to the airshow.
For more information please phone Global Touring Inc. at 800-942-9399, or Koala Tours Inc. at 800-535- 03 16.
For those travelers not electing to take a tour, the region has everything from abseiling to kayaking, mountain biking to parapenting. Or for a more relaxed stay, there are scenic flights, golf, fishing, day walks, garden tours, or an afternoon at the much-photographed Rippon Vineyard.
Accommodation choices cater for all budgets and range from backpacker hostels, motels, cabins and tent sites to deluxe hotel resorts. Eating out can be as casual as fish 'n' chips New Zealand-style wrapped in newspaper, or as romantic as a candlelit dinner with a lakeside view. For a quintessential Kiwi experience, a country pub is recommended.
For more information about Warbirds Over Wanaka, please visit the internet website: www.skyshow.co.nz, write to P0 Box 259, Wanaka, NZ, or e-mail: warbirdsoverwanaka@skyshow.co.nz

UP IN SMOKE - from New Zealand listener

Captain James Cook nearly became New Zeal- and's first tobacco-related death in 1769, according to a newly published handbook by Otago University researcher John Broughton.
When Cook stepped ashore in the South Island with a pipe in his mouth, chief Te Ihutakaru doused the mariner with water to see if his head was burning because of the smoke issuing from it. If the water put the fire out, he reasoned that the white chief was a man, but if it did not, he was a demon and should be killed. Luckily for Cook, the pipe was doused.
Broughton's booklet, Puffing Up a Storm, an examination by the Ngai Tahu health research unit of
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and research unit of the absorption of tobacco into Maori culture, suggests that Captain Cook's later murder in Hawaii may have been to test whether he was divine or mortal.

A TOUR OF AUCKLAND AREA WINERIES - by Rose O'Donnell

On a November Sunday my husband and I set out from our Auckland home armed with our "Wine- makers of West Auckland" map and the Liquorland Top 100 wine list for 1996. Since we knew that we were moving back to the States in December we wanted to load up on our favorite wine, the crisp and clean Matua Valley 95 Judd Estate Chardonnay. We were ready and willing to pay whatever duty might be imposed on us to take back some of this delightful wine to share with our friends and family stateside.
To wine connoisseurs or just plain wine lovers like ourselves, the New Zealand white wines are light and refreshing. We had spent our two years in Auckland trying a different wine or two every week. We discovered the West Auckland wineries on our trips to Muriwai beach when we drove up to see the amazing nesting grounds of the migratory gannets. Many wineries are family run and may or may not be open when you arrive. We found that most of the wineries charge around NZ$2.00 to sample their wines. If you fall in love with the chardonnays and savignon blancs like we did and want to take some home, you will pay about NZ$10 to 20 for a bottle of wine. Two bottles of wine can be brought back to the US without paying extra duty. There are wines available at the duty free shops in the Auckland airport packed and ready for shipment, but you miss the joy of tasting and seeing the vineyards nestled in the Waitakere ranges.
Heading northwest of Auckland on Highway 16 to Helensville you will first cross Waitemata Harbor. The motorway ends at Hobsonville Road. Take a left still heading toward Helensville. The countryside quickly becomes picturesque with orchards, fruit stands and rolling hills. This area includes many wonderful "walking" (hiking) trails, and the beautiful and wild west coast beaches of Piha, Muriwai and Bethels Beach where Hercules and Xena are filmed.
Once you reach the tiny town of Kumeu you will begin seeing signs for wineries. Along Highway 16 you have your choice of wineries, such as Nobilo, Coopers Creek, Kumeu River and Selaks. Matua is off Highway 16 on Waikoukou Valley Road. There is a lovely tasting room and well-known restaurant called the Hunting Lodge. We had not made reservations so missed trying this eatery but had heard many good reports about it. On our tour we started at Matua since it was farthest. We loaded up with two cases of our favorite Chardonnay and headed back on Highway 16. Our next stop was Coopers Creek where we sampled the Savignon Blanc and decided
we needed a case of this, too. Coopers Creek had scored well in the Liquorland 100, an annual wine rating that comes out every October. After Coopers Creek we set off for Selaks. Selaks winery is located right off Highway 16 behind the Allely House Restaurant. We noticed the Selaks Savignon Blanc was on the Top 100 and so were forced to taste and buy a half case of this.
We lunched at Selaks Alley House Restaurant which is open for lunch and dinner. It is a quaint old colonial homestead with seating in the various rooms of the old house or outside. We had eaten there before and found the food to be tasty. I would recommend skipping the buffet and trying the pumpkin soup and fresh bread. After a leisurely lunch we headed back to Auckland laden with wine from Coopers Creek, Selaks, Nobilo and our favorite Matua Valley. Kumeu River was closed on Sundays at the time we visited.
Winery tours are available through: Scenic Tours--$59per person--32 Woods Bay Rd., Titirangi, Auckland (Phone 09-817-2180).
Fullers Ferry Tours, Waihike Island. It leaves the Ferry Building at Quay St. in Auckland at 12 noon daily; $44/adult and $16/child. This trip includes a guided tour of Waiheke Island and wine tasting at Stonyridge and Mudbrick Vineyards.

HELP YOUR FELLOW KIWIPHILES!

Some of you must have been in New Zealand during the last couple of years. Have you written down some of your experiences and/or observations? Even if you feel that your notes aren't in what you consider to be suitable condition for publication in the KIWIphile FILE, please let us be the judge of that. We'll print what seems to us to be interesting reading for others. So send something along to us. Thanks.

BOOKS FOR WANDERERS OF THE MIND AND PEOPLE ON THE MOVE - from PACIFIC WAY

GREAT SOUTHERN LANDINGS: An Anthology of Antipodean Travel
Dreamers, gold-seekers, scientists, journalists and convalescents are just some from the Northern Hemisphere who have written about their visits, imaginary or otherwise, to the "other half of the world".
An eclectic collection of Dr. Jan Bassett, an associate in the Department of History at the University of Melbourne, the 90 extracts dating from 1605 to the 1900s, were chosen by her "primarily for their intrinsic interest, rather than their literary value or historical significance, although many also share these qualities."
Writers such as Jonathan Swift, classified by Bassett as dreamers, wrote fanciful accounts of trips to the Antipodes. Lilliput in Gulliver's Travels is said to lie within present-day South Australia, close to Adelaide. And Swift writes that Gulliver and William Dampier, the
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first English person to visit and write about Australia, are cousins.
Adventurer Robin Hanbury-Tenison writes of an exhilarating moment near Akaroa in New Zealand's South Island, when he crept into the middle of a colony of fur seals: "Creeping quietly between some large rocks, I made my way to a boulder in the centre, behind which I hid. Peering slowly over the top I found myself looking straight into a large whiskery face with melancholy eyes gazing myopically into mine."
As Bassett notes, Great Southern Landings "makes fascinating reading at a time when both countries are attempting increasingly to stand on their own feet and redefine themselves".
Published by Oxford University Press. Retails for NZ$59.95.
THE ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MAORI MYTH AND LEGEND
Maori culture is primarily oral, but in the second half of the 19th century, realising that they lived in an era of rapid change, Maori leaders who had learned to write used the powerful new medium to record their tribal traditions before they were lost forever. In compiling her authoritative new encyclopedia, Professor Margaret Orbell has drawn directly on these manuscripts (many of which have never been published).
Retold here with admirable clarity, the stories of the trickster God Maui, the great explorer Kupe and the lovers Hinemoa and Turanekai are familiar to most New Zealanders, but the volume contains much that will be new to a majority of readers. There's the tale of Houmea, for instance, an evil spirit who disguised herself as a woman and then gobbled up her husband's entire catch after he went fishing, blaming the disappearance on a war party.
A lecturer for many years in the Maori Depart- ment of Canterbury University, Orbell has written seven other books on Maori tradition, literature and belief. Although the research is impeccable, her work is aimed at a wide audience, not just her fellow academics. Lav- ishly illustrated, the encyclopedia is a pleasure for the casual browser as well as a boon for the serious inquirer.
Published by Canterbury University Press. Re- tails for NZ$6995.

HOLLYFORD FOOTSTEPS

There's always something happening at the Hollyford Valley Walk. The penguins nest at Long Reef from July until December. The native Fur Seal pups are born late December and January. The flame red flowers of the Southern rata, or the South Island Christmas tree, light up the shores of Lake McKerrow from December until February. Different orchids are flowering from November through to April.
All our guided walks now include accommodation,
dinner and breakfast at the Luxmore hotel at the beginning of the walk, and the well earned cruise on Milford Sound on the last day. Options include the four day fly out, the five day fly out and the six day walk out tours. Copies of the 97/98 brochure, including these changes and 97/98 price list are now available.
The Hollyford Valley Walk swept the headlines of the New York Times Travel Section recently, as the pinnacle of "New Zealand's Natural Splendour". The article, spread over three pages, captivated the essence of the Hollyford Valley with comments like "The baby seal pool was one of several transcendent encounters". The Hollyford was... "the highlight of a three week trip to New Zealand". We chose the Hollyford because of... "our desire to experience the wilderness in solitude". "Ferns as thick as trees crowded the edge of the trail. Rata trees with orange blossoms, purple fuchsia, and the slender fronds of the rimu lent an exotic feel to our surroundings."
"The complex song of the bellbird and the liquid trill of the grey warbler were often heard." ... "Much of the flora is found nowhere else on earth"...
Hollyford Valley Walk Ltd. P.O. Box 360, Queenstown, NZ. Ph +64 (03) 442 3760. Fax +64 (03) 442 3761. Check out our internet site at: http://nz.com/Queenstown/ Hollyford.

THE BEST OF NEW ZEALAND
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by Mike McClelland
We just finished our eighth season of specializ- ing in travel to New Zealand, and it was by far our best season ever!
In our continuing effort to know New Zealand better than anyone else I have already made two trips to NZ in 1997 (this is in addition to twelve trips made between 1991 and 1996) and my excellent staff assis- tants--Connie Lown and Karen Coombes--have again each made trips this year to stay intimately familiar with the lodges, hotels, bed & breakcasts, faint & home slays, and various sightseeing options. I have even sent Jill Linsk (who probably handles your telephone request for brochures) on a familiarization trip of New Zealand to develop another knowledgeable person in our office.
Give us a call (800) 528-6129, and let one of us help you plan a New Zealand trip. There are no extra charges for our services and no hidden fees in the de- tailed, itemized invoices we provide to you for your clients. You pay no more for our expertise--in fact in most cases we know how to save money. We will design an itinerary to match one's interests and budget and share our years of Kiwi research, relationship building, stringent quality control and experience.
Here are some excerpts from Mike's recent New Zealand newsletter:
PUNATAPU (Connie Lown)
Punatapu, a Maori word meaning sacred waters,
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recently opened in Queenstown anu offers personalized luxury accommodation and meals in a secluded and tranquil alpine setting 15 minutes from town above the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
I first visited Punatapu early last winter as the retreat was about to open for the ski season and was stunned by the setting, quality and hospitality. Since then Mike also found time to visit the property twice and enjoyed a short stay. He shares my extremely high regard for this beautiful place.
Guests are accommodated in four units off a central courtyard and all have access to the family living room, paneled dining room, inviting library filled with books on NZ art and culture, billiard room and heated pool and spa/sauna. There is also a family wing available. Owner/hosts Sue and Pat Farry collect contemporary Maori art which is on display throughout their home.
AVIS - (Mike McClelland) After driving a wide variety of rental cars over the years, from used "rent a wreck" imports to newer autos, and trying to manage to shift a manual transmission with my left hand and the turn signals with my right hand while remembering to stay on the left side of the road, I have finally found the perfect rental car for New Zealand--the Honda CRV.
On my last trip to NZ I test drove this new addition to the AVIS fleet and I highly recommend it. The car has automatic 4WD that is easy and fun to drive and its 4 cylinder engine has plenty of power, but still gets good mileage. Among other great features is a center table with 4 cup holders; and a fold down picnic table from the rear cargo space
We have negotiated a special price with AVIS that allows us to offer this car at a reduced rate to our clients if booked with accommodations and/or air. Call us for details
WILD LIFE ADVENTURES:
The perfect adventure tour for the mid-30's to "young at heart" 60's who enjoy the outdoors, prefer the camaraderie of a small group (max. 16 people), want to travel to those special places unseen by large tours and who are looking for a holiday with a difference.
Includes visits to five national parks and two maritime parks. Sailing in Auckland; black water rafting; white water rafting; Maori hangi; farm tour; kayaking; scenic glacier flight and walk; and much more.
****THE BEST OF NEW ZEALAND, 2817 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica CA 90403. Tel. (800) 528-6129, fax (310) 829-9221.

TE HARINUI - Good tidings of great joy

Imagine what it must have been like on Christmas morning in 1814 when Samuel Marsden conducted the first Christmas service held in New Zealand. On the sandy beach at Rangihoua Bay, surrounded by pohutukawas flowering crimson, he began with Psalm 100, then
preached from the text Luke Chapter 2, verse 10, 'Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy". His words were translated for the large gathering by Ruatara, a Ngapuhi chief from the Bay of Islands. When he finished, many of the Maori responded with a haka. "(It was) the most graceful return they could make for the solemn spectacle they had witnessed," wrote one European observer.
This historic service was the inspiration for Willow Macky's beautiful Christmas carol "Te Harinui", and has in turn helped inspire the special design for the 1997 New Zealand Christmas stamp issue. Using vibrant colours, illustrator Fifi Colston has accompanied the story of Samuel Marsden's service with words and music from the carol, to create a unique 40 cent self-adhesive stamp, 6 sheet stamps and a se tenant block of the six sheet stamps.
You may purchase these from the Philate!ic Bureau, New Zealand Post Limited, Private Bag 3001, Wanganui, New Zealand. Tel. 0-6-345 7999. Fax 0-6-345-7120.

MISCELLANEOUS
New Zealand Tourism is offering two new, free guides to lodgings. Where to Stiy has 720 pages of color photos and information on budget to high-end accommodations. The Good Bed Guide includes addresses, phone numbers, descriptions and rates for hostels in New Zealand. Call New Zealand Tourism at 800-888-5494.
"Exploring New Zealand's Parks" folds out to display pictures and info about 38 forest and maritime parks across New Zealand. The world's largest ferns, trees and mosses, and the world's oldest surviving land plant are among the natural attractions. For the free brochure call 800-388-5494.
The new, $195 million museum--the most expensive undertaking of its kind in the world--will open in Wellington. NZ, in February 1998. Visitors may travel back in time to the prehuman beauty of the islands in a motion simulator, or fly forward to the future Wellington, 50 years from now, on a thrills and spills ride. Other virtual-reality technology will allow visitors to ride a whale, shear a sheep, take a bungy jump, or witness a simulated earthquake or volcanic eruption. For more information about the many activities and offerings at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, call the NZ Tourism Board at 800-388-5494.

NEW ZEALAND ADVENTURES, INC.

My name is Scott Schmid and I am president of New Zealand Adventures and I specialize in travel to the South Pacific. Being a certified "NZPAL" specialist with the New Zealand Tourism Board, a certified "AUSSIE" specialist with the Australian Tourist Commission and a certified "Tahiti Tiare" agent with the Tahiti Tourism Board, I use my knowledge of these areas
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to customize "Soft Adventure" packages for my clients including their requirements and interests within their set budgets.
If I can be of help to you in planning your trip to New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, Fiji or the Cook Islands, just give me a call at 847-455-2500 if you live in Illinois--or call me on my toll free number 800-344-2519 if you live in another state.
Scott A. Schmid, New Zealand Adventures, Inc., 2320 N. 17th Ave., Franklin Park, IL 60131.

NEW ZEALAND FISHING CALENDAR

December : Summer begins Dec. 21, the long- est day of the year. One of the least crowded months for foreign visitors though a lot of NZ businesses close during the Dec. 15-Jan. 15 period for summer vacations, so there are a great many New Zealandcrs out and about during this period. Very good fishing on all lakes, streams and rivers. An excellent dry fly and nymph fishing period. Spring flowers still available. Salt Water:
Striped Marlin, Yellowtail, Kahawal.
January : Stream fishing on both islands excel- lent, both dry and wet. Some good wet fly and streamer fishing continuing at stream mouths. South Island streams fish well on dry and nymph. Popular time for visiting anglers. Salt Water: Striped Marlin prime, Yellowtail, Kahawai.
February : Usually the hottest month of the year. Weather very settled for fishing in mountain streams. Still water fishing excellent. Great time for helicopter fishing in remote rivers. Popular time for visiting anglers. Salt Water: Striped Marlin prime, Yellowtail, Kahawai.

TRAVEL GIFT
P. Phillips and Co. has introduced an item to help keep your toothbrushes away from germs. The Brush Buddy is a portable holder that snaps onto a wall.
The Brush Buddy can be taken on trips and used in hotels. At home, it can be used for different-size toothbrushes or to provide more space for toothbrushes.
Brush Buddies are $1.79 each plus 50 cents postage and handling from P. Phillips & Co., P.O. Box 255, Midland Park, NJ 07432.

BLACK SHEEP TOURING COMPANY

We are New Zealand owned and operated and we specialize in small group tours to New Zealand. We offer 8 day, 12 day, 14 day and 21 day trips with a maximum of 12 passengers. Our philosophy is to get you off the tourist track and get to know the New Zealand that the Kiwis know! The itinerary is adventure style, including activities like hiking, sea kayaking, sailing, whale watching, wine tasting, cave rafting, farmstay,etc.
We stay in small, intimate and very nicely appointed B & Bs and local lodges.
Prices range from $2250 to $4950 and it is an all-inclusive land package, meaning there are no out of pocket expenses once on the trip. All transportation, lodging, meals, and activities are included in the price. We can assist in helping our clients with airfares, pre- and post-tour bookings and any tramping they may wish to do. Anyone wishing to receive our full color brochure can contact us at 1-800-206-8322, and we would be happy to send one to them!
****Black Sheep Touring Company, 4222 Thackeray Place NE, Seattle WA 98105.

GOOD RESTAURANTS - from Pacific Way

Sitar's - A Taste of India : "Big, small, we handle them all...." says the takeaway menu at Sitar's, named after the long-necked Indian lute popularized by Ravi Shankar. And though the restaurant will cater for up to 500 if you give enough notice, ordering for a group of four is enough to give you a good idea of the restaurant's range of subtly spiced dishes. 397 Mt. Eden Road, Mt. Eden, Auckland, tel (09) 630-0321.
Leigh Fish and Chips - Sea Food : Just round the corner from the Leigh General Store, and behind a window festooned with fishing nets and floats, is the Leigh Fish Shop, open every day except Monday and Tuesday. On the walls are several poster-sized photographs of fishing vessels being tossed on stormy seas: for example, the Will Watch in Cook Strait, battling 90-knot winds and 10-metre seas. It reminds you what some people have to go through to bring in fresh fish. The fish, terakihi or gurnard, usually, sometimes snapper, is delicious, the chips are crisp, and the paua fritters taste of nothing but the sea. Cumberland St., Leigh. Tel. 09-422-6035.
Davinci - Nelson's Daily Bread : With Nelson's warm, sunny climate, rich alluvial soils and the clean waters of its coastline, you do not have to look hard to find good food. I would direct you to the DaVinci bakery on Waimea Road near the hospital. People queue up to buy the breads that are baked on the premises 24 hours a day. "They are good because of the time and handling we put into the process and because the ovens are brick-lined. Bricks absorb the smell of bread after a while and this gives the crust a great taste," says owner Mike Bennett. The warm earthy bread smell also pervades the shop and is probably the best sales pitch for the product. It makes your jaws ache. 138 Waimea Rd., Nelson. Tel. 03-546-8484.
Cafe Fuel - Eclectic Excellence : A few strides down from the Knox Pharmacy corner, a coal-black facade announces one of Dunedin's newest licensed take-away cafes. Its young proprietors, Cass and Chris Donaldson, sick of being out of work, "borrowed some money and found a space". They also found a remarkable chef Ex- Aucklander Adam White, an advocate of simple, tasty food, who refuses to be confined to any particular style, choosing dishes from all cultures, reviving old favourites and inventing his own. 19 Frederick Street, Dunedin. Tel. 03-477-2575.
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Jabies Doner Kebab - A Pocketful of Flavour:
Wanganui is noted for many things. In many respects a delightful city, haute cuisine is not one of its strengths. That is why it was a surprise to find a small place in Guyton Street which sells kebabs good enough to send to Israel. The pita bread here is stuffed with spiced chicken or lamb and falafel, carrot, tabouleh, lettuce and onion, and sauced with a choice of mint and yoghurt, tahini, chilli or tomato. It is unlikely that after one of these succulent giants you will be able to eat anything else. 86 Guyton St., Wanganui. Tel. 06-347-2800.
Aranya's House Take-Away Thai
Opposite the Plaza International Hotel on Jervois Quay, Wellington, Aranya and Somkiat Putthapipat's Thai food bar dishes up great plates of sauteed meats, salads, noodles and rice, a variety of curries and Thai soups like torn yum and torn jeud woon sen. Sornkiat admits that the food isn't really faithful Thai: "If we made it authentic most New Zealanders would find it too hot." But, paces from the Wellington waterfront, the spirit of the golden kingdom resonates in the piquant flavours of the food. The Wellington Market, Jervois Quay, Wellington. Tel. 04-384-8666.
Beggars' Banquet - The Biggest Burgers:
Christchurch's north-of-town gourmet burger bar, Beggars' Banquet, is the perfect antidote for anyone who's had too many of the mass-produced variety. Owner Olivia Lewis says she makes the biggest burgers in New Zealand. with the buns, wholemeal or white, made locally in specially made moulds. Customers can opt for a specialty burger (11 to choose from), including Total Decadence (bacon, camembert, avocado, salad and cracked pepper), Vego Delight (pumpkin, kumara and coriander patty with salad spicy herb mayo), and Ploughman's (seasoned meat patty, cheese, onion, Branston pickle and salad), or customise their own. Carlton Court, 2 Papanul Rd., St. Alban's, Christchurch. Tel. 03-377-0380.
Replete - Full of Good Food
Filled, stuffed, gorged, sated and fully imbued are among the dictionary definitions of "replete", and this colourful Taupo cafe- deli certainly lives up to its name. Windows open out to tables on the footpath with a welcoming waft of toasted coffee beans, and in summer, fresh fruit pastries take their place among a shamelessly indulgent array of rich Florentines and chocolate croissants. 45 Heu Heu St., Taupo. Tel. 07-378-0606.
Woodlands - A Gourmet Picnic
It was while visiting the wine region near Blenheim (her home town) that Joanna Brown realised the potential of a gourmet takeaway cafe dedicated to fine food for winery-trail takers. From soups and sandwiches to salads and pasta, she prepares wholesome fare. In the cooler months, hearty soups--like kumara and orange, seafood chowder and pumpkin--are mainstays, as are meat pies. In the summer, chilled soups are big sellers. There's a small dining area and patio, but much of the business is takeaway and Joanna offers the choice of traditional wicker
picnic baskets (which must be returned) or cardboard disposable versions. 48 Oxford St., Martinborough. Tel. 06-306-9331.

INTERNET ERRATA, SEPTEMBER K.F.
AND MORE NZ WEBSITES - Charles Eggen

Dear Eva: Thanks for the letter included with the September KIWIphile FILE. There were some errors within the websites article. Normally I would not bother with minor typos, but when it involves web addresses (URLs) any errors, no manner how small, are major.
My e-mail address is cne@efn.org not one@efn.org
The NZ aircraft images site should be, in part, ~treweek/ not ~neweek/ In full that would be www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/—treweek/aviation.html
As to more site suggestions--what follows are a few more that you might want to check out when convenient. They are not listed in any order of importance.
Greypower New Zealand - www.greypower.co.nz/
This site has among other information of interest to seniors, a link to Senior Net. Senior Net was started in the US (www.seniornet.com/) and has many chapters throughout the country.
New Zealand Bed & Breakfast -
www.kiwihome.com/stay/B+B/ If you are familiar with the book by Janete and James Thomas, you will know that this site will provide accurate and detailed info on most New Zealand Bed & Breakfast facilities. The advantage of accessing the website will be gaining the most recent, updated info.
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra - www.nzso. co.nz/ This is the first internet site of its type in the world. In addition to having links to arts info in New Zealand, it also has links to music resources throughout the world. You can also hear the orchestra playing the NZ national anthem if you have audio capability.
Fishing in New Zealand - fishnz.co.nz/
The title says it all. A bit commercial, but loads of info for those who are looking for info on the subject. Many useful links and graphics.
Camping in New Zealand - kiwihome.co.nz/stay/CampersGuide/index.html This is an unofficial website version of the Gay Kerr book, The New Zealand Camping Guide. It is the campers version of the above-mentioned Bed & Breakfast guide, very detailed and complete, listing over 740 camps including some free ones (such as DOC).
New Zealand Skiing - www.snow.co.nz/
For those who want to know where to go skiing other than Queenstown, this will be the tell-all for winter sports. Additionally, there are related links for clubs, safety info, rental info, weather reports and many other useful bits of info, even some trail graphics.
Waitomo Caves - www.waitomo.govt.nz/
If you have been to Waitomo, you will have some idea what to expect from this site, but you might be surprised how much more there is to this unique area of New Zealand. Many photos are included within this site to add interest, and lodging and transportation info is included.
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TransRail - www.waikato.ac.nz/nz/rail/timetable.html
Most all the basic info on New Zealand rail destinations and schedules are located here. That includes the suburban trains of Auckland and Wellington plus the ferry service across the Cook Strait.
Hauraki Gulf Islands - www.gen.com/bigjude/Islands.html
I love this site. In addition to providing info on the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, it also provides information, photos and calls of many of the unique birds of NZ that are found on the more sheltered islands of the gulf. You will need to have audio capability to hear them, of course.
NZ telephone number search - tdl.tols.co.nz/
If you know the name of the company or person and the town in which they are located, then you will probably be able to locate their phone number with this search engine, AT NO CHARGE! It certainly beats paying AT&T $5/inquiry to do the same thing.
The Wizard of New Zealand - www.wizard.gen.nz/
For those of you who have met the wizard in Christchurch, this site should amuse you. Otherwise it will probably puzzle you, but he is real and a classic "character". An experience not to be missed and now accessible on the web. Yes, you can e-mail him.

THE GABLES - Bed & Breakfast - Dick and Ann Smith

It is nearly the end of 1997 and we wanted to thank you for your constant support during the last year and to let you know of our progress and achievements.
Our greatest thrill in 1997 was winning the Marlborough Tourism Awards and being a finalist in the New Zealand Tourism Awards in the Hosted Accommodation category.It took a lot of effort to submit our entries, and we surprised ourselves with the results, but learnt a lot about ourselves and our business through the study. The Gables is being constantly improved and we are nearing the end of major renovations--the final major touches are stripping paint and oiling the native woods, with new carpet to be laid by December. The gardens are now becoming established and full of colour.
Breakfasts continue to be a highlight with freshly made bread every morning now adding to the fruit platters, cereals, juices, fruits and muffins plus our main course selection of seafood crepes, scrambled eggs with salmon, banana pancakes, etc., to delight all guests.
Our rates are the same as 96/97 (NZ$): Bed and Breakfast, Queen $95 & $85, Double $75, Twin $85, Triple $115, Single $50, Children $15. Our rates are commissionable by 10% with payment 20th of the month following.
This summer season is going to be very busy again, but we find the business of B & B a constant delight, as our guests give us so much positive feedback that New Zealand is a beautiful country. Picton is a special place--the redevelopment of the foreshore is progressing well and a good number of buildings
have been painted in heritage colours and there is a positive air in the community. The Queen Charlotte Walkway is a great asset to the area and is proving very popular, with over 6000 walkers last season. With a new fast ferry commencing operation in February 1998, as well as the Interislander and Sounds Air and trains and buses, Picton is very assessible and well worth spending a few days in a part of NZ which is not overdone.
The Hospitality Hosts group collated by Richard is a group of Bed and Breakfast owner operators throughout NZ selected as a result of travellers' appreciations of genuine hospitality via guests comment forms. Each host must maintain high standards for continued membership in the group. The network is proving to be very successful, reliable and is recognised as a standard within the industry.
Ann & Richard Smith, The Gables, P.O. Box 88, Picton, New Zealand. Phone (03)573 6772. Fax (03) 573 8860.

EXPLORING MIGHTY MOLESWORTH - NZ Herald

Four hares and a rabbit. That is the tally after two days of travel through New Zealand's largest farm.
At this rate I might spot less than 150 rabbits in a year; barely enough for the family stew.
Something has happened to Molesworth Station. When Uncle George, my mother's uncle, rode over these 188,000ha in 1910 mustering sheep, the rabbiters shot, poisoned and netted about 150,000 rabbits every year.
And still the hillsides literally moved if something disturbed the rabbits sitting as thick as pebbles on stony ground.
Uncle George has long gone. So have the rabbiters, most of the rabbits, and the sheep. Musterers still ride horses but they have been joined by people riding mountain bikes.
What they see is both different from the land that faced musterers in 1910 and that which faced pioneering drovers in the 1850s.
The drovers were searching for a way to take their flocks from the established settlements of Nelson and Marlborough to the growing settlements of Canterbury, without going by sea.
There must be an overland route, they reasoned. So hardy men on hardy horses set off for Christchurch through the dry backcountry of Marlborough, driving sheep before them.
They would drive down one river valley until they found their way blocked by a range. Another drover, perhaps, would find a pass, another valley-- and another range in the way.
With the benefit of hindsight and the help of aerial photography, the river valley systems of the Wairau, Acheron and Clarence, and the ranges west of the Inland Kaikoura Range,
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follow a systematic pattern before the way clears into the plains of North Canterbury.
To get their sheep through the drovers would often fire the scrub ahead of them. They did something else, too. They showed that the country they were trying to find a way through could be used to farm sheep.
In 1852 Edward Lee and Edward Jollie set off from the Lower Awatere Valley with packhorses, dogs and 1740 sheep and pioneered a route to Hanmer Springs over Barefell and Jollies passes. Within eight years the whole district had been stocked.
The route was too long for Nelson drovers so in 1855 Alphonso Clifford and Frederick Weld found two new ones: the upper Wairau-Clarence route over Island Pass, which is now the route of the modern Rainbow Rd, and the Wairau-Acheron route through Tarndale and Red Gate, slightly longer but level and less stony.
The valleys and ranges the drovers discovered were leased from the Crown to become vast sheep stations--and ecological disasters. These were hard-working settlers of immense initiative and enterprise--and, at times, unforgivable stupidity.
In a largely treeless and dry land they built their homes of cob, a clay and straw mix. Their homes sheltered them from evil winters and many still survive.
A cob accommodation house was built at Acheron, on the overland route between Nelson and Canterbury as early as 1863.
For six weeks of the year, when the route is open to the public, it still greets travellers, although now if they wish to stay they must camp among the willows planted around the house to provide a source of firewood.
When rabbits, introduced to NZ in 1838 to provide shooting sport, found nirvana on the dry high- country tussockland, the station owners employed some novel control measures. Stoats, weasels, ferrets and cats by the hundreds destroyed bird life and did little to control the rabbits.
On Molesworth and elsewhere in the high country, sheep and rabbits scoured the vegetation so the hillsides became bare scree slopes, prone to erosion.
What the sheep didn't destroy the runholders did with fire to burn off scrub.
Sometimes nature got its own back. On more than one occasion the bitter winters wiped out up to 20,000 sheep.
The land took its toll on the men who were destroying it, too. Shepherds and rabbiters working in isolated areas would sometimes go mad and shoot each other. Scurvy was common.
By 1937 Molesworth, the legendary station of musterers' yarns and poetry, was an ecological and economic disaster. The land was so bare there was nothing to even boil a billy with.
On February 28, 1938, the Molesworth lease was surrendered and the public took control of its largest farm. Over the next 10 years the adjoining,
and equally desolate, pastoral runs of Tarndale, Dillon and St. Helens were abandoned too and combined with Molesworth.
The first thing the Government manager, Bill Chisholm, did was to get rid of the sheep and when enough grass had grown back, introduce cattle.
The cattle do not crop the grass as low as sheep. Nor do they venture on to the erosion-prone tops.
The station now carries up to 10,000 head of cattle and most of the scars on the land have healed.
This is a vast land that cannot really be appreciated from the comfort of a vehicle. It needs to be experienced from a saddle horse or mountain bike.
This is a country of river flats and mountain ranges thick with snow in the winter and often dusted overnight in the height of summer.
It is a land that makes you feel insignificant.
It should get better because the Department of Conservation which manages the recreation and conservation of Molesworth, has recommended about 30% of the station be totally protected. Some 25 sites where there are significant plants and wildlife, are being progressively fenced.
The route follows the Acheron River until it reaches the Acheron accommodation house, started in 1862. Travellers and drovers paid 25c for a bed, meal and stabling for their horses.
The house has been restored and is now a focal point for travellers staying at the campground set up beside it.
The rivers are all excellent brown trout fisheries and also carry a small run of quinnat salmon. As well, the Acheron and the Clarence Rivers are exciting and remote challenges for experienced rafters and canoeists.
The ride down Jollies Pass to Hanmer Springs-- and waiting hot pools--must rate as one of the best bone- jarring mountain bike descents.
To make a. round trip of it you can travel from Hanmer Springs on the 112km Rainbow Rd to St. Arnaud. The road is open all year round but a key must be obtained at a small charge, fer one locked gate.

TRAVEL AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Special Interest Tours and individual travel is our speciality. Birding, gardens, wildflowers, farmstays, culture, Aboriginal culture, arts, golf packages.
Sydney 2000 Olympics, pkg/sport event tickets.
Form your own group: you can earn reduced or even free travel depending on the size of the group.
New Zealand Air Special
$1,465.00 ÷ taxes.
From Vancouver to Auckland roundtrip
High season Dec. 1, through Feb. 28, 1998
INCLUDES: 2 free stops, Fiji, Tahiti, Cook Islands, Western Samoa
Min. stay 7 days, Max. stay 1 year.
(Available at lower cost other seasons)
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Right now there is reduced air fare from Los Angeles to Auckland r/t, for $898.00 + tax. Min: 7 days, Max: 3 months. Must start travel by Dec. 11, 1997. Kathy Jones, Michael Jones, TRAVEL AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND, Jacksonville, OR 97530. Toll free: 1- 888-333-6607. Or 541-899-8843.

WELLINGTON'S NIGHTLIFE--THE BEST PARTY IN THE COUNTRY - From the N.Z. Backpackers News (see below)
Without a doubt, Wellington has the best nightlife in the country. Late night cafes, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, whatever your choice, Wellington offers it all, in a compact area and within walking distance of backpacker accommodation. Start at one end of the city and finish up at Courtenay Place, Wellington's playground which parties late into the night. There are so many treats for your tastebuds in the dining capital of New Zealand, which has more restaurants and cafes per head of population than New York City.
The cosmopolitan nature of Wellington is reflected in the number of fine ethnic restaurants, including Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Cajun, Mexican, Cantonese, Sichuan, Cambodian, Malaysian and Pakistani, as well as classic French. Visitors can experience all these exquisite tastes overlooking the waterfront, amidst the city buzz or take a different look at the city wining and dining on a harbour cruise.
For more casual venue, experience the "coffee culture" at its best, with some of the finest brews here.
For more information contact the Wellington Visitor Information Centre, 04 801 4000.

DUNEDIN THE EDINBURGH OF THE SOUTH -
from N.Z. Backpackers News
Dunedin is called the Edinburgh of the Southern Hemisphere and it's easy to see why.
Whisky, castles and Robbie Burns have been plucked straight from their homeland and established in the new exotic surroundings of Otago.
Even the name Dunedin is derived from the Old Gaelic word for Edinburgh and many of the city's streets are named after the Scothsh capital's main thorough- fares--Princes Street, George Street, Hanover Street and Frederick Street.
Set between rolling hills and rugged coastline on the eastern side of the South Island, Dunedin's unique combination of architectural heritage and exotic wildlife has made this bustling university city a great place to spend a few days.
The strong Celtic links are celebrated in style annually with Scottish Week in March, and Burns' Suppers, commemorating the famous poet Robert Burns, and always featuring that traditional Scottish fare haggis are held regularly throughout the year.
A statue of Burns is given centerpiece in the heart of the city, The Octagon.
And no emulation of Scotland would be complete without whisky. Dunedin is home to Wilson's Distillery, New Zealand's only whisky distillery and the most southern in the world.
Scottish migrants arrived in the area in 1848 and quickly set about making it home.
Many say the region's weather reminded the early settlers of home, but in fact the climate is far kinder.
Larnach Castle may not be as old as some of the Scottish castles, but it is the only one in New Zealand and set in beautiful grounds.
Dunedin has the only colony of Royal Albatross to nest near human habitation and the rare Yellow-eyed penguins.
Dunedin city now has one of the best art galleries in the country, staging some of the most striking exhibitions.

NEWS BRIEFS - from N.Z. Backpackers News
*The Lynx fast ferry service for the 97-98 summer season will be from Wed 10 Dec until Tues 14 April. The crossing of Cook Strait takes 105 minutes.
*Call MetPhone Traveller on 0900 44 444 to hear the latest current and expected weather conditions in all major NZ towns and cities. Calls cost 99 cents per min- ute.
(The New Zealand Backpackers News opens the door for visitors to NZ! For absolutely no cost or obligation a complimentary copy of the newspaper will be mailed overseas. Contact: NZ BACKPACKERS NEWS, 50 Somme St., St. Albans, Christchurch, NZ).

READERS - Write about your visit to New Zealand. Your story will interest and assist many who are planning their first or next visit to NZ. Don't worry about your writing ability. We can fix it up for you. Thanks.

TITLE DEEDS (New Zealand Listener)

When they have privatised our beaches
And sold off all the sand
Who will build the castles? Dig the moats? Walk hand in hand
Along our living coastline embracing all it teaches?
Who will light the barbecues
In the dusky light of day?
Who will take the photos as the sun fades away?
It won't be you or I my friend who own the tide and all it reaches
But the moneyed, who will earn at last their title--
Sons of Beaches.
By Rhonda Bartle, Cambridge
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