Volume 20, No. 2

DECEMBER 2006

"The Happy Isles," Kipling called New Zealand, "last, loveliest, exquisite, apart." New Zealanders affectionately call their home the God Zone-a droll shortening of "God's Own Country"- for good cause, and an active exploration of these loveliest isles then must rank high on any traveler's life list.

NEW ZEALAND: GOOD LOOKS AND CHARM 15/09/2006 XtraMSN

Lonely Planet's new edition New Zealand guidebook says New Zealand's most attractive feature is not only its "outlandishly beautiful scenery" but its people.

According to Errol Hunt, the Commissioning Editor for the new guide, "the fascinating mix of Maori. Polynesian. and Pakeha culture, as well as the nation's quirky eccentricity and genuine community vibe, is the recipe that makes New Zealand's personality so attractive."

As the guide says, "In recent years, New Zealand has been punching well above its weight and demanding to be noticed. Its movies, music, wine, pro gressive politics and clean green image have been kicking goals around the world, and people have been paying attention in ways the country never dreamed possible."

While New Zealand's natural wonders rightly receive high praise throughout the guide, the book also notes that ". . . a pretty backdrop is not all New Zealand has going for it. Genuinely friendly locals go out of their way to' ensure visitors feel welcome. There is a vibrant Maori culture too, for this is a country that

recognizes and, respects its indigenous people."

The guidebook features an increased focus of Maori tourism, with regional Maori "highlights" sections offering information on how travelers can respect and immerse themselves in Maori culture.

"New Zealand's strong indigenous culture - both traditional and contemporary - is something very unique about this country. With this guide we've tried to show travelers how to seek out and experience the multi-faceted, "living" culture of Maori New Zealand, rather than see it as ancient history," said Errol Hunt.

Eccentric New Zealand is also fully embraced in the guidebook. Bizarre, tacky or just downright strange tourist attractions include Stratford's Shake speare-spouting Glockenspiel, the big L&P bottle in Paeroa, Owlcatraz in Shannon, Palmerston North, Ohakune's Big Carrot, and Auckland Sky Screamer.

"When they think of New Zealand, most potential visitors think landscape, sport and the haka. But until they. go there, they often don't realize how incredibly quirky New Zealanders are, with a wicked sense of humour. At the same time, Kiwis are also in creasing their reputation for being stylish and modern," said Hunt.

"Hip, energetic city" Wellington gets a great rap for "its thriving café and entertainment scene, and serious dedication to the arts." Auckland's blend of the social, the natural, the cultural and the edible - along with great local fashion designers - personify the city's cool. Christchurch is described as a "thoroughly modern NZ city" behind its picturesque Englishness.

The new edition of the guidebook doesn't pull any punches and contains the trademark honesty and opinion Lonely Planet is renowned for.

But praise is also lavished when due. For example, on "bright, attractive" Nelson as "one of New Zealand's most liveable cities," Queenstown's

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atmospheric restaurants, laid back cafes and excellent boutiques," combined with "spellbinding views," and Dunedin, an "increasingly cosmopolitan city."

Other destinations don't fare so well like Kaitaia "the highlight of no-one's trip to New Zealand," and "shabby little Bluff."

TRAVEL GUIDE THROWS A FEW ROCKS AT NZ - stuff.co.az

The latest offering on New Zealand from travel guide Lonely Planet has dished the dirt on some of Godzone's small towns in the south.

On the whole, however, the authors give a comprehensive thumbs-up to all things Kiwi, pouring superlatives on the country's scenery, activities, food and wine.

But some towns do not come off quite as pearly-white.

Bluff is described as shabby, Kaitaia as crawl ing with thieves, and most of Central Otago's small towns are dismissed as having little to offer.

The guide has been written by five authors, who spent a total of 26 weeks on the road, each tack ling different regions.

The book also includes several contributions from New Zealanders, including an essay on New Zealand culture by media commentator Russell Brown, offering the visitor an insight into the national psyche and attitudes toward lifestyle, sport and arts.

Invercargill does not fare as badly, or as mem orably, as when the Rolling Stones visited in 1965 gifting the city with the nickname "arsehole of the world". The authors generously noted it was "working hard to rectify" its unpopularity with tourists.

However, it does not survive entirely unscathed.

"Boy racers in souped-up cars and girls with souped-up hairdos hint at the fact that there's not much to do around here," author Korina Miller offers.

Ms Miller liked Dunedin, Oamaru and Clyde, and describes the goidmining towns of Central Otago as some of Otago's "most charming towns and villages".

However, many of the centres fail to impress.

"While Cromwell claims to be a town, it's hard to shake the impression of an outdoor shopping mall," Ms Miller writes.

"Alexandra is a "rather nondescript service hub ", Ranfurly "fairly bleak" and Baiclutha, of "little interest."

The West Coast is described as "blessed with the photo gene," and Canterbury and Marlborough get smothered with positive adjectives.

The platitudes continue up the North Island, with only a few digs at rampant egos in Havelock North and bemusement over Ohakune's double life as a carrot capital.

However, in an abrupt change of tone, author Sally O'Brien finds particular offence in the Far North town of Kaitaia.

Describing it as "the highlight of no one's trip to New Zealand," Ms O'Brien also points out car theft is rife in the township.

(Editor: Bless the mediocrity and "shabbiness" of many New Zealand towns and villages. Do we travel to New Zealand to seek glamour and excitement? How many towns and villages in the US could be described as "having little to offer?" As for "shabby" Bluff, I was there once, on a lovely sunny day. Gazing across the sea in the direction of far-off Antarctica from possibly the most southerly town in the world was an exhilarating moment in my life. The sharp clean air, clear blue skies, and sea breezes.. .!)

PICNIC

Kiwi actor Sam Neill has released a new wine in his Picnic range, named as a result of a highly public spat between himself and former Queenstown mayor Warren Cooper, over rural subdivision in the Wakatipu district where Neill lives when he's not "on location." Cooper once called Neill a "chardonnay socialist" who did not want to share his piece of paradise.

Neill, who said he was speaking on behalf of ordinary New Zealanders, urged Cooper to "stay at home and watch telly." However, a case of the new wine, Two Paddocks Picnic Socialist Chardonnay 2004, sent by Neill to Cooper to "make up" and thank him for the inspiration, was gladly received and Cooper said some- would- be donated to an environmental cause. Cooper in return sent Neill a 1975 bottle of Cooks Alicante commemorating Think Big icon Rob Muldoon.

THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN

The New Zealand film 'The World's Fastest Indian', won top film awards as New Zealand's Best Picture. The announcement was made at a screen awards ceremony in Auckland. The film's director Roger Donaldson took the prize for Achievement in Directing, and Anthony Hopkins won the award for Best Leading Actor.

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Programme and Best Drama Series, while 'Bro' Town' was voted Best Comedy.

'Dancing With the Stars' (NZ version) was named the country's Best Lifestyle/Entertainment Pro gramme, and the award for Best Children's Programme went to Holly's Heroes.

"We'd need a bit of good luck, but if these 'bergs don't melt too much then, who knows, with favourable currents and wind, they might even get close enough to be seen from the mainland," Dr. Williams said.

They might be from the Ross Sea or Prydz Bay ice shelfs, and were most likely carried north by the current and a consistent pattern of southerly winds. They might also have been part of one or two megabergs, which disintegrated as they drifted slowly through warmer waters.

"It was a 'very cool thing, if you'll excuse the pun' for the scientific community. but it would be hard to tie the icebergs' drift north to global warming," Dr. Williams said. "It's more likely that this is just part of the natural cycle of the ice, but this time sea and wind conditions have pushed pieces from a very big iceberg north."

"It is unusual, and it is exciting to be reminded the waters around New Zealand are part of a much bigger picture, but that's about as much as we can say for sure," Dr. Williams said.

Iceberg fleets were seen as far north as the Chatham Islands in the late 1800s, and were last seen from the mainland in 1931, from a beach near Dunedin.

Maritime New Zealand yesterday issued a navigation warning to what was an unknown number of boats southeast of Stewart Island.

UPDATE:

As of November 17 locals going out to see the icebergs floating off the Otago coast are being advised not to stand on them.

The icebergs are floating just 60 km off the Dunedin coast. They are now visible to the naked eye from some Dunedin hill suburbs, although they are best viewed through binoculars.

People have been chartering helicopter flights at up to $500 a pop to get an up close view of the rare sight, some even venturing onto the bergs themselves.

But NIWA oceanographer Mike Williams says he personally would advise against standing on an iceberg due to the danger of them rolling over.

Some of the icebergs were the size of several football fields. Broken off the Antarctic ice shelves, these 7000 year old monumental bergs were a great tourism opportunity.

WYSIWYG NEWS

It seems a while since I had the experience of somewhere different to chare with you, which tells me

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I must get out more. Winter has been with us, and we had a series of cold fronts to remind us of the fact.

Wellington's weather follows a more or less regular pattern. First the wind blows from the Northwest for several days, then there is a breathless hush. All the air that moved to the Southeast seems to rub itself across a few icebergs and then it all comes rushing back from the South, until it is time for the Northwesterly once more.

Either of the two main winds can produce a visible result if it lasts long enough. The Northwester generates spectacular lenticular clouds above the eastern hills of the Hutt Valley. The Southerly tends to make its mark on the harbour, first with white horses and a bit of a chop, but if it blows for a day or two, the chop turns tô heaving greer rollers surging up the harbour and bursting against the western seawalls. The force of the water sends the shattered wave high in the air, where the wind takes hold once more to blast the salt spray across the windshields of the cars on the motorway. It doesn't make for pleasant driving condi tions, especially with the bleak single digit temps that start and sometimes end our days. This is not the crisp cold of which my Canadian colleagues reminisce, but a damp cloying chill-you-to-the-marrow bleakness that steals the cheer from the day.

Occasionally, in those all-too-brief periods between the winds, the clouds disappear. Blue skies and a golden sun provide the atmosphere for a perfect winter's day. The harbour that was so turbulent just a day or so ago is suddenly mirror calm. Distant ships coming through the harbour mouth seem to float above the surface of the water. Cormorants stand on rocks or branches and hang their wings out to dry. There is that feeling you get when you come into shelter from a cold wind, and it feels so good that it hurts. And the cycle continues.

BACKS - Practical Ergonomics

Polly Ring, one of our long-time New Zealand subscribers has forwarded to me a book written and published in 1993 by her husband Leonard Ring, M.Sc., M.C.S.P. Mr. Ring was an internationally known expert on ergonomics and on prevention and control of back injuries. He also made a number of films which broke new ground in the field.

Many back schools, back rehabilitation centers and back injury prevention "specialists" in the USA and around the world today owe their success in part to the inspiration and techniques originally imparted through Leonard Ring's lectures and films.

Mr. Ring appeared many times in the United States, lecturing at health and safely conferences.

I found the book fascinating and helpful in many respects. We all demand much of our spines, more and more as time goes on. Historically, the back problem is not a new development. Mummies from thousands of years ago show degeneration of all the lumbar vertebrae. I have become more aware of how I should treat my back since reading this book, and I highly recommend it. If you would like to read the book, let me know.

KIWI DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE - NZPA

Democrats living in New Zealand hailed the wins of Democratic Party candidates in the United States mid-term elections.

Mark Chubb, Democrats Abroad New Zealand's interim country committee chairman, said he thought the margin of the Democrats' victory showed the strength of Americans' commitment to fairness and the democratic process.

Democrats Abroad NZ promotes the political interests of all Americans living in New Zealand (an estimated 15-20,000) by helping them exercise their right to vote.

It does not engage in or promote political activity within the New Zealand electoral system.

DAME TE ATA LAID TO REST

Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu has been laid to rest atop Taupiri Mountain. The nation's Maori queen passed away suddenly at her Rotorua home in late June. She was 87 and was survived by five children and many grandchildren.

The day began with a thick fog blanketing Turangawaewae Marae on the banks of the Waikato River, which provided a shield for Dame Te Ata's family to finally seal the casket that had lain open for almost a week as a steady stream of mourners filed past to pay their respects.

Then her coffin was taken in a hearse from the marae to the river, and then by waka to the foot of the mountain. Thousands of people lined the riverbanks, watching the Queen's final journey, which took more than two hours.

Pall bearers carried the casket from the waka, across State Highway One and the railway line through the gates of the cemetery, passing their burden onto a fresh crew as teams with ropes helped pull it up

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the steep, bush-clad slopes of the mountain. Thousands of mourners watched and chanted, but the Maori Queen was buried away from the glare of the media who were not allowed on the sacred mountain. The family and Prime Minister Helen Clark were among the many in the procession following the coffin.

An infectious smile and a natural talent to make people feel welcome were two of the many attri butes that endeared Dorothy Huhana Mihinui (Tuhourangi, Ngati Wahiao, Ngai te Rangi) to so many people.

"Guide Bubbles", as she was affectionately known, had an illustrious life of service to the tourism industry which began as a toddler, accompanying her great aunts, the legendary Whakarewarewa guides, as they escorted tourists through the wonders of the Village. She started as an apprentice guide in 1936, was employed two years later as a guide by the Government Tourist Bureau and was made senior guide at the Village in 1970.

As befits a person who devotes their life to the service of others, Guide Bubbles was formally recognized by numerous honours and awards

Dame Te Ata's eldest son Tuheitia Paki assumed the role of King in a simple but passionate ceremony as the original bible used in the coronation of his mother and previous Maori kings was placed upon his head. Political Editor Barry Soper says the elders have chosen the 51-year-old despite the fact Dame Te Ata had apparently expressed a preference for her eldest daughter to take over. He believes the elders took a more conservative option.

The new king is not well known by the public, but Maori academic Margaret Mutu says she has no doubt he has been well trained to take on the role.

IMMIGRANTS' CHILDREN'S RIGHTS REINFORCED

A High Court ruling has reinforced the citizenship rights of children born in New Zealand to immigrants. The Immigration Service had been trying to deport two Chinese families, including their children. However the High Court has ruled the children should not be removed from New Zealand because, having been born here, they have the same right to protection as any other citizen. In his ruling, Justice Baragwanath found there is evidence the children's safety would be at risk if they were to be returned to China and placed with non-family members.

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UPDATE - Stephen Mangum

New Zealand's All Blacks rugby team are once again on top of the rugby world after winning the expanded Tri-Nations tournament with a 5-1 record. The Bledisloe Cup also stayed in Kiwi hands following a 3-0 sweep of Australia's Wallabies.

The tournament commenced with the AB's scoring a decisive 32-12 win over Australia at Christchurch on July 8th• Kevin Mealamu led the way with a brilliant all-around effort, including two tries. New Zealand dominated the serum and held firm defensively for the win.

The Aussies recovered to crush South Africa's Springboks 49-0 the following week in Brisbane.

On July 22, New Zealand hosted South Africa in Auckland and won 35-17 with a disciplined effort. Daniel Carter orchestrated the offense and kicked nine for nine, including seven penalties.

The following week the All Blacks topped Australia in a touch defensive struggle at Brisbane. Joe Rockocoko scored the only try of the match.

Next up the Wallabies hosted South Africa at Sydney. The Springboks led at halftime 10-0 but the Aussies struggled back and pulled out a 20-18 win in the worst-played match of the Tri-Nations.

After a two-week break the season resumed with the All Blacks hosting Australia on August 1 9th• The Wallabies came out firing and led 20-11 at halftime. New Zealand then pulled off one of their legendary comebacks to triumph 34-27. Captain Richie McCaw and Dan Carter led the way with top notch performances. Australia tried to take out McCaw with some rough play. All it earned them was a five match suspension for Lote Tiquiri after his spear tackle on McCaw.

New Zealand then made the long flight to South Africa to match up with the Springboks in Pretoria on August 26th. The host team started well and scored the first eleven points but it didn't last. Momentum shifted quickly as the speedy All Blacks ran in four tries. South Africa responded with two tries but New Zealand clinched the match on a kick and chase from Jerry Collins to Rico Gear.

A rematch took place on September at Rustenberg, SA. New Zealand had a 20-18 lead close to the end when Rodney So'oialo committed a bonehead penalty and Andre Petorius kicked the three pointer right through goal. Final score SA 21 NZ 20.

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Thus ended the All Blacks fifteen match win streak and the Boks' five match losing streak.

In the final match of the Tri-Nations South Africa beat the Aussies 24-16 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Australia hasn't won a match at Ellis Park since 1963.

Next up for the All Blacks is the four-match fall tour to Europe. Head coach Graham Henry has indicated that he is through with experimenting and that most of the squad chosen for the trip should also go on to the World Cup in 2007. The boys will continue to work on team weaknesses in further preparation for next year.

New Zealand opened the European tour at the

reconstructed Twickenham Stadium in England with a

41-26 win. It was the host team's all-time worst defeat

at home. The unstoppable Ray Carter led the way with

26 points off a try, 5 penalty kicks, and 3 conversions.

The All Blacks then travel to France for two tests with Les Bleus at Lyon and Paris. The tour concludes the season with a matchup vs. Wales in Cardiff.

A combined Pacific Islands squad consisting of players from Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga will also go north for the first time in November. They will face Wales on November 11, Scotland on November 18, and Ireland on Nov. 25. Former All Black and Samoan International Pat Lam will coach the team assisted by one of Wales' all time greats Shane Howarth.

Australia and South Africa will also head to Europe, so it will be a November to remember.

One other item: New Zealand won its third consecutive Women's World Cup with a 25-17 victory over England. The Black Ferns' victory marked a 14- game winning streak

Kiwiphiles: Until next time, play on!

AMERICA'S PLAN TO INVADE NZ -

Although the document was declassified by US authorities in 1972, little has been reported up to now. Military historian Peter Corbett has published an article in the February 2002 edition of Forts and Works, a specialist military historian journal.

"To the best of my knowledge it hasn't been reported by the media, probably because they don't know about it," says Mr. Corbett, who is convinced of the document's authenticity.

The document - titled: Naval War Plan for the attack of Auckland, New Zealand - includes information on the water supply, public transport net work and climate.

Mr. Corbett says the intelligence report was compiled by the US at a time when Great Britain and Japan were allied by a treaty.

The US and Japan had potentially conflicting interests in the Pacific, he says.

"They realised that if it had come to war then they would have had to fight in these regions," he says.

And if the US had gone to war with Japan, Great Britain could have been dragged in on the side of Japan. The ports of New Zealand and Australia would then be important strategic bases, Mr. Corbett says.

Intelligence for the report was gathered during the visit of the Great White Fleet to Auckland over six days in August of 1908.

The fleet included 16 state-of-the-art battleships and visited Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Manila and Yokohama during its time in the South East Pacific.

"Basically it was a classic 'stick this in your face'. It was a demonstration to the Japanese," he says.

Conservation Department historian and archaeologist David Veart says the document was produced at a time when there was a fear of the "Yellow Peril".

"A conflict in the Pacific between Japan and America was going to happen at some stage. The Americans were playing out war game scenarios with the British all over the globe."

Mr. Corbett obtained the document from a US military historian after coming across references to the report in other documents.

"I've always been fascinated by warships and I grew up as a boy in Devonport and I suppose it had to get to me in the end," Mr. Corbett says.

The American Consulate General's office was contacted to verify the document but said it does not have "any historical expertise in this area".

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COOK'S CURE FOR SCURVY - AP

A grassy plant prized by Captain James Cook as a defence against scurvy but thought near extinction has been found growing abundantly on an island off New Zealand, protected by strong currents and sharks.

Officers from New Zealand's Department of Conservation landed by helicopter on the islet off the North Island's west coast and found a substantial colony of the type of cress called nau by Maori and scurvy grass by Cook.

The unnamed islet near Waikato district is only 150 metres from shore but made inaccessible from the mainland by currents and sharks. Conservation Department staff had waited almost 25 years for a chance to explore it by helicopter, and found the plant growing under tree cover on a sheltered part of the island.

"When Captain Cook voyaged here in 1769, the plant was recognized as a valuable source of vitamin C and was famously used as a food source for the vitamin-deprived crew," the team leader Andrea Brandon said.

ICE CREAM FOR TEN CENTS - THAT'S TIP TOP - nzpa

The classic kiwi summer treat of a Tip Top ice cream in a cone for 10c, guaranteed to melt down your hand if you take too long to eat it, is coming to a dairy near you!

Tip Top, the iconic New Zealand ice cream brand, has turned 70 years old, and current owner Fonterra lined up 13 dairies to sell ice creams for 10 cents "just like the old days".

The deal was for a single scoop from 2pm to 5pm on either Thursday or Friday while stocks lasted.

The name Tip Top is thought to have originated from a conversation on a train when Tip Top ice cream founders Len Malaghan and Albert Hayman overheard a man describing his meal as "Tip top".

Back in 1938 when it all began, the ice cream was a summer-time treat sold only from milk bars and dairies. Tip Top milk bars were an innovation and the original one was in Manners Street, Wellington.

The Eskimo Pie did not come along until the early 1950s and the first ice cream on a stick - the Topsy - was marketed soon after.

These days New Zealanders consume 1.9 million litres of milk in the form of Tip Top ice cream each year. The dairies chosen for the 10c promotion

each have their own story to tell and some of them have been selling Tip Top ice cream for 70 years.

FIORDLAND: Extended By Popular Demand -

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traverses through coastal, bush and sub-alpine terrain in Fiordland National Park.

Fiordland R&R: Our home for the next two nights, Te Anau Lodge, was originally built as a convent in 1936 in the nearby town of Nightcaps. The building was moved in to a two bectare section in Te Anau overlooking the lake in 2003. The building has been transformed into a luxury bed and breakfast but still retains many of its original features.

After dropping off my bags in my room and eyeing up the spa bath in my bathroom, I'm drawn to the roaring fire in the library. I sink into the leather couch and indulge in a guilt-free sized piece of carrot cake while gazing out towards Lake Te Anau and the mountains of Fiordland National Park.

The next morning I awake to the smell of baking bread and muffins. Breakfast is served in the chapel with its original stained glass windows. Our breakfast choices are endless, but the highlight without a doubt are our host Nikola's chocolate and banana muffins, which even the diet-conscious in our group can't resist.

Cruising the Doubtful Sound: We then head to Manapouri, the gateway to Doubtful Sound. The day is still and cloudless and there's not a ripple on the lake. Access to Doubtful Sound is in three parts. After crossing Lake Manapoun by boat, visitors take a coach over the Wilmot Pass before boarding a catamaran at Deep Cove.

The three hour cruise explores the best of Doubtful Sound's many nooks and crannies. Doubtful is the second largest of Fiordland National Park's 14 fiords. It is three times longer and ten times larger than its more famous neighbour Milford Sound. Doubtful is also known for its wildlife and our boat has a visit from a showy pod of dolphins. The engine shuts down and we watch them play in silence.

As we cruise up the arms of Doubtful Sound, the surface of the water mirrors everything we see around us. At the water's edge, it's hard to make out where the mountains stop and the water starts. The reflection of the lush native bush tricks the mind into thinking you can just carry on walking down below the water's surface.

On our way back to Deep Cove we spot two Fiordland crested penguins, the cool kids of the Sound with their punked up yellow eyebrows.

That evening we indulge at Redcliff Cafe, the small but cosy restaurant brimming with locals who had turned up

for Poetry Night. The cafe was a popular haunt for cast members of The Lord of the Rings while filming in the region and is also renowned as a live entertainment venue.

To end the day, we sink into giant plush seats at Fiordland Cinema to watch Ata Whenua - Shadowland. The half hour film, filmed by local helicopter pilot Kim Hollows over two years, takes viewers on a journey through the majesty and extremes of Fiordland. The boutique cinema was purpose-built in October 2004 to show the movie.

The film sums up Fiordland: dramatic, evocative, humbling and best viewed in the quieter seasons of spring and autumn.

READERS - From Te Ara

New Zealanders are enthusiastic readers. According to a 2002 survey, 44% of the adult population had purchased books in the previous four weeks, and 39% had visited locally funded public libraries. They are encouraged by organizations like the New Zealand Book Council, and by local events and national festivals such as the Listener Women's Book Festival and the biennial New Zealand Post Readers and Writers Week.

KIWIphile FILE needs your stories. If you've visited New Zealand recently (or long ago), other readers will enjoy whatever you have to say. Thanks.

KlWlphile FILE
Published quarterly by Eva Trapani

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