Volume Ill, Number 4

JUNE 1991

(-phile: {Greek--philos, loving} meaning one who loves, likes, or is favorably disposed to, Webster)

NEW ZEALAND WELCOME MAT

Towns and cities throughout New Zealand are rolling out the welcome mat to visitors by opening up Visitor Information Offices clearly identified with the internationally recognized "i" symbol.

So far there are some 30 offices scattered throughout New Zealand's two main islands. By year's end there will be twice this number.

Staffed by enthusiastic "locals" keen to help visitors, the information offices are open long hours. They are well stocked with brochures about where to stay, what to do, what to see, and where to eat in the area. Much of the material is free, and many offices also supply extensive data on neighboring districts.

For further information about vacationing in NZ, plus a list of the Visitor Information Offices, please contact:

New Zealand Tourism Office

501 Santa Monica Blvd #300

Santa Monica CA 90401

Ph: (213) 395-7480 / (800) 388-5494

HIGH SPEED FERRY

The New Zealand Rail Board has announced the strong possibility of a multimillion dollar high-speed ferry, perhaps a catamaran, to supplement the present ferries. The new ship would cut the present 3-hour crossing time in half. The cost of this new ferry could go up to NZ$90,000,000 and would carry about 450 passengers.

AUCKLAND ISLANDS OPENING TO CONTROLLED TOURISM

A NZ Department of Conservation spokesman has said there is a dramatic world-wide increase in wildlife tours.

"But every single person who lands on the Auckland Islands puts the islands at risk. So we have to control tourism while recognizing it."

The Aucklands, consisting of three small islands, are 320 kilometres south of Stewart Island, which is itself located below the end of NZ's South Island. Few New Zealanders have ever seen these lonely, windswept islands which have in the past been visited only by scientific expeditions.

During the summer of 1990 the NZ Navy sent a hydrographic ship, the Monowal, to chart for the first time in history much of the coastline and inlets of the islands. Up to now only 500 visitors have been allowed to land each summer at the only two safe anchorages on Auckland Island, but the plan is to make possible the landing of 500 additional people each tourist season in the future.

Peter Usher, commanding officer of, the Monowai, took with him an old chart drawn from a few soundings made by a sailing ship seeking shelter there about 130 years ago. Most other charts used were from sketch surveys made by mid-1800's whalers.

Enderby, the smallest of the three islands, has the richest wildlife. The Conservation Department hopes to remove pressure from Enderby by opening alternative landing places for visitors on much larger Auckland Island. The proposed sites do not have as much wildlife, but are valuable areas with a lake and the most southerly tree ferns in the world.

While the survey took place, Department Department

staffers and scientists disembarked

native albatross as well as the Hooker sea lions which are under threat from squid trawl nets in the surrounding oceans.

Eradication programs took place also of goats, wild pigs and much of the cattle population which are overrunning the islands. These are what remain of animals placed there by early whalers attempting to settle the islands, or in the case of the goats, landed there to serve as food for shipwrecked sailors in the mid- 1800's. It was expected that some of the younger cattle would be brought to the NZ mainland in order to preserve the island's species of the English shorthorn.

SEA LION SANCTUARY

Earth Island Journal reports that the NZ Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society is proposing a marine mammal sanctuary to protect the Hooker sea lion. The protected area would extend 60 nautical miles (70 miles) around the Auckland Islands, the principal breeding area for the animals--the world's rarest sea lion species.

The surviving 5500-6300 Hooker's sea lions are dying in the nets of the squid fishery at the rate of 100 a year. Net trawling would be banned within the sanctuary and replaced with line fishing techniques that would result in fewer sea lion deaths.

VOICE OF A KIWI - by Richard Croft

From Greymouth it is a pleasant drive alongside the Tasman across the coastal flats to Hokitika. On the way a worthwhile diversion can be made to spend a few hours in Shantytown, a reconstruction of a typical old gold town complex, where you can even try your luck at panning for gold. At Kumara Junction, Hwy 73, the main route to Christchurch and the east coast 150 miles away, branches off, following the broad-bedded Taramakau River to Otira and through the Southern Alps via Arthur's Pass at 3,000 feet. Hokitika prided itself on being the "Capital of the goldfields" for a time. In fact, it was the Westland capital in the brief period of provincial government before these were abolished and the central government established in Wellington.

Later in the century dredging the alluvial gold from the riverbeds enjoyed a boom and by 1903 there were over 60 dredges working in the area. Today there is only one, but you can still see in many places the unsightly mounds of gavel tailings stretching for miles. Fossickers abound, and it is rumoured that many of them manage to accumulate a sizeable cache among the nooks and crannies of the quiet little streams and pools. Others pick up a variety of nuggets along the rivermouth beaches. Maurice said, as an impoverished Irishman, that he wouldn't mind finding a couple of small ones to build up his depleted bank account.

Hokitika's golden days are long gone and its river port, once the busiest in the colony, closed many years ago. Stand by the river today at the bottom end of broad Revell St., the main thoroughfare, and imagine if you can dozens of vessels lining the quay up to four deep. But the casualties were great also as the little ships tried perilously to negotiate the narrow channel. There was a thriving trade in trying to refloat the beached ones. Beachcombers and salvagers abounded among the wrecks. The friendly little town of 4,000 people is the last major habitation for over 250 miles and so plays host to the itinerant tourists who travel the West Coast Road. It is also the centre of "Te Wahi Poumanu", the place of greenstone. Qreenstone is the name given to nephrite or jade. The stone took the place of hard metals in the Maoris' stone culture, and was used for making adzes, chisels and weapons as well as ornaments and pendants, etc. Nephrite is found in the upper reaches of the nearby Taramakau and Arahura Rivers, washed down from the mountains. Diamond saws are needed to work the blocks, and three factories operating in the town invite visitors to watch the process, and perhaps purchase some of the beautiful finished jewelry with its high intrinsic value.

Two days doesn't seem long enough to take in the town's atmosphere and its lovely hinterland of lakes, forests, rivers and streams, but I am always impatient to make for the real jewels of Westland--the Glaciers. As you drive south past trout-filled lakes along the narrowing shelf, there is a feeling of being gradually hemmed in against the escarpment. Finally you emerge from the dense forest into a clearing where the tiny settlement of Franz Josef lies, virtually underneath the ramparts of the Alpine chain. Visitors have a choice of staying in various types of accommodations, either here or 15 miles further down the road at the Fox. Both make excellent bases for viewing the glaciers, or even walking on them. For energetic bush- walkers there are many fine trails where you can spend anything from a half hour to a full day among the giant primeval podocarps, ferns, mosses and lichens, but take a waterproof jacket and some stout footwear. Each of the glaciers is about 8 miles long, dropping from 8,500 ft. to 1,000 ft. above sea level, then disintegrating into a mixture of broken ice and "rock flour" milky water which races off down to the sea 12 miles away. They retreat and advance with variations in snowfall and climatic changes. The Fox Glacier is considered to be the most accessible and on a clear day it is easy to linger for many hours taking in the majesty of the surroundings. If you have time and the money, wait for a fine sunny day and take the scenic helicopter flight up into the Alps. Under suitable conditions the pilot may land you on the snow for a short walk. It is something you will never forget. If you get a really fine, windless day and preferably just after daybreak, go down to the mirror lake, tiny Lake Matheson, and see the reflections of Mounts Cook and Tasman. Then carry on with a two- hour nature walk around the lake edge back to the car park. The steep rain forests attract heavy and frequent falls-

over 200 inches a year in fact, especially in spring and summer. Don't be surprised now and again to see the heavens open up in a sudden deluge.

Maurice decided to stay over at Franz Josef while I moved on to the Fox for a few days. Could Cynthia be in the area? Who knows? I am sorry to lose his company, but the open road beckons. I leave on one of those perfect, still summer days with just a hint of frost in the air. The sun, although still low in the eastern sky, is beginning to transform the stark outlines of the rocky mountain faces into a paler grey. The snow blankets the tops like a creamy white blancmange. I stop frequently along the highway to take in the views: to watch a greeny-grey snow-fed river roaring along its boulder-strewn course, to stroll in a cool grove of luxuriant native forest, or just to sit with a picnic snack alongside one of several gentian blue lakes. Later with the sun well up in a pale blue sky, the mountains seem to be more benign, less formidable. The powdery-blue-grey shades predominate but bely the suddenness with which a spiteful southerly blizzard can spill a torrent of rain and a fresh blanket of snow at just about any time of the year. It is also not unusual in this remote wilderness to be enveloped with a sense of isolation. Again and again I feel dwarfed and humbled by the grandeur of the place.

Several hours later the half mile long truss bridge spanning the Haast is in view. This is where you leave the West Coast to head inland towards the Haast Pass which gives access to the east into the province of Otago. For 25 miles the road swings up a magnificent wide valley and then turns sharply south for the climb up through the lovely soft tracery foliage of lowland beeches to the rapids near the source of the Haast River. Savour as long as you can the tranquility of the scene at the bridge before negotiating the rugged pass--once the greenstone route of the Maori tribes--and then the gentle descent down the Makarora Valley into pastoral country. In the distance is the northern arm of Lake Wanaka. The contrast is startling: from the verdure of the West Coast in a few short miles you are transplanted into a totally different environment. From where rain could be measured in feet, here in a good year they expect about 10-15 inches. The air is clear, brittle and bracing, the landscape bare and austere, the summers hot and dry and the winters cold and frosty. These lake beds were gouged by ancient glacial action. On this journey, Lake Wanaka on a fine afternoon wore a brilliant rich sapphire hue, but it changes throughout the day and the seasons. The pretty little lakeside town of Wanaka is the stepping-off place for a large range of leisure activities based on the lake, but a major attraction is the Mount Aspiring National Park some 20 miles to the west. The jagged, snowy 9,400 ft. peak of Aspiring presents quite a challenge to even experienced mountaineers, and there are endless miles of sub-alpine tramping tracks to tempt the outdoor enthusiast.

I booked into the local youth hostel and there on the notice board amongst a large assortment of messages was a small pink slip with a few cryptic words saying that "she" had stayed there for a few days but had to move on. Yes, it was from Cynthia! I wondered where Maurice was at this moment.

The super clear air makes central Otago a star- gazer's paradise. Behold the firmament. Reach out with your hand. You can almost touch the stars beneath their velvet backdrop. Along with two friendly Californians I spent several hours in the crisp night air trying to identify some of the constellations: the Southern Cross, Orion and, hey, there's old Venus the lodestar, twinkling away, pristine and superior. The myriad stars that comprise the galaxies glitter in a sort of unison. I feel so insignificant, and as though I am one with the universe.

***(Editor's note: On page 5 of the March issue where an "intriguing short cut to St. Arnaud" is described-- Richard Croft offers this additional information: "instead of the gravel of 88 Valley Rd., go on to Beigrove turnoff and a lovely sealed drive also takes you up to Golden Downs".)

AMERICAN GOLD STRIKE

(from Queenstown Mountain Scene)

"The happiest visitors to Queenstown this past month must be a couple of young American guys who left with 23 ounces of gold. These latterday William Foxes, who asked for anonymity, cruised into Mike Terry's second-hand shop, bought a gold pan each, and checked with Mike about prospecting prospects.

"I gave them a few places where they could at least find a bit of colour.

"The duo (who'd picked up three ounces by the Yukon four years ago in their only previous search for gold) must have been bitten by the bug, as two days later they returned to buy a tent. 'They said they'd found a nice spot by the Arrow River.'

"This was on a Thursday. The following Tuesday they came back with enough gold to fill half a refrigerator drip tray. Mike weighed the pieces into two eleven and half ounce lots.

"The largest nugget is half thumb size, and weighs two and three-quarter ounces.

"The goldminers explained that they'd dug down a metre at one spot, and found the tell-tale black sand. Looking up, one of them saw a big boulder about three metres above the river, with a large crack in it. Their curiosity aroused, they took to it with a willow branch, and scraped out a couple of nuggets, or half an ounce's worth.

"One of the guys then walked 45 minutes into Arrowtown (sorry, no more directions, folks), and bought a piece of reinforcing steel. With that they spent an hour scraping out the entire crack, to loosen another 22 1/2 ounces.

"Mike says they still hadn't worked out what to

do with their booty when they left town recently.

"On Monday this week Betty Ward from Wakatipu Gold was paying $610 Kiwi for an ounce at gold.

"Which makes the goidminers' strike worth

NZ$14,000 (US$9,000)."

HAMILTON, NZ, HUB OF RICH

PASTORAL REGION

Hamilton, with a population of 95,000, is the fifth largest metropolitan area in New Zealand.

The city is the hub of one of the world's richest pastoral regions, the province of Waikato - a native New Zealand Maori word meaning "full flowing river".

Hamilton began as a military settlement last century. In the early days the main industry was the production of fiber from native flaxes growing on the banks of the wide Waikato River which flows through the center of the city.

Today Hamilton's life blood comes from the surrounding highly productive agricultural and farming districts. While dairying provides the Waikato's traditional wealth, in recent times goat and deer farms have sprung up, while acres of rich land have been turned over to the production of vegetables and fruits, including the ubiquitous kiwi.

Frequently called the "Fountain City" in recognition of the many fine water fountains dotted around the town, Hamilton is home to the world renowned Ruakura Agricultural and Soil and Plant Research Stations, as well as the well-respected University of Waikato.

The city bustles to meet the needs of locals and visitors alike, offering a variety of accommodations, restaurants and shops. Popular purchases include hand- knit sweaters, hand-made pottery and other cottage crafts, along with wines, cheeses and honey produced in the area.

A series of scenic and historical walkways criss- cross the city, wending their way through lush riverside parkland and along the shoreline of Hamilton Lake, a popular spot for swimming, sailing and picnics. Walkers, joggers and skateboarders blend with the more relaxed visitors, and the wildlife--swans, ducks, geese, and waterfowl.

The majority of the nearly 200,000 Americans who vacationed in NZ last year visited Hamilton and the Waikato. Many took the opportunity to spend a night or two on a farm, sampling down home Kiwi hospitality and even helping out with the chores.

Farmstay vacations were pioneered in the Waikato more than a decade ago by Helen Hicks, today Managing Director of Rural Tours based in Cambridge, which matches up visitors with any one of 120 host families.

Perhaps the most famous of tourist attractions in

the Waikato is the Waitomo Caves which every day welcome visitors "down under" quite literally. The most popular cavern is the Glowworm Cave, the ceiling of which is dotted with the lights of millions of tiny glowworms. Like stars on a dark, clear night, the little creatures shine brightly for admirers from around the globe who float beneath In boats carried through the cave on an underground stream.

In other parts of the extensive sub-terranean network, the adventurous are led on the thrill of a lifetime. This is whitewater rafting with the lights out--known as blackwater rafting. Rafters clad in wetsuits and crash helmets bedecked with miners' lamps are swept through underground streams and splashed dowA waterfalls. When the ordeal is over they are rewarded with bowls of steaming pumpkin soup and hot buttered toast.

Visitors not afraid of the dark, but with more respect for their pacemakers, should visit the dim interiors of the kiwi house at the nearby Otorohanga Zoological Gardens and Aviary. The kiwi house turns day into night, deceiving the nocturnal bird into coming out for all to see its strange, shaggy shape and long, slim beak as it forages for worms, bugs and beetles. Other inhabitants at the zoo include the rare tuatara lizard, a relic of the dinosaur age.

The Waikato is rich in the history of the native Maori peoples and the Europeans who settled in New Zealand last century. The province abounds with museums and meeting houses containing priceless collections, with the star attraction being Te Awamutu Museum's "uenuku". This distinctive carving is a pronged wooden fence post in which legend says a protective spirit lives. It was a feature of the Te Maori exhibition which toured the US several years ago.

A number of the Maori artifacts on display in Waikato museums have been presented by the Maori queen, Dame Te Atarangikaahu, who lives at Ngaruawahia, some 12 miles north of Hamilton on the main road to Auckland.

Her Ngaruawahia home is the scene of many Maori festivities through the year, in particular the Ngaruawahia Regatta which is held on the nearest Saturday to St. Patrick's Day. Crowds gather on the banks of the swirling Waikato River to watch heavily tattooed Maori "warriors" race their elaborately carved war canoes. On terra firma, groups from throughout New Zealand entertain with traditional Maori songs and dances.

Visitors wanting a taste of New Zealand farmlife, but without the time to overnight with a rural family, should visit Farmworld, south of Hamilton at Mystery Creek. Displays show why New Zealand is at the forefront of world agriculture.

Apart from giving dairy cows, sheep and goats a lush green larder, the Waikato also nurtures a race horse breeding industry with a worldwide reputation, Show- piece ranches welcome visitors, and there is a race meeting or some other equine event every week of the year.

The other kind of "greens" attracting visitors and locals alike are to be found on the Waikato's 40-plus golf courses. The prime course is Hamilton's St. Andrew's, named after the original in Scotland.

Throughout the Waikato, the pride in home and garden is a visual delight to visitors. Vast tracts of native forest form natural backdrops for imported exotics including colorful conifers, rhododendrons, camellias, magnolias and the ever-present groves of roses.

But undoubtedly the most cherished memories Americans will bring home will be of the open warmth and friendship of the Waikato people.

KIWI LETTER BOX

Since my husband and I own a motorhome and do a lot of camping in the US, renting a campervan during our NZ holiday was perfect. We were amazed at how much nicer their campgrounds are than most of ours.

New Zealand campgrounds are privately owned, and the owners take time to make sure their guests are comfortable. Quite often they would help us choose a site, hook up our electricity for us, and give us information on what to see and do in the area.

All the campgrounds were clean and the campsites were on grass with flowers and trees. All of the campgrounds had toilets, showers and kitchens. Most of them had laundry and TV rooms, and a lot of them had swimming pools and spas. The prices were also great. The last few years we've been paying $22 to $28 a night here in the US, and the nicest campgrounds there were only US$10.

There's a group called "The Top Ten" campgrounds throughout North and South Islands, and each time you stay at one of their campgrounds you are given a coupon good for one dollar off the next Top Ten campground you select.

Our favorite was "DeBrett's Thermal Pools and Campground" in Taupo. The owners were very helpful and the facility was excellent, with the added bonus of the use of their lovely thermal pools.

An excellent B&B we visited was "The Rafters" at Ohope Beach on North Island. Pat and Maris Rafter's home sits on the beach overlooking White Island, an active volcano. They offer two separate, self-contained units with a private entrance and a gorgeous view. The dinner they served us was one of the best we had in the entire country. They're both charming, friendly people. We would have enjoyed staying a lot longer. Our stay there was a definite plus on our holiday.

The Rafters, 261A Pohutakawa Ave.,

P.O. Box 3101,

Ohope NZ (076)24856.

Wairere Downs is a deer and sheep farm where we spent a lovely night. Roger and Colleen Mehrtens were gracious hosts, preparing a wonderful dinner, taking us on a tour of their farm, and really letting us share in

their life. They're only about an hour and 1/2 from Christchurch and near to Mt. Hull for skiing.

Wairere Downs, Staveley, Sawmill Road,

ultimately branch out to other areas of NZ. I think your readers would be interested.

small (8 or 16 people)...non-golfers welcome.

Thanks for your cooperation, and keep up the good work.

Stuart Douglas, Fore Golf Hawaii

(Ed.--New Zealand Golf Tours includes 7 nights at first class motel, 6 breakfasts, all ground transportation, round trip air fares--Honolulu to Auckland to Honolulu, Auckland Harbor dinner cruise, 7 rounds of golf--cost $2,900 per person, double occupancy. Write or call Stuart for further details and reservations: Stuart Douglas, 73- 1150 Oluolu St., Kailua-Kona, HI 96740--ph, (800)729-1490)

SOUTH ISLAND VISIT - Part 3

by Mike Giannone, New Jersey

There is a "trig" (surveyor's spot) viewpoint a few miles down the road towards Gillespie's Beach and I got up early enough to watch the sun come up over the mountains. It was chilly, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky, which is fairly typical for Westland mornings. A build-up of cloud cover during the day is also typical, so an early start is best in this area. Even though Linda and I had been here before, we really didn't need Amy's novice status to entice us back. On earlier trips we had stayed in Franz Josef and while the FJ glacier is not to be missed, we found more to do near Fox (as you will see). The areas are close enough to each other that either one can serve as a base of operations for this region.

You can thoroughly enjoy this area without spending a lot of money, but if you have hoarded some extra cash, this is a good place to use it for "aerial support". The forecast was for increasing clouds and it seemed like a good idea to take the morning Mt. Cook Airlines flight to the "top". There are several different types of flights available, the best being the one that gives a full tour and includes a glacier landing (NZ$1501 person). Pilot Andrea fired up the ski-equipped Cessna and off we went. Flying up the glacial valley and over the face of Fox Glacier, totally surrounded by 2000m+ peaks, cannot be adequately described. The Fox glacial landing field is over 1500m high and is in the shadow of Mt. Tasman (3497m) and Mt. Cook (3764m). It was too icy to land (based on previous landings, I can assure you that the experience is fantastic!), so the pilot gave us an extra bonus: several circles around the summit of Mt. Cook ("shutteritis" again). After further exploration along the mountain chain and Franz Josef glacier, it was back to Fox base. This flight is a little over an hour long (usually 20 minutes on the glacier) and you will remember it for a lifetime. Amy came off the plane in animated discussion with Andrea. Seems she had decided on a new vocation-- alpine pilot!

After lunch at the cafe in the Alpine Guides HQ (good food), we set out for Franz Josef, about a half-hour

drive north on Rt. 6 (and what seems like thousands of curves). From the air the glaciers looked like they had advanced since our last trip in 1988 and we were eager to verify this on the ground. More tour buses stop at FJ than Fox, therefore there are more accommodations and, of course, more people. However, to reach the face of FJ glacier requires an hour hike beyond the parking lot, and this tends to eliminate most of the crowd. As we set off, we noticed that the path and the Waiho River were following different courses, and that the walk was not as easy as it had been. As we got closer to the face, the changes were even more dramatic, with examples such as the complete absence of the swing briçlge we had walked across in 1988 (it had been swept 'away). This culminated as we approached the face--200 feet higher and a quarter-mile further down the valley! Even though it is definitely NOT recommended (and dangerous), several people were directly at the terminal face, and Linda and Amy decided to Join them. I stayed back to record this on film for the board of inquiry. Amy, who apparently had been dropped on her head as a child, had a great time leaping from rock to rock on the edges of the Waiho as it emerged from under the glacier, and Linda gathered up a foot-long "ice-cube" as a souvenir (it lasted for a couple of weeks in the chilly-bin). For travelers needing supplies, the Glacier Store and Tearooms in FJ is the most well-equipped store in either town. We returned to Fox and checked in, finally, at the A-1

(NZ$80).

The A-1 is a nice place to set up base, as most units have a fully equipped kitchen, private bathroom (w/ shower), two bedrooms, and living room. There are also laundry facilities on site and "Jake" the Pit Bull. Don't worry, Jake must have lost his Pit Bull union card a long, long time ago, since he makes sheep look ferocious by comparison. The next morning, with Amy's appetite for glaciers whetted, we signed up for the Alpine Guides' hell-hike on Fox Glacier. This is another pricey adventure (NZ$150/person) that is worth the effort and expense. In two trips, the helicopter deposited the three of us, four Australians, and our guide Ed Nepia on the Victoria Flats portion of Fox. He then led us across the mid-range of the glacier, through ice tunnels, and skirting "bottomless" crevasses, and drinking from crystalline pools, all under a cloudless sky and a temperature that made us glad we wore shorts. We were only able to see the mist cloud from "Victoria Falls". In normal times this waterfall drops several hundred feet onto the edge of Fox. The glacier had added over 400 feet in thickness over the past couple of years, so now the top of the water "fall" is below the surface of the glacier. Three hours never went by so quickly, until the thumping of the pick-up helicopter coming up the valley brought us back to reality.

As if glacier-hiking was not enough exercise, Amy and Linda decided to walk towards Gillespie's Beach (15 kms) to burn off lunch's calories. I said I would follow by car, after my mandatory social call to the local fire

department. Chief Ray Gawn's department consists of one fully-equipped pumper and eight firefighters and we discussed the common problems of rural fire protection. Of course the next fire company on my southern border is not 125 kms away! What made this conversation even more interesting is that Ray had spent WWU at the Curtis Wright factory near Paterson, New Jersey (my birthplace), and even though I didn't exist until after the war, I was able to bring him up to date on a few of the changes in the last 45 years. Ray still had fond memories of relaxing at Asbury Park long before Bruce Springsteen ever plucked a guitar. Is this world small, or what?

After the normal exchange of fire department mementos, I set off to catch up with my family. They had really gotten quite far, but still were thankful for the lift as we continued towards Gillespie's Beach. Seeing the Tasman Sea and the endless expanse of beach was quite a shock for Amy, especially having spent the morning walking on a river ot ice. This was briefly a gold rush area, and a few rusting relics can be found here and there among the dunes. On a previous trip, Linda and I had walked the two hours to the seal "colony", but no one told us that in summer only a few adolescent males were still around. This trip we just took a shorter hike to the lagoon outlet. Good thing. Amy started to complain of tenderness, and soon became the color of a boiled Maine lobster below the thighs. Reminder: those who walk on very, very white glaciers in the bright sun and come from the dead of winter in the Northern Hemisphere should wear sunbiock until the skin has acclimated itself. It was partially my fault for not warning her. NZ air is very free of pollutants, and the infrared rays really come through down here, especially on beaches, the water, or alpine snowfields. Those with fair skins, beware!

We gingerly guided Amy back to the car and returned to the A-i where cold wet towels were greatly appreciated. After a great dinner I realized that in the confusion we had skipped one of our favorite walks: the path around Lake Matheson for the "View of Views". Linda declined my invitation and, as the sun was going down, I started on the walk that winds its way through the bush along the lakeshore. In the twilight the forest took on a totally different look than on previous daylight excursions. The ever-present bird population had disappeared and the only sounds were my boots on the raised boardwalk, and my huffing and puffing as I tried to get to the viewpoint before all light was lost. I cut the normal 45 minute walk to 20 minutes and reached the overlook while the Alps were being tinged with the red of the dying sun. There was enough light to see a dimmed version of the famed reflection in the still waters of the lake below, but it was beyond the capabilities of my camera. This was going to be a personal image within my own head. After a long look, I reluctantly continued the walk and, in the deepening gloom, managed to find my way back to the parking lot. It was too bad that Linda had passed this up, but for all of us, the visit to this special area

of Westland had been a memorable success.

THE NEXT INSTALLMENT - QUEENSTOWN AREA, FIORDLAND(maybe), DUNEDIN, STEWART ISLAND.

BITS AND BITES

• Two giant American airlines have made application to the US Dept. of Transportation for routes which would include NZ and Australia. The two are Northwest and Delta.

• According to the NZ Dept. of Statistics, over 54,000 North American tourists visited NZ during the last 3 months of 1990. This number represents a 9% increase over the same period the year before.

• In parts of NZ, it is said that flowers are already changing color because of the damage to the ozone layer which has resulted in increased amounts of ultraviolet.

• Are you aware that two of the top TV reporters at the scene of the recent Persian Gulf war were New Zealanders? CNN's Peter Arnett was the world's sole source of news from Baghdad for many weeks. Tom Aspell of NBC, another New Zealander, covered the civil war in Lebanon, the Iran-Iraq war, and the invasion of Kuwait.

• Call the NZ Tourism Office (800) 388-5494 for your copy of the 20-page New Zealand Best Value Book. It lists and describes the leading travel companies serving NZ-bound travelers.

AMERICANS IN PARADISE (No. 8 in a series)

Deborah and Mike Long from Chicago, Illinois, knew immediately...' "Christchurch, that's the one! Small, with country atmosphere, yet it has everything."

Each time Debbie goes back to America she realizes she belongs in New Zealand, but she'll always be a foreigner. She accepts that. Nevertheless, on the whole it's easy to live among the Kiwis, she tells us. They're kind and polite, almost overly polite. It takes awhile for them to warm up. She finds New Zealanders are very tolerant, and sophisticated about what's going on in the rest of the world.

Mike Long built the first data base for his company in the United States, and was brought down to do the same for New Zealand banks. Debbie, an executive secretary, has a background in service and public relations.

They moved to NZ after having a son in Chicago, who is now 12. Their 4-year-old boy, born here, has dual citizenship, and is all Kiwi. His has his own very American way.

All he can think about is moving to America.

Debbie says, "I'm going to lose my children, I know that. She consoles herself with the idea that her Sons will return to NZ to have their own children.

Debbie and Mike plan to live in Christchurch

permanently. Debbie told us the only thing that might make her leave NZ would be if there was ever real dissension between the two countries. New Zealanders seem to be very "understanding" about the American attitude toward the Kiwi anti-nuclear policy, she says.

The only thing Mike misses from America is the fast food. He speaks of Chicago as being in the great "mid-waste." The couple traveled a lot when they were first married. They soon realized they didn't want to settle down in the US to raise a family. When they read James Michener's Return to Paradise along with other books about New Zealand, they felt the country might have everything that appealed to them. That feeling hasn't changed.

They bought a house from a US-bound Kiwi. The house was one of New Zealand's "state" houses. State houses were built during the 1930's depression by a new Housing Department, with the mission of putting roofs over heads. Emphasis was on high standards, and most of the State houses have improved with age. The Longs knew right away they would have to remodel the house. But in New Zealand "no one" adds on to a State house. It just isn't done. Everyone thought the Longs were crazy, and watched their rebuilding with critical curiosity. Now, Debbie says with amusement, others are following their example. The Long house is in a serene setting, across a quiet road from the winding, tree-shaded river.

Both feel that America is far too conservative, and quite insular. People in NZ seem to them to be less puritanical. They pick up new ideas quickly, and the Kiwi women wear almost anything and are fashionable because there are so many different inputs from around the world.

Debbie feels her family eats better than most American families do because she has had to learn to do more cooking from scratch, prepared foods being less available. She suggests that migrating Americans bring good cookbooks with them.

Another warning from Debbie: New Zealand homes tend to be cold inside, without central heating. "Everyone in NZ knows what chilblains are!" The condition (swellings on the feet) comes from putting chilled feet too close to the fire too many times.

Culture shock? Mike Long finds returning to the US the greater shock. It takes him a full two weeks to get used to the old ways. They both advise Americans planning to live in NZ to "get America off your back."

Debbie asks, "Why would people spend all that money to come down here and then expect it to be like America? Look at the move as a great adventure."

MOAS AND MAORIS - (From Following The Equator.

A Journey Around The World, by Mark Twain, pub. 1897

Also we saw a complete skeleton of the giant

Moa. It stood ten feet high, and must have been a sight to look at when it was a living bird. It was a kicker, like the ostrich; in fight it did not use its beak, but its foot. It must have been a convincing kind of kick. If a person had his back to the bird and did not see who it was that did it, he would think he had been kicked by a wind-mill.

There must have been a sufficiency of moas in the old forgotten days when his breed walked the earth. His bones are found in vast masses, all crammed together in huge graves. They are not in caves, but in the ground. Nobody knows how they happened to get concentrated there. Mind, they are bones, not fossils. This means that the moa has not been extinct very long. Still, this is the only New Zealand creature which has no mention in that otherwise comprehensive literature, the native legends. This is a significant detail, and is good circumstantial evidence that the moa has been extinct 500 years, since the Maori has himself--by tradition--been in New Zealand since the end of the fifteenth century. He came from an unknown land--the first Maori did--then sailed back in his canoe and brought his tribe, and they removed the aboriginal peoples into the sea and into the ground and took the land. That is the tradition. That that first Maori could come, is understandable, for anybody can come to a place when he isn't trying to; but how that discoverer found his way back home again without a compass is his secret, and he died with it in him. His language indicates that he came from Polynesia. He where he came from, but he couldn't spell well, so one can't find the place on the map, because people who could spell better than he could, spelt the resemblance all out of it when they made the map. However, it is better to have a map that is spelt right than one that has information in it.

(Will be continued)

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