Volume XIV, No.4

JUNE 2002

AOTEAROA "Land of the Long White Cloud"

New Zealand is a comma at the end of the Earth, a pause between east and west, warm and cold, one day and the next. Like the koru swirl of a fern tree, it ends and begins, and you feel its push and pull as you explore its awe-inspiring land and waters. For us, it's the end of our spring season here, but it's the beginning of one last adventure along its tropical Northland coasts.

Through our journeys south to north over two islands and a thousand miles, we've come to know Aotearoa as more than its literal Maori translation:

"Land of the Long White Cloud." New Zealand means wonder, discovery, wild beauty, and remoteness— everything we look for.

The Long White Cloud: This North Island sky feature occurs when the rough seas and surf hit the blunt West Coast. Moisture gathers in the air, evaporates and forms a long white cloud that parallels the shape and length of the shoreline.

(From The Territory Ahead, www.territoryahead.com)

NZ TALL SHIP VISIT TO JAPAN AND USA

The tall ship, R. Tucker Thompson, which is normally based in the Bay of Islands, will be sailing down the West Coast of America after a visit to Japan.

It is New Zealand's only ship participating in the West Coast Tall Ship Challenge, a festival of sail that will see it sail down the West Coast of America starting in Richmond, British Columbia, and then the West Coast USA calling in at Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego after which it sails back to New Zealand.

The ship is hoping for support from the US based Kiwis and are trying to contact as many of them ds possible to let them know of the grand adventure. To fund the trip, they have berths for sale for passages down the coast and they will be participating in festivals in the ports above.

There will be the opportunity to host evening receptions on board while it is in port, so if you are interested in having a function on board, make contact via the R. Tucker Thompson website:

http://www.tucker.co.nz

The itinerary is:

26-30 Jun 02 Yokahama Festival 5 days

01-31 Jul 02 Yokahama to Port Alberni 30 days

31 Jul-03 Aug 02 Port Alberni Fest. 3 days

03-07 Aug 02 Port Alberni to Richmond 4 day

08-12 Aug 02 Richmond Festival 4 days

12-15 Aug 02 Race Richmond-Seattle 3 days

15-19 Aug 02 Seattle Festival 4 days

20-27 Aug 02 Race Seattle-SanFrancisco 8 days

28 Aug-02 Sep 02 San Francisco Fest. 5 days

02-06 Sep 02 Race San Fran.-Los Angeles 4 days

06-10 Sep 02 Los Angeles Festival 4 days

10-11 Sep 02 Los Angeles-San Diego 2 days

12-16 Sep 02 San Diego Festival 4 days

18 Sep—13 Nov 02 San Diego-New Zealand 45 days.

Also if you are interested in sailing back to New Zealand later this year as part of the crew, also make contact via their site.

(From KIWINEWS The Real Kiwi Homepage - http://www.kiwinews.co.nz)

STEWART ISLAND NATIONAL PARK CREATED - NZPA

The creation of Rakiura National Park will protect Stewart Island's untouched natural and scenic beauty for future generations, according to Prime Minister Helen Clark.

It is New Zealand's 14th national park.

"Stewart Island is one of the largest islands in the world where natural features are relatively unchanged by human contact," Miss Clark said.

The park covers 157,000ha and 85 per cent of the island, excluding a buffer zone around Halfmoon Bay township, private and Maori-owned lands and public roads.

With its unspoiled soggy native forest, windswept granite mountains and wild beach coastline, Rakiura National Park is more untouched than any other park or part of New Zealand, according to conservation experts.

It is also the world's southernmost national park.

It is the only national park where weka, kaka and kiwi are relatively safe because there are no stoats, ferrets and weasels.

BEER AND BUGS ALFRESCO AT WILDFOODS FESTIVAL - NZ Herald

The makers of tummy-settling potions would have done a roaring trade at the recent Hokitika Wildfoods festival.

"This year we had more wild and wonderful food stalls than ever but it can take its toll on the tummy," organiser Mike Keenan said after an record crowd of more than 20,000 attended the event.

Plenty of bush remedies were available to take care of delicate constitutions, including manuka- flavoured tea at the Billy Tea stall. Elsewhere, belly dancers showed how to shake up the gourmet bush tucker.

Sacred Monteith's beer flowed like mothers' milk and visitors queued to drink firewater shot into the mouth from a drench gun.

Others queued at the Crouching Grasshopper Hidden Peanut stall to sample insects in peanut sauce.

More traditional titbits included huhu grubs and mountain oysters, otherwise known as rams' testicles.

But whitebait was still the most popular meal the day and two stalls sold more than 130kg of them.

People came from all over New Zealand and there was a big presence from Britain.

More than $1.2 million would have been spent at the festival and about $4 million brought into the region.

CBS television from the United States and Channel 10 from Australia filmed the goings-on at the festival.

They had plenty of material. Many of the festival-goers were as eccentric as the foods, including a group of tilers from Christchurch who turned up in nuns' habits and danced up a storm.

THE EARLY VISITORS - As early as the 1840s, New Zealand was the source of curiosity and the subject of many a travel writer, journalist and novelist intrigued by the new colony.

"... the whole panorama seemed to possess an unearthly beauty, delicate, ephemeral, veiled by some mysterious light. To make the moment perfect there were larks above my head, singing as if the magic of that sunset inspired their song." Zane Grey

Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope was amazed by the Pink and White Terraces and Mark Twain was captivated by the "New Zealand Switzerland". Samuel Butler even borrowed from the Southern Alps terrain for his famous Victorian satire Erewhon.

On the South Island: "(it is) mainly populated by Scots, their sheep and the Devil's own high winds..." On Auckland: "Last, loneliest, loveliest, exquisite, apart" (from The Song of Cities poem).

On Wellington: "Wellington opened another world of kindly people, more homogenous, it struck me, than the Australian, large, long-eyelashed, and extraordinarily good-looking."

(Editor: How fortunate those early visitors were—to have seen New Zealand in more pristine days. Ever increasing numbers of visitors to the country have left their mark over the years, and this lovely land, so full of fragile treasures, is not what it was even twenty years ago when I first visited there.

But long before the days of Mark Twain and Zane Grey, New Zealand was trouble. Before the arrival of the Polynesians, the land was covered with trees from coast to coast and up mountainsides. Most of the vast forests were destroyed. Then there were the Maori wars, tribe to tribe, and later clashes with the European arrivals. From the 1790s onward New Zealand was exploited for its timber and seals, flax and whales.

Now this beautiful land and its citizens are threatened by other forces, by rampant tourism, by television (much of it from America), by the film industry "using" New Zealand to sell their products. Though The Lord of the Rings is a gorgeous film, a delight to the eye, especially to those of us who are kiwiphiles, it's unfortunate that it is bringing into the country all sorts of people from around the world who may not be aware of the fragility of the country's environment.

What I want to say is that I feel that we who now travel to New Zealand must make every effort to respect and preserve, as well as we can, the loveliness there which exists almost nowhere else on earth.

The KlWIphile FILE goes out to a small number of readers, and I feel assured that all of you are caring, appreciative, conscientious people who could never knowingly add to the damage to New Zealand's unique and delicate ecosystem.)

MAORI RUGBY CULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND

- by Jack Magullian (Rugby Magazine)

New Zealand is going through another of its golden ages of rugby. This is the era of Cullen and Lomu, Blackadder and Mehrtens. The Kiwi Sevens team is unbeatable, and the Black Ferns the world's dominant women's team. The culture of rugby

permeates every aspect of New Zealand life. Rugby dominates the sports media, influences elections and provokes gossip. It is the one topic you can safely use in any situation.

When I look back at my playing career with Villanova and Fairleigh Dickinson in the 1970s, I realize now how much different my career would have been if I had been brought up in New Zealand. There are great similarities between Yank and Kiwi attitudes and values. We speak the same language and watch the same shows. But, when it comes to rugby, there's a rift as big as the Pacific Ocean.

I moved here a couple of years ago, a 45 year- old New Jerseyite who had lived most of his life in the shadow of New York City. New Zealand has always held a special fascination for me: its remoteness and isolation drew me here, and its enchanted reputation has convinced me that it contains a portal to ancient wisdom. The mountains grow directly out of the South Pacific Ocean and rise to a height that presides over an area from Antarctica to India. The huge volcanoes dominate the North Island and conceal long-forgotten, misty valleys; the secret home of the world's most unique and unusual creatures and vegetation. The people native to this land are the Maoris, descendants of Polynesians who landed here over a thousand years ago.

The Maoris are survivors from a time of legend and mythology. They espouse the wisdom of the generations, unencumbered by European principles and restraints.

Their education is from the surreal, volcanic landscape, and from the sea; the eternal source of sustenance and adventure. Many generations ago they sailed away from their human relatives and began a parallel evolution in splendid isolation. In many ways they became as unique and specialized as the endemic species around them.

It was the Maoris who recruited me from the sidelines to be a part of their rugby club. At first they thought I was a pakeha. That's a Maori term for the descendants of New Zealand's colonists and the dominant cultural group in the country. When they found out I was American, they were intrigued.

They wanted to know everything about America: Does everyone carry a gun, what do your mates think about the Super 12, is America bursting with pride over winning the America's Cup, is Jonah going to play in the NFL next year?

There's much more to Maori rugby than the haka. It's just one of many island traditions that have made their way into everyday New Zealand rugby.

Maori history is filled with conflicts and battles. Only a few generations ago the losers of a confrontation would have ended up as dinner. Eventually good sense prevailed and all-out battles gave way to rituals. The haka was developed to instill fear in enemies. Two sides could scare the heck out of each other and then decide to make peace rather than face certain death.

After the wars with England had ended in the late 18th century and Maoris and the pakehas were be- ginning to find some common interests, the new sport of rugby was the rage. The pakehas brought the sport from the British Isles and the teams of Scots, Irish, Welsh and English often played for the glory of the "old country."

The Maoris probably watched from the sidelines, took a few notes, made some calculations and decided that rugby was a game at which they could excel. So the Maoris threw their hat in the ring, gained the respect and admiration of the pakehas and asserted their influence on the development of world rugby.

My club is Waitangi of the Northland Division. Ninety percent of my teammates are Maori and most are closely related.

With my East Coast accent, I probably sound to them like Crocodile Dundee sounds to a New Yorker. At first I felt like an anthropologist studying a native culture but then I realized that they were studying me.

The Waitangi Rugby Club trains on the grounds of the Waitangi Marae (meeting place) which is one of the most sacred of all places to the Maori. Here the great chiefs, led by Hone Hike and Kawiti, made the famous treaty with the English that guaranteed the future. Our games are often preceded by a prayer (Maoris are Christians) by a kaumatua (elder) and ended with a hongi (a bonding touching of noses). Our trainer doubles as a spiritual healer.

My teammates are students of the earth and the game. They seem to possess a special knowledge of all things natural and have little appreciation for modern conveniences. They play a fast and often brutal game.

They can get by without running water and electricity and occasionally get their complete diet from the ocean or the forests. All of them can boot a drop-goal on the run from 35 meters and most of them could hike the entire Appalachian Trail barefoot!

Maoris are typical foreigners in how they feel about Americans. Television has given the world a jaded view of American life. Satires and pastimes occupy a disproportionate amount of the information flow and often become the basis of reality in New Zealand.

To them typical American families are the Bunkers, the Bundys and the Huxtables; the largest political parties are the Democrats, Republicans and the Klan; and the average American probably watches four hours of NASCAR a week.

Some nights when it's getting late, I look out across the Pacific Ocean and can trace the outline of a jumbo jet against the backdrop of the Southern Cross.

"More tourists," I think. I wonder if they play rugby. Wait until they meet the Maori.

About the Author: Jack Magullian was a flanker and goal kicker for Villanova University from 1973-76. He then played and served as unofficial coach for Fairleigh Dickinson University from 1978- 80, while obtaining his MBA.

NEW ZEALAND'S HERITAGE GOES ON-LINE (from Scoop)

New Zealanders understanding and appreciation of our country's heritage places took a huge step when the statutory Register of Historic Places, the only official record of our rich and diverse heritage went on-line.

For over 30 years, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, the nation's leading heritage agency, has been compiling and maintaining the Register, which now lists more than 6,000 heritage and wahi tapu sites and areas. While full reports on each place could always be consulted at Trust offices, many of them have not been readily available elsewhere until now.

The result today is a website featuring nearly 1,000 heritage places—archaeological sites, buildings, gardens, bridges, cemeteries, shipwrecks, etc.—with full reports for about 300. The site, like the Register on which it is based, is a work in progress. Throughout 2002, and beyond, many more Register entries, reports and photographs will be added to the site.

The Register is to New Zealand's heritage places what the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography and the Encyclopedia of New Zealand are to its people and history. The issues at its heart are central to larger questions about our history and national and regional identities: what are the places that are so important to us that their continued existence must be assured? By recognising through statutory listing the importance of the Treaty House, Waitangi, the Kerikeri Mission Station, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, and more than 5,900 other places, the Register is a remarkable effort to answer such questions.

THE LAND AND ITS MOODS

(From Barry Harcourt's Images South 2000)

When the first human inhabitants of New Zealand travelled throughout the country in search of food, shelter and "lifestyle" they rarely stayed in the southern half of the South island. Those who did tolerated a harsher climate than their Pacific migrant forebears had been used to because they were escaping the predation or territorial warfare of northern tribes.

The first European visitors rarely ventured into the rugged hinterland of forest, swamp and mountain because they could plunder the coastline of its wealth. Sealers and whalers stayed and their northern hemisphere relatives and friends were attracted by an unspoiled, egalitarian new frontier.

Speculators saw and made a quick buck, They bought cheap with blankets for cold tribes and sold to Euorpeans, promised a land of plenty in a climate which would grow crops or nurture stock they were familiar with.

The lure of mineral wealth pushed the boundaries of exploration, drawing settlers into southern regions of climatic and topographic extreme. The gold rushes and the quick gains from the land were soon gone, but the settlers had put down roots.

They were left with the weather and the dramatic scenery. Today the latter brings the new boom of tourism. The former is a daily preoccupation.

South Islanders from the Waitaki River south are noted for their climatic conversation. Southern business boosters lament their compatriots' defensiveness about the weather, but they are beginning to note a subtle warming wind of change.

The climate which grows grass and some crops so well has brought a new migration of settlers on a wave of optimism for farming and forestry.

The scenery and seasonal sport that make tourism the south's biggest growth industry rely, of course, on the climate. The weather has carved the rugged cliffs and washed the sands of the coastline. Mist and rain have nurtured the forest and dry summer heat have shaped mountains and lakebeds.

The seasons, as well, set the human body's life rhythm. There is a time to sow and a time to reap; a time to fallow the field; a time to put in the wood for winter nights when a restful warm glow restores the body and the spirit; a time to smell the sweet cherry blossom.

Without its climate the south would not have its skifields, its grape-growing regions, its hot dry summers alongside sparkling lakes, its bountiful seas

and fertile farms. It would not have the autumn forest golds, the snowclad slopes and the rolling green downs.

THE BAY OF PLENTY TO DO

— by Nathan Fa'avae

"Don't leave home till you've seen the country," the saying goes. My wife Jodie and I have travelled extensively around the world, but there is one corner of New Zealand that we've missed. The area in question is the Bay of Plenty, in the eastern part of the North Island. In a paua shell (more about Paua*), it's south of Auckland, north of Rotorua but nowhere whatsoever near Queenstown! We needed a holiday, and four days of sun-filled action would suit us nicely.

Meteorologists in the Bay of Plenty have an easy job—they just need to predict fine weather and they'll get it right 90% of the time. The settled warm, often hot climate makes the area a popular choice, whether you're on holiday, settling to raise your kids or aiming for a pleasurable retirement. Venture a little south into the remote "Heartland", and you'll discover the small rustic towns of Murupara, Minginui, and Ruatahuna, the pristine and remote Lake Waikaremoana, and people who still enjoy the simple life. While touring around, I saw children riding their horses to the local store, probably to get a nice cold L&P (more about L&P**).

The region offers a wide range of activities but being the outdoors type that I am, I was instantly drawn to things like 4WD (four-wheel drive) off road adventures, dolphin swimming, and surfing.

I soon found myself surrounded by native ferns standing up to 75m high, plus magnificent kahikatea, miro, rimu and matai trees, in the Whirinaki Forest Park. The forest contains many walking trails and some superb swimming spots. if you're in the mood, you can even leap off the six metre Minginui bridge over the Whirinaki River.

I have a strong passion for adventure and exploration (don't forget I'm an adventure racer!), and Natural Instincts is a company offering just that. Our mission for the day, with five people, two 4WD vehicles and unlimited forest trails, was to learn how to drive off road, appreciate the natural beauty of the forest and simply have fun. I jumped in to the first vehicle with Mark, who is a 4WD instructor, guide, dairy farmer and wears a cowboy hat. His back window proudly displayed the words "loose unit", and we were soon to find out why.

As we drove to the forest, Mark explained that the secret to a successful and car friendly trip was timing. "Most beginner 4WD folks go too fast when they need to go slow, and too slow when they need to go fast," he said. With my typically male ego, I thought that nothing Mark was going to drive was going to surprise me! Mark, I guess, had other ideas.

The road soon deteriorated into a very rough, slippery, rocky and otherwise perfect 4WD trail. At times there were so many trees and plants over the windscreen, we couldn't see the road at all! Mark decided that the Taupiri lookout would offer a good view on such a fine day, so we headed in that direction. The road began to steepen as we climbed, getting rougher also. Our first obstacle was a bog hole, full of water and mud. Mark opted for the full speed approach. We flew into it and threw up a huge wall of water. I thought not only that we'd be stuck, but that the jeep was going to do a forward flip. I opened my eyes to find we had emerged intact. Mark grinned. "Safety first!" I asked if driving in deep water was dangerous. "That was sweet as," Mark said. "I crossed a river once and almost had the entire vehicle underwater

but that was in a race." With the other vehicle in hot pursuit, we continued into the dense jungle-like forest.

We soon came across some trees fallen over the road. Time to turn back? No way! Mark's attitude is to go on at all costs, with careful consideration to the environment of course. Out came the axe and saw. This was an "interactive" tour! Keen to pitch in, we all got out and cleared the track, but the option to wait in the vehicle was always there. On the road again, and Mark spotted an overgrown, really steep and slippery track he hadn't yet been along. He was 100% sure it "possibly might" go to the Taupiri lookout. With some great driving, winch work and digging we eventually made it.

Taupiri lookout gave us a 360 degree, 50 km view of the Bay of Plenty. Captain Cook named the Bay for the abundant food crops he noticed at numerous Maori villages as he sailed up the coast in 1769. It was clear from the lookout that the area still lives up to its namesake, with vast amounts of farm- land visible. But the most prominent features were the volcanoes scattered about: Mount Tongariro, Mount Ruapehu and other cones like Mount Tarawera and Mount Edgecumbe. These volcanoes are a hot source of action. Mount Ruapehu has two of New Zealand's largest ski fields. Mount Tongariro has the famous "Tongariro Crossing", a hike which amazingly, crosses the mountain!

The setting sun marked the time for our descent, and a few bumps and jumps later Mark dropped me off at Hukitawa Country Retreat. It had been a wicked way to spend the afternoon. Mark told me if I ever have my own vehicle one day, to come back, and he'd teach me how to drive it properly.

My wife Jodie met me at Hukitawa. Since we were only travelling for a week, we had decided that Bed and Breakfast type accommodation would enable us to relax in comfort, spend time with the locals and get the inside scoop on what to do. Situated on a farm, Hukitawa enjoys a pleasant view over rolling hills to the dramatic backdrop of the Te Urewera National Park. It is so picture perfect it also features on some New Zealand calendars. Jódie and I found ourselves the happy victims of a fine food assault from Leslie, our gracious host. Later on, with bellies full, we spent the evening comparing travel stories and hearing about the fascinating local history. As a former local schoolteacher, Leslie had some good yarns to tell.

( * Paua is a species of abalone found only on the New Zealand coastline. It clings to rocks at 1-lOm depths. Paua eat seaweed and people eat paua! New Zealand law states that people can only snorkel for paua, and are limited to ten per person per day. The shellfish is commonly cooked on a BBQ or minced into patties. Most flsh'n'chip shops offer it. Not only is it yummy, the shell, which is about hand size, has many uses, and is popular in many forms of jewellery, art Maori carvings and giftware. Paua shell flashes with an amazing array of brilliant colour—greens, purples, blues and pinks make it a fine ornament. Paua meat is believed to be a rich source of iron.)

(** L&P (Lemon and Paeroa) is to New Zealand what Coca Cola is to the USA. In 1904 a Dr. Arthur Wollman declared the water from a spring close to the township of Paeroa pleasant to taste. This was common news to the local residents of Paeroa, a small town on the Coromandel Peninsula, who regularly walked the 3km to the spring to refill their supply. The spring water, which contained several mineral salts, was mixed with many things to give a desired taste, the most common being a dash of lemon. This version of the drink became so popular it went on to become New Zealand's national soft drink.)

WHO AND WHAT IS TAILORED TRAVEL?

Tailored Travel is a family business, based on Rerenga Farm at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island. The converted Thorpe post office serves as our headquarters, and we host bed and breakfast guests in our 1915 homestead. If your travel schedule permits, we would love to welcome you into our home to meet us, Robert and Joan Panzer, the people behind Tailored Travel.

Originally from the Netherlands, I (Robert) was professionally involved in business, journalism and tourism before emigrating to New Zealand in 1985. I met my wife Joan who was born in Illinois and

was working as a business consultant in Boston. While she was on a New Zealand commercial backpacking trip, she fell in love with the country and with yours truly, and together we settled in the Nelson area to work for a tour company for six years. We then went out on our own and began the Tailored Travel experience.

We will gladly arrange your visit anywhere in New Zealand. We especially delight in sharing with you places which embody the essence of the country, and in putting you in direct touch with our hospitable fellow citizens. Along with our philosophy of low- impact tourism, preservation of the New Zealand natural environment is one of our foremost concerns.

We like to call our Personal Custom Tours "Quests" because of our search and exploration for new experiences in New Zealand. Something we are committed to—so that all your expectations are met.

Tailored Travel offers you a more intimate service than other tour operators. We live and work in New Zealand year-round, and with our experience in the country's tourist industry, we have the personal contacts and the latest information to streamline your tour and fulfill your most treasured vacation dreams.

You share your dream of the ideal vacation with us and we translate it, using the resources, knowledge and contacts only Kiwi's have, into your personalized custom tour or travel itinerary.

(Tailored Travel New Zealand Custom Tours, Robert and Joan Panzer, Thorpe RD 2 Wakefield, Nelson, NZ.

Ph. (64)3 543 3825—Fax (64)3 543 3640. E-mail: Robert@Customtours.co.nz

Website: www.Customtours.co.nz

North America: 1-888-549 4563 [KIWILND])

NEW ZEALAND MOVIES ON TV

Charles Eggen

I now have a service for people in North America listing New Zealand movies which will be showing on cable and satellite during the coming month. I will be updating the information during the last week of a given month, for films that will be showing the following month. June showings are now listed at

http://www.nzvideos.org/nzfilmsonsatellite.html

(Editor: Speaking of NZ films, did you know that

Shrek, best animated feature film at the Academy

Awards, was co-directed by Aucklander Andrew

Adamson?

And did you notice in the great new Star Wars movie there are several Maori actors?)

DEER FARMING - from No. 8 WIRE, The Best of Kiwi Ingenuity

Tall fences and lots of Bambi quips make for a lucrative industry.

Humans have been hunting deer for thousands of years, but in New Zealand the period has been considerably shorter. Deer were introduced for game hunting purposes initially, but quickly became a pest—eating more than their share of native vegetation—and the government hired "cullers" for a period to reduce the numbers.

Most amateur hunting had been for the hunter's table, until in the early 1970s when venison began to be processed and exported in large quantities, and hunters could get good money for something that was just wandering around in the bush. But this required much wandering around in the bush, getting lost, getting hypothermia, or hanging out of helicopters with a rifle. Better to put all the deer in one place and look after them. Deer farming was invented.

The most efficient way to get meat to eat is to domesticate, breed and then kill some sort of animal species. Throughout history, various animals have been tested for domestication in a global process of trial and error. Some 10,000 years ago sheep, goats and pigs were domesticated, then cows 8000 years ago. Next were horses, donkeys and water buffalo. And by about 5000 years ago, the llama, camel, yak and reindeer were also tamed (along with banteng and the gaur, but I've never heard of those). For 5000 years after that, no further (large) mammals were domesticated. None at all. And it wasn't for a lack of trying.

Unlike sheep, cattle and other animals, deer do not always get along with each other. They herd during part of the year, but during mating season they are very territorial. They also display behaviour which makes it inconvenient to keep them in one place. White not an inherently nasty animal (which is what has kept the zebra safe from dimestication) they show a tendency (like antelopes and gazelles) to panic and scatter when frightened. Discovering the way around these difficulties was what made the practice possible, and not only possible, but practical, efficient and worthwhile.

In 1973 Dr. Ken Drew borrowed a few deer and set up an experimental farm, along with MAF vet Les Porter. The two set out to put a structure around deer farming, to formulate the basic management practices. They were generally considered "crackpots", but they persevered, and had a large part in establishing New Zealand's world-leading industry. There are 1.8

million farmed deer in New Zealand, of which only 600,000 are (very tired looking) males.

Our practice has spread to other parts of the world, but today New Zealand still has the largest and most advanced deer farming industry in the world— approximately 85 percent of all venison served in restaurants in the United States comes from New Zealand. So successful was New Zealand venison that an "appellation", or a kind of quality-controlled brand name, has been created. Now we don't eat "venison", we eat "Cervena". Whatever the marketing department want to call it, $200 million a year in exports (plus about $50 million worth of velvet) is still a lot of Bambi steaks.

WORLD CUP SHOCKER - Stephen Mangum

New Zealand is out as co-host of the quadrennial Rugby World Cup to be held in 2003. All matches will be held in Australia.

The International Rugby Board made the decision for financial reasons after a series of disagreements with New Zealand that could not be overcome. Money won the day as Australia made a higher bid as sole host. This persuaded the IRB to negate the prior arrangement and allow the Aussies to "acquire" the RWC.

The unbeaten Canterbury Crusaders top the Super 12 table as the season wraps up. The greatly improved New South Wales Waratahs are in second place. The Otago Highlanders, ACT Brumbies, and Queensland Reds are battling for the two remaining playoff spots.

Three players who switched codes from Rugby League to Union have had an immediate impact, and generated great enthusiasm and press coverage. They are Mat Rogers and Duncan MacRae of NSW and veteran Wendell Sailor for the Queensland Reds.

For the third year in a row, New Zealand has won the World Sevens Series. Coached by Gordon Tietjens and captained by Dallas Seymour, NZ dominated the series from beginning to end.

Christian Cullen and Jonah Lomu have agreed to join the latest Barbarians tour to England, Wales, and Scotland for three matches against the national teams. The team leaves after the conclusion of the Super 12 season. Coached by Rod McQueen the squad also includes Thomas Castaignede, Abdelatif Benazzi and Christian Califano of France, Bram van Straten, Rassie Erasmus, and Thinus Delport of South Africa, and Trevor Leota of Samoa.

WHEN RELATIVES VISIT — (Copyright by Brian Harmer, reprinted by permission)

What do you do with relatives from overseas when the climate won't play ball? I had planned a trip to the Wairarapa, perhaps to Ngawi, or maybe Mount Bruce. The prospect of a trip over the Rimutaka Hill road in steady rain was less than appealing, but ever optimistic, I figured to drive towards Upper Hutt so that if the weather was clearing, the options could be reviewed.

From Pinehaven, up Blue Mountains Road, we proceeded with all due respect for any inner ear problems, which was probably just as well, given the twisting nature of the road. In bright sunshine Whiteman's Valley is quite picturesque, in low overcast with drizzle patches it has a certain melancholy

We popped back into the Hutt Valley at Wallaceville, and persuaded ourselves that the weather looked more promising to the West than it did to the North and East, so we took the Akatarawa road. I can report that the road had not straightened any, and also that the appearance of better weather was a snare and a delusion.

My visitors were British, so a cup of tea seemed appropriate. Staglands was the first opportunity, so we pulled in there. At the entrance we contemplated the $10 per person entry fee to the park, and the drifting rain, and opted for free entrance to the café, leaving the park for some other occasion. Oddly, the café did not open at the same time as the rest of the park, so we waited a while until at last a hot beverage was obtainable.

I am not sure if my relatives distrusted local cuisine, but they each opted for something familiar to eat in the form of a Kit-Kat bar! From the veranda of the restaurant we could look down into the pond at the entrance to the compiex and enjoyed the anLics of the ducks, peafowl, and doves.

Eventually, fortified for the journey ahead, we moved on. After twenty km of narrow almost single lane twisty roads, we got to the bit where it got seriously narrow, and in accordance with "Sod's Law" we were a kilometre or two beyond there when we met the only vehicle on the road coming the other way. With me against the cliff on the left, and him against the drop on the right (an infinitely preferable arrangement), we squeaked past each other without physical contact.

At the crest of the hilt, beneath the still lowering clouds, there was the distant gleam of silver

sea just off the coast at Waikanae. The road opened out, and we were soon rolling into suburban Waikanae, over the main road, down Te Moana Rd to the black sand at the beach. Kapiti hid its head in wreaths of mist and steam, and the spirit of Te Rauparaha moved on the land. Little ripples of water surged and sucked at the beach which was surprisingly empty of driftwood or other detritus in the wake of the week's weather. We turned back South, and paused to admire the splendid collection of magnificent motor vehicles at the Southward Car Museum (http://www.southward.org.nz/location.html). If you are in the Wellington region, a little way north of Paraparaumu, and have even the slightest interest in motoring, this should not be missed.

By now the call of the wild was heard. "Lunch!" it cried, so we drove just kilometre further to the South to the marvellous farm kitchen at the Lindale complex: We enjoyed a very satisfactory meal, and afterwards, strolled around the various shops. There is a shop that sells all manner of producxts made from or for use with olives. Another shop deals with honey. Yet another is capable of delivering a near lethal quantity of fine chocolate, and it falls to the individual to exercise appropriate restraint. Cheese and magnificent locally produced ice cream are at the other end.

Since they had already seen SH1 on their way to Wellington, we left it at Porirua, and meandered through Tawa, and Johnsonville, then up through the wilds of darkest Khandallah, on through Ngaio and Wilton when we happened past the entrance to the Otari Plant Museum. Since it had been our intention to walk a little if the weather had been fine, and since the rain had now stopped, we decided to venture into that splendid reserve. Since I last visited there, a wonderful walkway has been constructed from the lower car park across a gully to allow visitors a close look at the beautiful canopy of some good healthy hush. I don't think I have ever been so close to as much bird life outside a cage before.

The further we went, of course, the closer we came to having to decide whether to complete the circuit or turn back. No one, not even my Aunt wanted to be the first to give in, so we went around the so- called circular track, during which period the rain held off. So there is another recommendation for you. If you like birds and bush, the Otari Plant Museum is well worth the time. To learn more, see http://www.wcc.govt.nz/policy/archive/otari/

THE GROVE AVOCADO OIL - Next Magazine

"What's bright green, has a nutty smell and melts on your tongue like butter on a hot potato? The answer, for me, would have to be The Grove cold- pressed avocado oil, tried and tested in conjunction with crusty Italian bread and a hint of dukkah spice dip. Hmmm. I never thought oil, of all things, could be so irresistible."

A couple living now in Katikati in the Bay of Plenty part of New Zealand, has developed a 10- hectare property with 450 Hass avocado trees into being as The Grove.. Along with other like-minded people, they have formed a company, Avocado Oil New Zealand, Ltd.

Through a process of cold-pressing, where the oil is extracted by keeping the temperature lower than 50 degrees C has resulted in an extra virgin avocado oil that is equal in standard to the highest quality virgin olive oil.

Although Jocelyn Walls and Doug Batchelor have been processing oil for only one year, The Grove's popularity is steadily on the ascent: five per cent of their bottled stock supplies the local New Zealand market, including delis, restaurants and supermarkets. The bulk of the oil, however, is exported to the United States and Japan, with stock also going to the UK, Canada, Korea and Australia.

The couple are always thinking ahead, finding new ways in which to employ their beloved avocado. One such fruitful processing option is to extract the oil from the avocado stone, which has surgical benefits— keeping skin knitted together. And the moisturising properties will benefit the skin of age-defying women.

To get more information on The Grove Avocado Oil contact Jocelyn and Doug on (07)552 6364. Email them at doug@avocado-nz.com or check out their website: www.avocado nz.com

Here are some tips from NEXT magazine:

- Avocado oil contains a higher percentage than canola and olive oils of monounsaturated (good) fat, which helps decrease artery blocking blood cholesterol. This makes it an excellent alternative to butter or cream cheese.

- Avocado oil brings out the natural flavour in food. It is delicious in a citrusy salad dressing and makes a great tenderiser for fish, steak and chicken.

- Tomatoes really taste like tomatoes should when cooked with avocado oil. Add avocado oil to tomatoes and zucchini and cook in the oven until done to your liking. You can toss in a few mushrooms as well.

- Because avocado oil has no cholesterol and a much higher smoking point than olive oil, it is fantastic for searing steaks on the barbecue.

- Brush your roast veges in avocado oil and cook in a separate dish. You can add a sprig of rosemary for a flavour variation if you wish.

- Avocado oil is a great substitute for butter and olive oil. Try making a toasted sandwich and using it instead of butter, for a no-cholesterol, non-greasy snack.

- Jocelyn's personal favourite is feta cheese marinated in avocado oil, served on crunchy French bread. Or serve the feta in a salad.

FLAG DISPLAYED AT BEEHIVE

A New Zealand flag pulled from the World Trade Centre has gone on display in the Beehive in Wellington. In a ceremony which moved the Prime Minister to tears, she was presented with the flag by the two policemen who found it. It came during Helen Clark's visit to Ground Zero. She feels the flag is a reminder that events on September 11 were an attack on all humanity including the people of New Zealand.

An update: After meeting with U.S. President Bush, Prime Minister Helen Clark says the ban on nuclear warships still bothers the Americans. Miss Clark says the British also stopped sending their warships to our ports, but have since resumed. She says they found vessels in their navy which could comply with the policy and the US could do the same. Miss Clark does not believe the nuclear warship ban affects our relationship with the United States as much as it did at one time.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR SCIENTIST

The ability to kill dangerous viruses could one day be at our fingertips, thanks to the handy work of a New Zealand scientist.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jennifer Smith from Nelson has isolated a native fish enzyme which breaks down seaweed, leaving behind antiviral molecules.

Her work has been internationally recognised by the Women in Science programme at a ceremony in Paris.

She receives a US$10,000 grant which will go towards her research work.

Dr. Smith says her research could lead to new developments in healthcare, such as a hand cream which kills viruses on contact. She says it could also have implications in the fight against AIDS.

NEW SUBSCRIPTION RATES

For the first time since December 1990 KiWIphile FILE subscription rates are going up. Even though the K.F. is a labor of love and is not for profit, I do need to cover my costs for printing and

With your next renewal, please note the new prices (in U.S. dollars):

$10 for one year, $18 for 2 years, $25 for 3 years. Canada $12 for one year. Elsewhere $18 per year.

HELP YOUR FELLOW KIWIPHILES!

Some of you must have been in NZ during the last year or so. Please send along your notes, your memories, your suggestions to help others in their planning. THANKS.

KlWlphile FILE

Published quarterly by Eva Trapani

E-mail:KiwiET1@aol.com

Copyright 2002 by Eva Trapani