Volume 19, No. 4

JUNE 2006

FISHING TRIP

A fishing trip to New Zealand can be the crowning experience in your fishing life, if the ancient Babylonian belief is true that the gods do not deduct hours spent fishing from one’s allotted span, then come to New Zealand and lengthen your life!

ANZAC SPIRIT STILL ALIVE

NewstalkZB

The RSA says turnouts at ANZAC Day ceremonies yesterday were a touching demonstration that the ANZAC spirit is still alive.

People braved the cold, wet weather across much of the country to pay their respects at commemorative services. Around 20,000 Aucklanders attended the dawn service at the War Memorial Museum, while Wellington had its biggest turnout in years.

National RSA President John Campbell was touched when an Australian wreath layer caught his 90-year-old New Zealand counterpart in his arms when he stumbled during the Wellington service.

“I thought, there we go again, it’s that ANZAC spirit again. Helping each other out like the good mates they were in Gallipoli.”

Mr. Campbell was especially delighted with the high attendance of young people and children around the country.

ANZAC Day had been marked in London overnight. Thousands of New Zealanders and Australians attended a dawn service at Hyde Park Corner followed by a wreath-laying service at the cenotaph in Whitehall.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters took part in the proceedings which ended with a service at Westminster Abbey.

A veteran of the Malayan emergency who died during a dawn ANZAC Day ceremony was a well

respected man who fought hard for acknowledgement of his peers.

It is thought Sydney McGuire died of a heart attack at the foot of the cenotaph at the Auckland War Memorial as the Last Post sounded yesterday.

Malayan Veterans Association president John Suttie worked with Mr. McGuire for eight years. He says the 62-year-old pushed hard for recognition in the form of medals for Malayan veterans.

EXPLORE THE COUNTRY’S INCREDIBLE WALKS - XTRAMSN

New Zealand has a stunning array of well- kept walkways and tracks. They provide access to unique wilderness areas and virgin rain forests. The energetic hiker can discover glacier-carved valleys and traverse mountain passes, while the more sedate day- walker can explore golden beaches, bush walks and other sites of scenic interest.

About one third of New Zealand’s sparsely populated land has been set aside in National Parks or reserves for the benefit and enjoyment of the public and increasing numbers of eco-tourists.

While magnificent opportunities for exploration exist all over the country, eight destinations are recognized as special and have been designated “Great Walks” by the Department of Conservation.

Ranging in duration from two and a half to five or six days and covering a wide variety of original and modified landscapes, they offer basic accommodations in huts, and safe-well-maintained tracks.

All except one — the Abel Tasman coastal track in the north of the South Island — are situated in the mountains, and all offer guided tours for which bookings are essential. The high season starts in October and lasts until April.

1

The Marvellous Milford Track

The Milford Track in Fiordland, New Zealand's largest National Park, is the most famous of all. Visitors spend four days and three nights follow ing historic Maori routes through a dramatic landscape of forest-covered valleys, high mountains and steep- sided fiords from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound. Bookings are necessary well in advance, for both independent and guided walks.

Also in the South Island, the Routeburn Track has some of the most diverse scenery: beautiful forests, alpine flora, lakes, several waterfalls and panoramic views - all in three days covering 39 kilometres.

The Kepler is a loop track beginning and ending at the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre in Te Anau, one of the South Island's most beautiful lakes. It takes four days and traverses lakeside forest and open tussock grasslands, with one day spent walking along the mountain tops above the bush line. This is the newest of the Great Walks and was opened in 1988.

Wilderness explorers wanting to experience the "end of the earth" will head for Stewart Island, New Zealand's southernmost and least-populated (one village with 400 people) island. It has the most unpredictable weather, the most bird life and more mud than anywhere else, but its Rakiura Track is, nevertheless, a Great Walk.

You can avoid the mud by keeping to the planked walkway, which makes this three-day walk possible at any time of year. Its gradients are gentle the highest point is only 300 metres - and two huts provide accommodation.

Similarly undemanding in its gradients is the Heaphy Track, another Great Walk near the northwestern tip of the South Island. This one covers about 80km (around 50 miles) and is best walked in five days.

It, too, is accessible all year round, but in winter snow may make the higher sections chilly. Its attractions are the nikau-lined beach at its western end, red tussock downs, lush beech forests and alpine herb fields.

Take it Easy in Abel Tasman

Light walking shoes are all you need for the Abel Tasman Coastal Track at the north of the South Island. The time you take to cover its 50 kilometres will depend on how long you linger on its beautiful golden beaches. Five huts and 21 campsites offer accommodation, but transport has to be arranged

from one end to the other.

Only two Great Walks are in the North Island

- in the Tongariro National Park and at Lake Waikaremoana. Each offers a distinctive and different land scape with challenges for the energetic.

The Tongariro Northern Circuit is a loop track of three and a half days, starting and finishing at the foot of Mount Ruapehu. Nothing equals the drama and excitement of this active volcanic region with its spectacular lava formations, tussock grassland, fumaroles and geysers and emerald green mineral lakes.

Walk Through Middle Earth

The area was the setting for the scenes at Mordor in New Zealander Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. Because of its altitude and climatic conditions, it is best walked from late November to March, unless you are equipped with crampons and ice axes. Those with less time can walk one section, called the Tongariro Crossing, probably the most famous and most frequented day walk.

Lake Waikaremoana is situated further east of the central volcanic plateau, in one of the North Island's most remote regions. The track is 46km long and takes the walker on a four to five day trip around the lake. Except for one day spent climbing a steep bluff, the track follows a leisurely path through wonderful rain forest.

For any of these walks you need a Great Walks Pass to stay in the huts, but no permits or admission fees are required for day walking. Numerous other areas provide day walks through areas of unique flora and fauna and one of exceptional value is the Coromandel Peninsula, two hours' drive from Auckland.

The virgin rain forest that once covered much of the peninsula was heavily logged in the late 19th century and visitors can see the remains of enormous dams and tramways used to transport logs of the giant and much-prized kauri trees. The regenerated forest is spectacular and the coast has isolated bays of exceptional beauty.

Day-walkers not wanting to leave the city far behind can set out from Auckland with a map of the Waitakere Ranges, which fringe its western shore. There they will find tracks that skirt high cliffs and cross wild beaches of black sand,

New Zealand's sparse population and large wilderness areas mean that most walking tracks are remote from the comforts of civilization. Facilities

2

at the 900 huts maintained by the Department of Conser vation are basic and walkers need to equip themselves with adequate food and clothing.

Weather conditions can change rapidly, especially in the mountains, and it is essential even in summer, to carry warm, waterproof clothing. No hike should be undertaken without consulting a detailed guide book and a map. Ours might be a great little country, but you still don't want to get lost in it!

eBAY RULES THAT NEW ZEALAND NOT FOR SALE - Sydney Morning Herald

New Zealand is not for sale, despite somebody in Australia trying to offload the nation of 4 million to the highest online bidder.

With a starting offer of just one cent, brisk bidding for the prime chunk of South Pacific real estate quickly boosted the price to $A3,000 before eBay pulled the plug on the auction this week.

"Clearly New Zealand is not for sale," eBay

Australian spokesman Daniel Feller told the New Zealand Press Association, adding that 22 bids had been made before the company acted.

"There are the occasional quirky items put up," he added. "We have a look at them and if they are OK we leave them. But if it is something that can't be sold, we take them off."

The trader, who has not been identified but thought to be from Queensland, advertised NZ as having the dodgiest America's Cup win ever ... and very ordinary weather",

BUT WHAT A WAY TO GO - Judy Miller

It all starts innocently enough. You decide to take a long awaited vacation to the "lands down under", you enjoy a three week whirlwind drive through two beautiful countries and fall hopelessly under the spell of one. Bam... .twenty years later there you are with more than a quarter million miles logged over the South Pacific and best friends in another hemisphere.

Some ways of getting from here to there are better than others. After many, many hours in coach, I am here to tell you that if you have the opportunity to upgrade to business, or if you have really good karma and lots and lots of miles, first class, you will not ever want to travel any other way. In fact, that is the only drawback of upgraded travel; you never want to go back. Out of my twenty or so trips between Los Angeles and Auckland probably five have been in the "front" of the plane due to blind

dumb luck or as a result of using frequent flyer miles to either upgrade a coach ticket or purchase outright a business class seat. The last trip in August was a gift to my sister and me from my favorite brother-in-law.

We made a point of getting to the airport early to take full advantage of the amenities and they started immediately. Air New Zealand flies from Terminal 2 at LAX and the business class counter is located just inside the door. We were the only persons in line and within 10 minutes were checked in, had been assigned seats on the upper deck and had our bags inspected. Within another 10 we'd passed through security and were enjoying a glass of wine in the first class lounge. Knowing it would be a very long time until our first meal on board, we helped ourselves to the complimentary buffet and beverage bar while watching the sunset over the north runway.

Waiting in the lounge is similar to waiting in your living room but better. Food is free, beverages are free, business center is free and there are shower facilities that rival those in any first class hotel. The private shower rooms have marble counters and floors and enclosures with floor to ceiling glass doors. There are plush robes and towels as well as shampoos, soaps and lotions. We were almost disappointed when the time came to board but knew that the special treatment would continue once we were on board.

Sitting on the upper deck of a 747-400 is much like traveling on your own private 26 seat jet with your own staff and it is very easy to forget that below and in back of you there are 350 other people who have looked forward to this trip as much as you have.

Air New Zealand has a reputation for having some of the best inflight service available and the reputation is well deserved. Twelve hours, two meals, two movies and 6 hours of sleep later we arrived in Auckland.

So, needless to say, we were looking forward to the return flight. We arrived at the Auckland Airport several hours before our flight was scheduled to depart and opted to stay in the airport rather than try to catch a shuttle into town for some last minute shopping and sightseeing.

You cannot go to the Koru Lounge (Air New Zealand's first class lounge) until after you actually check in for your flight and you cannot check in until about 3 hours before departure, so we put our luggage in a baggage check kiosk and went to do some airport shopping and get something to eat. Eventually, waiting got old, so we decided to go

3

back to the Air New Zealand customer service counter to see when we would be able to check in. "Stay close by," we were told. "It looks like your flight is going to be cancelled." And believe me, we stayed very close by. In about 10 minutes the lady at the service desk said, "Get your luggage right now and go directly to first class check in at Qantas Airlines". We did!

Qantas has, at Auckland International, not only a business/first class check in line, they have an entirely separate check in lounge and we were first in line. In fact the young gentleman at the counter had not even heard yet that ANZ was canceling a flight, but he was superb. It only took a few minutes for him to make a phone call to sort out what was happening and start transferring our tickets to Qantas.

"Ladies, we are very happy to accommodate you this evening and just to let you know, all of our business class seats are fully reclining". To our credit, we did not high five each other right then and there. We were very refined, held it together nicely and decided to push our luck.

"We were seated on the upper deck on our ANZ flight," Donna said. "Is there any chance seats are available in that section on this flight?"

"No problem, ladies", we were told and once again we managed to keep our cool. Within 15 minutes our tickets were exchanged, we had the seats we wanted, and had pre-cleared customs with the agent who is located right in the check in lounge.

You talk about someone watching out for us. Had we not elected to stay in the airport and had we not checked in on a regular basis with ANZ staff, things could have been a lot different. I am sure that passengers checking in later did not have nearly so smooth an experience.

So now we were in the Qantas first class lounge and again enjoyed an extremely comfortable wait. The flight left over an hour late so that as many passengers as possible could be transferred to the Qantas flight, but we were happy with the delay as it gave us a chance to catch our breath.

"All of our business class seats are fully reclining," kept going over and over in our heads as we made our way to our seats. Having seen advertisements for business class accommodations on many airlines, we weren't sure what to expect. As it turned out, the seats resembled most closely large plastic eggs with a remote that controlled all of the seat functions. No matter what you do in these seats, it is nearly impossible to disturb the person either in front of or in back of you. When the seat fully reclines, your feet extend under the seat in

front, but that person is protected from your feet by his own plastic shell. As you recline there is an additional reading light and controls for lights between you and the person sitting next to you.

I cannot compare these seats to those of other carriers as this was the first of the kind that I have encountered, and it was sheer luxury. The only thing I found that I didn't like was that while the seats were billed as fully reclining, they are not truly flat, which I found uncomfortable. However, there are enough ways that you can adjust the seats that you can very easily find a comfortable position. The privacy alone is a luxury.

Bottom line is that it is hard to compare the business class seats of Air New Zealand with Qantas right now since I haven't flown ANZ's upgraded business class. However, I have seen the seats and they look to be an improvement even on Qantas. All seats have direct access to an aisle and do look to be flat. The ottomans have storage and provide seating for visitors to your seat. And I did note on my last trip that there is a separate check-in lounge in Auckland for Air New Zealand as well as for Qantas.

Leave it at this. If you can travel on an ungraded basis DO IT. I'm not sure I would (translate could) spend the extra money for a business class seat, but if you can afford a seat or have the miles to upgrade or purchase outright a business class it is well worth it.

Update 3-28-06

In March 1 made another trip to New Zealand on Air New Zealand, coach class. I flew out of San Francisco instead of Los Angeles and on a 777 instead of a 747. While I know that most of my trips will be in coach I don't have to like it. As an observation, service, even on a superb airline such as Air New Zealand, is not what it used to be. On earlier trips there would be a pre-dinner beverage service, then dinner complete with real cutlery, not plastic crap, and then a coffee and tea service followed by after dinner beverages. No longer. Dinner carts roll through about an hour after boarding with beverages served at the same time. All cutlery is plastic (not just the knives). The wine continues to be good and the wine glasses are still glass. Coffee and tea service does still follow dinner although now you will be asked if you want cream in your coffee and tea instead of being asked if you would like it "white".

That being said, what has improved vastly is the in-flight entertainment. Air New Zealand is introducing, on demand, individual entertainment for each seat, even in coach. This means that you

4

are able to access with your remote control a wide variety of movies, TV shows, games, and music, all when you want just like you were in your own living room. Watch part of a movie, then pause for a break. Fast forward, rewind, pick a CD and listen to all the tracks or just a few. It is superb. There are still some bugs but it is a huge improvement over being locked into the two or three movies that someone else picked out and were only shown at certain times.

We all know that air travel isn't as it used to be, and some of that is bad and some is good. So until I can figure out another way to get across 6500 miles worth of ocean in less than two weeks, I will be logging more air miles both in coach and hopefully in business, and learn how to make the trip as pleasant as possible.

Observations and Recommendation

Auckland International Airport has been undergoing renovation and upgrade for some time now. I didn't have a lot of time to check out the improvements as I was very, very late for my international connection, but it looked as though the concourses and boarding areas have been re-done and upgraded. And of course there are unlimited shopping opportunities for those last-minute things that you just must have.

Accomodation

My friends in Oamaru, Lynne and Colin Gibson, are once again doing farm stays. Check out their new website at www.seadowns.co.nz.

Another couple I met through Lynne and Cohn, own a lovely B&B in Wanaka overlooking the lake and mountains. The website for Shep's Place is www.shepsplacewanaka.co.nz.

Host Inns - are all over the country and my sister and her husband stayed at several in March and were impressed with each one. A highlight was in Oamaru. The room was full up with out of town guests and family who were arriving for a birthday celebration. Donna and Larry offered to go to town and get a room, but quickly realized that there was "no room at the inn" - any of them. At the last place they stopped, a Host property, the owner said there were no rooms, but she did have a small caravan (travel trailer) parked out back that they were welcome to look at. Neither Donna or Larry knew what a caravan was but decided to take a look and ended up having a very memorable stay. The toilet and shower facilities were just steps away. They loved it. It rained in the night, but they were snug and warm and happy just to listen to the rain on the metal roof.

Windsor Inn - I stayed at a new place in Christchurch this time, too. Windsor Inn is a bed and breakfast inn located right on the trolley line and within a 10 minute walk of downtown Christchurch. Lots of nice touches and homey atmosphere. www.windsorhotel.co.nz.
Check it out.

SEADOWNS STUD

Seadowns Homestay is just 10 minutes drive northwest of Oamaru, and it's where many international guests enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and hands-on experience their hosts offer.

Lynne and Cohn Gibson have been breeding Hereford, Romney and Dorset Downs studs on their North Otago property for nearing three decades. Cohn is an accomplished shearer and has represented New Zealand. He is happy to demonstrate sheep shearing in season.

With 1100 acres of rolling hill country, activities are many and varied, from catching fresh water lobster from the farm's stream, to mucking in and giving farming a go, or simply relaxing on the es tate and taking in the breathtaking country scenery.

The original 1939 house is decorated to compliment the homestead's era, and set in a lovely country garden, with an extensive view of the Pacific Ocean.

The Seadowns Homestay is close to many of the South Islands famed attractions, including several penguin colonies, famous Moeraki Boulders, and the Historic Oamaru Precinct to list a few.

Seadowns Farmstay, No 217 Rosebeny Road, Airdale,

Oamaru, New Zealand.

Phone: 03 434 9479 Cell phone 021 188 9865

Fax: 03 434 9499

Email: lynne.col.seadowns@xtra.co.nz

PRODUCTIVE LAND LOST TO LIFESTYLERS

- TVNZ.co.nz

A report prepared for the government- appointed Food and Beverage Taskforce has found that thousands of hectares of productive land are being lost to lifestyle blocks each year.

Report author Tim Morris says there is a rapid decline in the amount of land being used to produce food.

In addition, he says more than two million hectares of grassland and tussock grazing land has been taken for conservation during the past 20 years.

5

NOW THAT YOU'VE SEEN THE BIG NEW ZEALAND GORILLA .... Charles Eggen

Here is what is happening in the area of New Zealand films that do not involve a big gorilla:

Currently the "don't miss" title is "The Worlds Fastest Indian", starring Anthony Hopkins. It is about Burt Munro, a motorcycle tinkerer from Invercargill who had a passion to break the world motorcycle speed record. If you have not seen it, you will be able to via DVD in June (13th in the US and 26th in NZ). The DVD will include an extra of the director's (Roger Donaldson) 1971 documentary on Munro, "Offerings to the god of speed". Another extra on the DVD is a featurette: "Southland: Burt's Hometown of Invercargill." This "feel-good" movie will be one of the best movies you see this year. For those who favour soundtracks, the score is now available on CD. The official website, with trailer download, is:

http://www.worldsfastestindian.com/.

Also showing up on DVD in June are a couple of 20-year-old titles, "The Quiet Earth" (June 13) and "Nate and Hayes" (June 20). Although they have both been on VHS, this will be the first time "Quiet Earth" has made it to DVD in the US. It was New Zealand's first Sci Fi film and considered to be one of the best in this genre. The soundtrack is excellent and is available on CD. "Nate & Hayes" features Tommy Lee Jones in one of his first feature roles, playing a cross between a pirate and Indiana Jones. This is the first time it has been available on DVD.

Three movies that have been recently released in New Zealand, and will be awhile before they are available elsewhere, are "No. 2", "River Queen", and "Sione's Wedding". "No. 2" features Ruby Dee in the matriarch role of an Auckland Fijian family, and her middle-of-the-night demand to have her grandchildren organize an impromptu feast, Great reviews on this one. The soundtrack CD is out, but only in New Zealand. "River Queen" is an epic film set along the Wanganui River in the late 19th century featuring Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland, Cliff Curtis and Temuera Morrison. Details and trailers are available at the official site:

http://www.riverqueenthemovie.com/

"Sione's Wedding" sets its story within the Samoan community of Auckland. Although it has proven highly popular in New Zealand theatres, there may be little chance of viewing it elsewhere until it finds its way to DVD. The mainly hip-hop soundtrack CD is now available in New Zealand. For further film details check out their website at:

http://www.sioneswedding.com/

ADCOCK WINS QUEEN'S POETRY MEDAL

NewsRoom 2006

The New Zealand-born poet Fleur Adcock is to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry 2006.

The 72-year-old is to be presented with the medal on June the 7th by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

The poet, who has won numerous prizes and awards for her work, was born in Auckland but spent much of her childhood in England where she has lived since 1963.

Ms Adcock became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1984 and was awarded an OBE in 1996.

The Gold Medal for Poetry was instituted by King George the fifth in 1933 and previous recipients include WH Auden, John Betjeman, Phillip Larkin and Ted Hughes.

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY INTERNATIONALS - 2006 - Stephen Mangum

The New Zealand All Blacks concluded a superb season in 2005 with 11 wins and one loss and ranked #1 in the world. The season was topped off with a clean sweep of the Grand Slam Tour to Wales, Ireland, England, and Scotland. Overall this was New Zealand's best team since 1996. The players grew in leadership, skills, and depth.

New captain Richie McCaw leads the boys into a very challenging 2006 season following the retirement of Tana Umaga from international competition. Coach Graham Henry, assisted by Wayne Smith, Steve Hansen and Brian Lochore will continue building the team towards the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The squad grew in confidence and skills and appears two to three deep at all positions.

The new season kicks off with two test matches at home vs. Ireland on June 10 in Hamilton and June 17 in Auckland. The ABs then have a one- off test against Argentina in Buenos Aires on June 24. Next up is an expanded Tri Nations schedule with three matches each vs South Africa and Australia between July 8 and September 2. After a break the squad heads to Europe for the fall tour. This will include two matches vs. France and one each vs England and Wales. Overall a very grueling schedule, but it will give an opportunity for many players to make their case for Rugby World Cup competition in 2007.

New Zealand's women's team, the Black Ferns, the two-time defending world champions, will defend their title at the World Cup to be held in Edmonton,

6

Alberta, Canada, between August 31 and September 17. New Zealand is ceded first overall and in their pool with Spain and Kazakhastan. Twelve teams will compete overall. The Black Ferns play Canada on August 31, Samoa on September 4, Scotland on September 8. Six "knockout" elimination matches take place on September 12. The final will take place on September 17th.

The New Zealand Maori team faces the US on June 7 and Ireland A on June 10 in San Francisco.

The International Rugby Board has awarded the 2011 Rugby World Cup to New Zealand. This was a huge upset in the competition vs South Africa and Japan.

Kiwiphiles: Until next time, play on!

OAMARU - - Explore and Enjoy

The discovery of an excellent building material, limestone, contributed to the young town's early appearance of permanence and stability.

Oamaru stone is a white granular limestone of Tertiary Age in the same category as the oolites of Britain and the caen stone of France. It is found in thick horizontal beds with no vertical joints, and can be quarried simply with a circular saw, as the stone is extremely soft. It hardens on exposure and is often resistant to weathering. The stone, of considerable purity, has been used for numerous important buildings throughout New Zealand.

Oamaru has traditionally been a service centre for the farms and estates of the interior. In the late 19th centuiy, with the booming rural economy, the Oamaru harbour area became the hub for early business, and the link to the rest of New Zealand and the British Empire.

Here creamy white limestone hotels, banks and offices rose alongside equally well designed grain and wool stores and warehouses.

The closing of the port in the 1970s has been fortunate for the town's 19th century heritage buildings, as today they remain largely intact, forming the most complete group of last century's commercial buildings in New Zealand. The views of the streets give visitors an insight into the atmosphere of the commercial heart of a prosperous colonial town of its time.

There are some excellent walks and heritage trails, and a big attraction are the blue penguins. Oamaru Public Gardens, covering 30 acres and situated in the town centre, has been rated one of the top 10 gardens in New Zealand.

Well worth visiting is the Forrester Art Gallery, featuring high quality local, national and international exhibitions, and the North Otago Museum, where you can learn about early Maori history, Oamaru stone and early European settlers.

BLUFF - End of the Road

Situated only 29 kilometres from Invercargill, Bluff is first and last a seafaring town, home to many southern fishing boats, and the port trading with shipping links to Asia, Australia and North America. Renowned for its succulent oysters dredged from nearby Foveaux Strait, the stretch of water between the South Island and Stewart Island, and the departure point for the 60 minute Catamaran Ferry Service to Stewart Island.

First inhabited by the Maori people prior to becoming a trading post for sealers and whalers, Bluff has been continuously settled since 1824, making it the oldest European town in New Zealand.

Stirling Point is the starting place for easy walks, offering superb views of native trees such as Rimu, Rata and Kamahi, and from the summit of Bluff Hill (Motupahue), Southland's mountains, plains, estuaries and islands are revealed.

Bluff leaves an impression. For New Zealand, it is the end of the road. From Bluff, the visitor gazes out to sea, taking in Dog Island and its lighthouse, Stewart Island, then the emptiness of the Great South Basin, beyond which lie only a few sub-Antarctic islands and the vast reaches of the southern oceans..

A signpost has been erected at Stirling Point, not far from the port, stating the distance to London, New York and other faraway places. In a sense, it is comforting, because a visit to Bluff is as close as most people will ever get to the bottom of the world.

SIR ED'S NZ'S MOST TRUSTED PERSON -

xtramsn

New Zealanders do not trust politicians but they love firefighters.

Little has changed in the occupational rankings in the latest Reader's Digest trust survey.

Firefighters are still the most trusted professionals, followed by ambulance officers, pilots, nurses and doctors.

At the other end of the scale are politicians, telemarketers and psychics.

7

As for the most trusted person - Sir Ed has made it to the top once again.

More than 50 years after reaching Everest's summit, Sir Edmund Hillary remains wrapped in the hearts and minds of the nation. One survey respondent says she rates Sir Ed so highly because she sees him as the nation's father figure.

She says he has done things for the good of others above his own needs.

Sir Ed is followed on the most trusted list by Olympians Sarah Ulmer, the Evers-Swindell twins, Peter Snell and Hamish Carter.

She may have been shown the door by TVNZ, but Judy Bailey still appears to be the surrogate mother of the nation.

Destiny Church founder Brian Tamaki is the least trusted person on the list, with Tariana Turia and twinkle-toed Rodney Hide close behind.

A PERFECT PLACE FOR REFLECTION - Black Sheep Touring Company

OVERDRAWN AND OVERWROUGHT -

Wellington Dominion Post

After Adrian Rumney, a financial analyst from Wellington, NZ, ordered a new debit card from his bank, he stopped to buy some groceries with it. The card was declined. He called the bank to see what was wrong; he was told his account was overdrawn by NZ$12.18 million (US$7.71 million). Had he not recorded some of his transactions? he was asked by the bank.

But what really happened was the bank over charged him for his debit card: it was supposed to cost NZ$9.95, but the bank had accidentally charged him the millions instead. Worse, no one at the bank had the authority to reverse a transaction that large, so Rumney had to cool his heels while the bank figured out what to do. Meanwhile, the bank was charging NZ$9,000 per day in interest on his overdraft.

'We are very apologetic," said a National Bank spokesman. "The key thing for us is to talk to our customer and see what's going to make it right for him."

Just a tidbit: Chances are excellent that members of your party may be invited to the home of a New Zealander. Not unlike the custom in many parts of the United States and Canada, it is considered good form to bring along a bottle of wine for the host. But what would be appreciated and valued far more would be some sort of souvenir from the United States or Canada that might not be normally obtainable in New Zealand-native crafts or some other item that is, for the New Zealander, identifiably exotic.

KIWIphile FILE

Published quarterly by Eva Trapani

E-mail:KiwiET1@aol.com

8