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there are optional scenic alpine flights.
The region
has
a colorful history, from
Maori
habitation to European exploration and settlement, though the region is
still sparsely populated.
The
relatively low
altitude of the Hollyford
Valley
nurtures a lush
variety of trees and
plants, induding ferns, mosses, orchids and more. Sleeping accommodations on the tour
are
in
comfortable
lodges, and meals are generous local fare.
The tour is
operated by Hollyford
Tourist & Travel Co.,
Ltd.
of lnvercargill. NZ. The
company
was founded more
than 20 years ago by New
Zealander Jules Tapper, and he is stilt the manager. This is
not
a sleek, international tour company,
but one operated by trustworthy
Kiwis. Jules
Tapper
says, "Our
trip
is more than
just
a walking tour
and
I guarantee
you
will have the back
country experience
of a lifetime. It is unrivalled in
New Zealand."
Information and reservations: Hollyford Tourist & Travel Co. Ltd., P.O. Box 218, lnvercargill, NZ. Or
call NZ Central Reservations
Office, Los Angeles.
Toll free (800)351 -231 7(Calif.) or (800)351- 2323(US).
FAX
(213) 215-9705.
AIR
NZ/BRITISH AIRWAYS WORLD TOURS
An innovative alliance
between Air New
Zealand and British Airways
allows
international passengers to "streamline" their
way
around the
world.
Streamline is much more than simply an inter-airline agreement it
offers a host of benefits not normally available
to transferring passengers.
Passengers will have the
security of being met and escorted by
an airline representative at their transfer point, insuring a
straightforward and effortless
connection. Depending on the connecting time available, passengers can
choose
from a
variety of
options.
During a transfer of at least two-and-a-
half
hours, Rapidline offers a private room
for a
refreshing shower and change. Quickline is designed for passengers with at
least
5 hours of transfer time and offers a free shopping or sightseeing tour. When a
transfer
is 6 hours or longer, Sleepline
offers
the
luxury
of a day
room
at
an airport hotel.
Rapidline and Quickline
services are
free, while Sleepline is complimentary to First and Business Class and
Club
World passengers and available at a modest charge to economy
dass
passengers. The Streamline
options
are available
at Los Angeles, London, Auckland, Singapore,
Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.
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AGRICULTURAL & PASTORAL (A&P) SHOWS
If
you're in
New
Zealand in their
springtime,
September,
October
and November, you'll
have
a
chance
or
two to visit
an
A&P
Show. Some
are
held
at
other times
of
the year
as
well. On our one springtime
visit
to NZ. we were driving into the
pleasant little
North Island
town of
Waihi when
we
saw signs for
an A&P
Show. After checking into our motel
we
headed
back to
the showgrounds.
As we strolled along among the
crowd of
amiable and
contented people of all
ages,
we
felt transported to James
Herriot's Yorkshire country in Britain. There were horse jumping competitions, a Highland dancing exhibition by tartan-clad
young girls, an exciting wood-chopping
contest
for
hardy
men, and much more. There were food stalls. There were grand parades
of
champion
livestock—the
highlight
of
any MP Show, large or small. There are sheep
dog trials,
of course, and fruit and vegetable displays. We
came across
one family's VW wagon with a
half- grown
Iamb comfortably ensconced inside.
One of the earliest
of
the
A&P
Shows still
continues
after more
than
125
years
in the
city
of
Chnstchurch.
The site of this
Canterbury A&P Show has changed several
times
to
make
room
for more
and
more
activity.
Large
shows like that held
in Christchurch run for too
long a time
to
show
perishables
such
as fruits, vegetables and baked goods, but these can be seen
in
abundance at
the smaller, more rural shows. New
Zealand
women have
atways excelled at baking- cakes
of all sorts, bread and rolls, scones, pikelets— and all these are proudly displayed. There
are all
varieties of preserves,
and
home wine-making is
well represented.
Just a couple of hours at an
A&P
Show will
give you
an interesting view of
New
Zealand life.
NZ HOSTS WORLD ORCHID CONFERENCE
In New Zealand, a nation of lovingly tended gardens, orchids of every shape, size and color will reign supreme come September. The 13th World Orchid Conference will be held at the New Zealand
Exposition Center in Auckland from Sept 5-17.
Andy Easton, President of the Orchid Council of NZ says visitors
should come
ready
to
be suprised by
the
variety and quality of orchids exhibited
and the
expertise
of
breeders.
"The level of orchid awareness in New
Zealand is unsurpassed. When a country of only 3
million people exports over 10 million orchid blooms a
year, this is inevitable."
The wide-ranging conference program is aimed at interesting hobbyist and commercial growers alike. International speakers will review the popular general took toward the future, and describe
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trends in culture, conservation, plant pathology, taxonomy and genetics.
In addition to pre-
and
post-conference
tours.
an extensive social program is planned. Highlights are the gala opening reception
presided over by
Governor General Sir Paul Reeves, dining in the homes of New Zealand orchid enthusiasts, a night of
New
Zealand
Maori
and Pacific islands culture,
and
a sumptuous banquet of
New
Zealand cuisine and wines.
For further information,
please
contact your local
orchid society, or: The Conference Secretariat,
13th World Orchid Conference, P0
Box
12-442,
Auckland 3, NZ.
BOOK
REVIEW
Moon Publications
has
published a revision of
New Zealand
Handbook
by Jane King. This
latest edition
contains 44
additional pages and has
a darker
and
more readable print size. The new
book
indudes many items missed in the
first
edition.
I
reviewed
this fine
book
in a 1989 issue of KF., and I still feel the same: there's no
better
travel guide to New Zealand.
Don't
go
without it.
Moon handbooks
are
found in most travel and general bookstores. You may also order directly from Moon by sending the retail
price
of
the
book ($14.95). plus $3.50 for
first
class or
UPS
shipping and handling. Calif. residents include 6.25% sales tax. Moon Publications
722
Wall St
Chico,
CA 95928
WELD CONE
One of the outstanding South Island overnights we enjoyed on our recent travels through New
Zealand was
at "Weld Cone", the beautiful
and historical
home of Audrey
and Charlie Chambers and
their two teenage children. This 1,550
acre
sheep and
cattle
farm, a part of the
early
"Flaxbourne Settlement", is 45 km south of Blenheim on State Highway 1. We highly recommend
you
make a
stop
there.
The home is
about
75 years old, with
lovely
leadlight
windows and
doors. It's a large gracious house
with lots
of
space
for relaxing. In fact, it's hard to leave when the time comes
to
hit the road again. I really felt
"back
in time" while there--in
the
early 1900's. I must
add you
will never find a
lady
anywhere
who
is more thoughtful
and
kind
than
Audrey.
There is a one acre garden with
over 200 rhododendrons,
camellias, azaleas and roses, and there are
lots
of lovely trees typical of New Zealand. The
bird life
is abundant, and John
finally got
some fantails on video tape.
The property goes down to the Pacific
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Ocean, and the dramatic beach with its piles of kelp
and driftwood is great for walking. Huge marble
rocks sculpted by
the
ocean waves protrude here and there from the dark sands and from the sea. The beach is composed more of tiny, rounded marble stones of different colors than it is of sand. It's a great place to find natural
"worry
stones." Our kids looked through the driftwood pills and found many "treasures" such as a
beer bottle
from the Orient a
dead
seal, bird
bones, and
seal
bones.
There
are
plenty of chickens,
goats,
and kittens
to
visit on the farm. You'll find
lots
of
room to
park your
campervan
($NZI5.
which
includes
use
of bathroom,
power and
laundry).
Two
comfortable
bed
and breakfast
rooms in
the house are: double
$NZ6O,
and single $NZ38. Mdress: "Weld Cone",
Ward,
Marlborough,
NZ
Tel.
(057)20-816.
MITCHELL
ODYSSEYS
Isolated
from the rest of the world
for
tens of millions
of
years. New Zealand
has
become a renowned treasure trove of natural wonders, rare species,
and
intricate collections of plants and wildlife. ft's a country of interesting extremes—high mountains, arid valleys, lush meadows, volcanoes, glaciers and fjords—a living natural
history
museum,
and
a reminder of a world
now
long past.
Mitchell Odysseys is a family owned and operated business.
They creatively
design travel programs to meet
each
customer's
wishes—
independent or with complete itineraries. They specialize in small group travel.
Two pre-planned journeys have been
scheduled for
Dec.-Jan. 1990, which falls during New Zealand's summertime. One is a 16-day "Nature Quest": the other is an 18-day Study Tour with special focus on the Maori cultural heritage
and New
Zealand's natural history treasures. Both tours are guided
by
a well-known NZ naturalist and botanist.
For full information
and
a fascinating brochure,
contact
Mitchell Odysseys, Inc., P.O. Box
61482, Denver
CO
80206 (tel.
1-800-359-5912.)
AUSTRALIA "OUT".
NEW
ZEALAND "IN"
According to US Magazine, New
Zealand is listed in
its
"What's In" column
for 1990, along with
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blondes, scones, Mazda MX5s, Tom
Cruise,
Michele Pfeiffer, "Murphy
Brown" and
the Wizard. Australia joins redheads, muffins, BMWs,
James
Woods and
Cybill
Shepherd on the "What's Out" list.
CLEAN. GREEN CHRISTCHURCH
Not
long ago Christchurch's Mayor Vicki Buck announced her hope that her city might
lead
the world in its care
for
the environment. This
plan fits
in with the
new
city image, "Christchurch—the
Garden
City, the city that shines."
Mayor Buck
requested
that
the city council look
at alternatives to the use of chemicals in gardens and parks.
She believes weed-killing
chemicals should
not be used to
kill
street-side
weeds where children
and
animals could be harmed. The council
was asked
to investigate the management of park and garden
insect
pests using organic methods.
The city would
need
to look into possible ways of recycling plastics,
for
one thing,
and would need
to encourage
manufacturers to
make environmentally disposable nappies (diapers)
rather than
asking consumers to do
away
completely
with
such
products.
Mayor Buck remarked
that
the city of Tauranga is
already
recycling all
its
plastic milk bottles and
wondered if
Christchurch might do the same.
VOICE OF A KIWI
-
by
Richard
Croft
Ever
had
feelings
of
nostalgia? Maybe there is something in
all of
us
that makes
us
want to
return to
the
places
we
knew in our younger days. Having
been hospitalized
in 1989. I was determined that
as soon
as
I
was sufficiently recovered, I would
set out
on
what I
like
to
think
of as
my "journey of
rediscovery." Visits to
my beloved South Island
have been all
too short
and
infrequent
over
the years so I was about
to redress
that in full measure.
My experience of
life
has made me a
fairly
independent and self-sufficient person. not
particularly
outgoing or social,
but
I do like meeting people
and
invariably find
it
stimulating
to
engage in
conversation with visitors from
around the world. sharing
experiences
with my
own contemporary age
group on occasion, and at other
times
recapturing,
in
the company
of
young people, that
exciting
feeling
of
the unbounded optimism
of
youth.
Wherever one travels in the world there is beauty
to
behold
if
you have the eyes
to appreciate it.
I like
to
think
that these
two remote islands with an area
about that of
Colorado have a
little
bit
of
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everything to offer, from their Southern Alps,
fords.
rivers,
lakes, rain forests
and
rich plains to those thousands of miles
of
everchanging coastline.
Eva and
John may have some international
jet
setters among their
subscribers, but
I would like to think that most of them would
be
people like myself. ordinary budget-conscious people
who
like to
travel
at leisure, pausing here and there
to savor
a
new
scene or prospect—a
snow-capped
mountain looming in the distance above a lush green-forested
valley,
a little cobalt-blue lake coming suddenly into view around a bend in the road, the inspiring sight of surf roaring and breaking onto
an
unspoiled sandy
beach,
the transformation
of
a mist-laden dawn into a sun-bathed warm new day. Or just to
experience the
sheer exhilaration
of
being a free agent rolling along a quiet undulating highway on the way
to somewhere,
to anywhere,
to
nowhere.
ft's a small
world, too, as they
say. You never
know
who
you are going to meet
on your travels.
Those
itinerant Kiwiphiles. your FILE co-editors,
those super-sales
reps
for
the NZ-way of
life,
the
intrepid
Trapanis plus some junior Trapanis.
turned
up at my Nelson youth hostel one sunny
March afternoon
on
their most
recent
visit
here. Although a
rendezvous
had
been
vaguely
pre-arranged. it was still a surprise
and we
all had
quite a time catching up
with
the
news.
(Next issue—an
the
beaten track, off the beaten
track—and people).
HOME HOSTING, MANAPOURI, NZ
Through the New Zealand Home Hosting
Assn., Phyllis and Ron
MacGibbon offer a self- contained unit
attached
to their own home. It is immaculate and comfortable.
tastefully
decorated-- sleeps up to
six
people in
private
accommodations.
Meals are available on
request. All vegetables and
fruits are
grown
in the
owners'
garden, and
they try
to serve seafood and fresh-water fish, venison, pork. etc.
from the
area. Phyllis and
Ron also
make their own wine
from fruit produced on
the
property.
This is a real NZ
home hosted by a warm,
friendly couple who
love
sharing it with overseas and NZ
visitors
at
very reasonable rates. The million- dollar
view
comes
free.
Write: Phyllis and Ron MacGibbon,
House 8,
Manapouri, NZ
"GOD DEFEND NEW ZEALAND"
New Zealand's national anthem. "God Defend New Zealand," written by Thomas Bracken and put to music by John Woods. was adopted in 1940. Until the 1960's, however, most New Zealanders
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preferred
"God Save the Queen,"
and
they felt
obliged to
stand
when it was played at the
start
of theater, opera and movie
performances.
Bracken, a Dunedin
poet who wrote
the
verses
of "God Defend
New
Zealand,"
also coined
the phrase
"God's Own
Country" in a poem of the same name. The words referred to
New Zealand. of
course,
and
the phrase
has been reduced now to
"Godzone."
Here is the
first
verse of the New
Zealand
national anthem:
God of Nations, at thy
feet,
In the bonds of
love
we meet.
Hear our
voices
we entreat,
God defend our Free
Land.
Guard Pacific's triple
star
From the shafts of
strife and war,
Make her praises heard afar,
God defend New Zealand.
ThE INTERISLANDER FERRY
There
are
rumors going 'round
that
there will
soon be a new ferry to aid
in the daily business of getting people back
and forth from
North to South Island. Also rumored is
that
an Australian hovercraft crossing is being considered—a big threat to
the New Zealand Railways which operate
the present ferry
system.
The Cook Strait ferry service, in the meantime, is
viewing air travel between
islands as
competition and
is trying to undercut
Air New
Zealand's
price.
In
March
when we went
into the NZTP
tourist office in Queenstown to make reservations
for a week
later, we were quite
shocked to
find
that
the
first opening for vehicles from Pidon to
Wellington
was
more
than
two weeks away—which was
several
days after two of our party
had to be back
at work in the US. We
had
no
choice
but to take the reservation
for that
date, but with
the
plan to get in
line
on the
day we
had
to
cross
in order to keep our schedule. It worked
out
okay. We managed to get aboard a middle-of-the-night
sailing, but just barely.
Ours were the last two
vehicles to get aboard.
In future we will try to make our reservations on the Interislander before we
leave
home. In the low
tourist season (April
to October)
that
should not be necessary. By the way, NZ
Railways ups
the
price
for ferry
travel
during holiday periods (i.e., Easter),
so try to avoid those
times.
TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN THE
KIWIphile FILE!!
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QUALITY
OF LIFE
International Living
magazine
has rated
the
nations of the
world
on the
quality
of life in each
country—with
the following categories considered:
Cost of living, economy, freedom,
political stability, health,
infrastructure,
culture and
entertainment.
You might like to know that
both
the United
States
and
New Zealand
came
out
in the
top
10
overall
rating
for 1990.
The US was in the top 10 in the
'health" category, but
not NZ. The "strongest economies" also induded the US,
but
not NZ.
However, both countries came out
in the
top
group in the
"most
cultured nations"
category.
For details: International Living,
Agora
Inc., 824 E. Baltimore St., Baltimore MD
21202.
KIWI
LETTER BOX
Welcome homel Your latest KIWIphile FILE was the best You are getting so
good.
I
learn
so much about NZ that I
would
have no other way of learning. Article on
campervans
was most interesting. When we were there, our friends parked on
Cooper's
Beach for $3.00/night Loved the article on the giraffes, too.
Phyllis
Hodell,
California
Thank
you
for introducing yourself when we met
at Waitomo Caves,
I trust your visit was both
informative and
relaxing. I assume your
visit was
partly holiday anyway.
You
asked
me to write outlining my
operation
In
New Zealand.
I am
firstly
an owner
operator of a charter
yacht on Auckland Harbour. I
enclose brochures.
I
specialise
in
personal skippered cruises for
small
groups both by the day
and overnight My
sailboat
is
a
Bruce
Farr 40
footer
and
is
loaded with
comforts.
Prices
range from NZ$350
per 1/2
day
(GST
included)
and
$575 per
full day
to overnight rates
of
$1000 (2
days - 1 night)
all
inclusive. We
cruise the
Auckland
Harbour and
Hauraki
Guif offering
beach barbeques, fishing, swimming on secluded beaches, bush
walks
etc.
Secondly
I operate a 9 seat air conditioned mini bus, offering 1/2 day
and
I day Auckland sightseeing through I day
tours
to Rotorua. Taupo, Waitomo. Bay of Islands, Coromandel, etc.
and
on to 2 & 3 day tours or
exclusive
charters.
Details of
standard
tours are
in my brochures,
I also will for $400 per day plus accommodation expenses.
take groups
of up to 8 people on extended
tours
of New Zealand. We
specialise
in golfing tours and
put
together
total packages for
prospective clients that
cover
NZ
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expenses to the level stipulated. Accommodation, meals, alcohol, green fees, entiy fees, trout fishing. skiing costs etc., can be induded if
required.
My objective is to offer totally organised and arranged tours for small groups on a personal and friendly basis.
T. R. Bond, Auckland NZ
(Ed. note: If you're interested, write Mr. Bond at:
P.O. Box 17-110, Greenland, Auckland, NZ
(phone [09]555618).
Unlike many
who approach "retirement" age,
my life
now is busier than it has ever been and
there
are never
enough
hours
in any
day to
do
all that
must
be done and all-else
that I would love to do.
Most of my work has to do with
NEW ZEALAND TRAVELERS Inc.,
my adventure
travel company.
Living
here 17
kms
north of Nelson,
New
Zealand
continues to be the great joy that it
has
been
from
the very start three years
ago!
"Tealcot",
perched on the banks of the Teal River
is quiet
(except for the birds singing), verdant peaceful and very definitely "far from the madding crowd". After three years of having the cooker and fridge in the living room.
I
have just started construction on a kitchen/dining building that will be separate from the house. It too will, perch right above the river and
is built on
piles,
so that in the
event
of
flooding,
the water will just
pass
under the structure. it will include two 100-year-old
french doors and
matai (species of
hardwood,
deep auburn color) flooring
from
a big old house
that
was
torn down
in Nelson last
year.
I saved a 50'
Totara (looks like cedar) tree on the site
and its trunk will pass up thru a
portion of
the eaves especially built around
it.
When
you
sit down
to
dinner, you'll be able to
look down to
the river and
see
the trout feeding at the
bottom of
a fast run.
When I do have a
bit of
time
for myself,
it invariably goes into landscaping and home improvement of
Tealcot My 1/2 acre
+
is just right
for
me
in
size,
and
one of my purest
joys
is planting
rhododendrons, azaleas,
pieris
and
other broadleaf
evergreens
that
contribute to
the lush, almost tropical surroundings. Although we
do
get frequent frost in winter,
it never snows here and the all-time low
temp is above 20 deg. F. It''s warm enough for me to grow bamboo and palms. This
may not be paradise, but
it's mighty fine
for
the likes of me!
As
I finish up this letter, in late afternoon, the rays
of
the sun
are
slanting down to reflect off the moving waters
of
the river
and
the light is dancing on the trunks of the
trees overhanging like the reflections from the revolving chandelier at Roseland. As
it has always been
for
me,
it
remains a
truly magical
place! Those of
you who are world-
weary, come visit. A couple
of years ago
one
of my tour
groups sat on the deck above the
river,
drinking wine,
and
voted
to stay
in the Teal
Valley and
Tealcot
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for
the
rest of
their time in NZ rather
than
going on with the
tour
Alan Riegelman,
Nelson, NZ
(For
information
on Alan's
tours, write NEW
ZEALAND TRAVELERS
INC.. P.O. Box 605,
Shelburne VT
05482,
or to Alan
Riegelman, Tealcot
Teal
Valley, Nelson, Ni Tel.
USA 802-985-8865
or
NZ 054-521-141)
OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE
RESIDENCE STATUS IN NZ
We've
heard
from the
owners
of
Rainbow
Yacht Charters in Auckland that an equity partner is needed to help them pay back a
loan. They are seeking
an amount equal to $NZ500,000.
and
the equity would
guarantee
permanent residence status as part of the
conditions
of partnership. This would purchase a 33% share
in the
company.
The
NZ marine tourism business is booming. and this might be an opportunity
for
some one of our readers to make a good move. Part of the
advantage
of this
opportunity is
that an immediate
move to NZ
would
not be necessary.
Write to: Roger Miles, Managing Dir.,
Rainbow
Yacht Charters, P.O. Box 8327, Symonds St., Auckland, NZ. Phone (09)780-719.
NZ EDELWEISS
REFUGE
The edelweiss. rare
and lovely symbol of
the European Alps, is
soon
to find itself evacuated to a
botanical garden in
New Zealand's
Southern Alps.
The plant
needs a
quieter
and
less
damaged site
than it
has had for centuries
in
Europe.
Construction and
outdoor recreation there
have
endangered the plant and
now it
is suffering from pollution as well. Botanists say there is no guarantee the
edePweiss will
prosper in its
new
home, but if it
does,
New Zealand could
possibly
some
day soon
be exporting
seeds of
the alpine
flower back to
Europe.
SENIORS
ABROAD
Founded in 1984.
Seniors Abroad
is a
homestay
program
founded for
persons
over 50 who want to visit
abroad,
to learn about
family
and community life of older persons. More than 1600
hosts and
guests in Japan, Denmark, Sweden. Norway, New Zealand. Australia. and the
United States
have participated.
If
you want
information on hosting senior
New
Zealanders in your home or
are
interested in visiting
in New Zealand host homes,
write to: Lesley
Harrison,
2 Budgen St. Mt. Roskill, Auckland 4, NZ.
Tel. (09)693-419.
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OVINE VS. BOVINE POLLUTION
According
to recent news reports, New
Zealand's population of 70+ million sheep
are
turning green pasture land into methane
gas
at a rate of almost a million tons a year.
Methane
is considered by chemists to be the second
largest contributor to
the
earth's
fast-growing greenhouse effect
Carbon
dioxide, the #1
culprit,
is a result of the burning of
fossil
fuels and
rampant
deforestation of our planet In the case of sheep, the methane
is a byproduct
of fermenting fodder and is
expelled
by the animal.
New Zealand
is a
country
of only 3.4 million people, a leader in environmental
issues. Nuclear
power has been banned, as has
drift-net
fishing.
The
country has moved to save whales and is
phasing
out
ozone-depleting sprays. So it isn't surprising that the NZ government is
not
taking the methane
issue as a Joke,
but
is
taking steps to reduce
the
production
of the
gas by Kiwi sheep.
An anti-
flatulence
pill for sheep is on the
drawing board.
The pill
will cut down
on
"certain methanogenic bacteria"
in sheep
stomachs.
In truth,
New
Zealand's sheep
probably
contribute less gas to
the
greenhouse effect
than the
cars in New York City alone.
To
further
let the sheep off the
hook, it's now
known that
the
world's bovine population (cows)
produce
an amount of methane
gas each year
that
reduces New Zealand's sheep
gas
contribution
to a mere
pittance. A West German chemist estimates
that there are
1300
million cows on
earth,
and together they
produce about 100
million tons of methane
each year-a figure 100 times that produced by Kiwi ovines.
The
world's worst offender, however, is neither ovine
nor
bovine.
This honor belongs to
termites.
Though no one knows how
many individual
termites edst it's
estimated
there
are 3/4ths of a ton of termites per person
on earth. The insects produce
methane
by
way
of
micro-organisms in
their
guts which break down carbon and
make gas.
The world's human population is
roughly
5,288,000,000. Tums, anyone? Human beings are
multiplying
at
a rapid
rate whereas most 4-footed
animals are declining in numbers. Shouldn't
we be
thinking about
an
anti-flatulence pill
for
ourselves?!
Thank you for mentioning KIWIphile FILE
when making inquiries to other publications,
NZTP, travel agents, etc. We need recognition!
BITS AND BITES
* NZ has
one
of
the highest
rates of whale
and dolphin beach strandings in the
world.
This is
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probably because the country, despite its
small
size,
has
one of the longest coastlines. There's an
average of
one stranding each week.
New Zealand
has developed a technique second to
none for
saving the animals.
Members
of the public are always eager
to
help the experts. There's
even
a toll-
free hotline if you see a whale
or dolphin in distress
(04)712-229.
* When
you've visited Rotorua's Agrodome, have you noticed
Mike Scott's
Trainworld
on display
in a
building in the park? We
ventured
in
and
were delighted with the
exhibit
If you're
even remotely
interested in trains,
real
or model, this
exhibit
will
fascinate
you. It's one of the world's largest "00" gauge model railways. You will see about 30 trains in
operation
at the
same
time. The trains make their way through superb scenery
typical
of England, with
realistic towns,
villages
and
countryside complete with automobiles, buses and
people. Adults: $NZ6;
children $NZ3. Don't miss
it!
* New Zealand Is linked
to the
United States with
more than 40 flights a
week operated by a total
of
six
airlines.
* If
you
live anywhere near Pasadena.
Calif., you'll
want to visit
Distant Lands, the only travel
bookstore
in the San Gabriel Valley.
Adrian Kalvinskas,
the
proprietor, offers a large
selection of guides, maps. and
videos (videos
for sale or
rent).
You can
even
sit and read while there in the comfortable
sofa
and chairs provided. You may even meet an interesting fellow traveler in
these
inspiring surroundings. Yes, they have a NZ video.
* New
Zealand vineyards can be good places
to eat
It's a rapidly spreading new trend in
the South Island.
In Canterbury.
in Nelson, Blenheim-check it out.
The best wines of each vineyard are served with meals that in some cases, are nothing short of spectacular.
Delightful appetizers, fine main courses
(such as boned loin of lamb stuffed with
spinach,
ginger and red pepper, or crayfish with Brie and spring onions in filo pastry
on a bed of
watercress garnished with
chives and
paprika butter,
and
desserts (how does chocolate-dipped shortbread sound?
Or
rum, honey and walnut ice cream?).
* The
1990 Listener-Montana Best Restaurant Awards
have
been
made, and you
can have a list of
the winners by sending us a self-addressed, stamped
envelope.
Top winner is "Harbourside" in Auckland.
* Fabulous seaside
farmstay
Dine 3X a
day
on
homegrown
cuisine,
sail
on a yacht, soak in
hot
tub, play golf. billiards,
visit with family. $US100. each per
night
Write: Gordon
Miller, Tongue Farm, Box 31.
Matakana,,
Auckland.
* Many
post
offices offer
passport
services. No need to go only to passport agencies.
Ask
your
local
P.O.
* When
in Nelson
take
time to
stop
at the Maruia
Society
office, 142
Collingwood Street Find out
what
Maruia
is doing for
conservation
and see the fine
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