Volume VI. No. 1

SEPTEMBER 1993

(-phile: {Greek--philos, Ioving} meaning one who Loves, Likes, or is favorably disposed to. Webster)

NEW BROCHURE LISTING

MAORI GUIDES AND PRICES

The rich culture of the Maori, New Zealand's founding people, is now more accessible to visitors thanks to a new brochure that lists guides who can open doors to unforgettable insider glimpses of Maori life.

The Maori Cultural Heritage Guide , available through the New Zealand Tourism Board, is a handy reference to 10 of the country's leading tour operators. It describes each operator's specialities, how much you'll pay and gives telephone and fax numbers for bookings and information.

"Every visitor returns home with a heightened awareness of the 1,000 years of Maori settlement," said Bert Queenin, the New Zealand Tourism Board's regional manager for North America.

"Part of the New Zealand experience includes shopping for carved wood, greenstone (jade) and bone mementoes, enjoying the traditional hangi feasts and spine-tingling chants by grass-skirted warriors in choreographed dances. Knowledgeable operators know the best places, the best bargains, how to get there and what to see."

The guide directs visitors to highlights that range from historic Waitangi where the Maori gave European settlers the right to live in New Zealand 150 years ago in exchange for protection of Maori ways, to Rotorua's geysers, bubbling mud pools, ornately carved meeting houses, and traditional crafts centers. Offerings include everything from a two-hour museum stop in Auckland to a 5-day horseback trek in Te Urewera National Park.

New Zealand, an overnight airplane ride away from the west coast of the United States, is served by four airlines including Air New Zealand, Continental Airlines, Quantas, and United Airlines.

For a free copy of the Maori Cultural Heritage Guide , contact: New Zealand Tourism Board, 501 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite #300, Santa Monica CA 90401. Ph. (310) 395-7480 OR (800) 388-5494.

WANGANUI, NEW ZEALAND'S

PRINCELY CHOICE - by Dennis A. Cavagnaro

When Queen Elizabeth's youngest son Prince Edward completed a two-semester teaching stint at Wanganui's famed Collegiate School, the question for many was, "Where's Wanganui?"

Lovely Wanganui graces a crescent of the Wanganui River just before it empties into the Tasman Sea on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Visitors will find the gardened city an easy three-hour drive north of the capital city of Wellington.

We visited Wanganui on a bright summer weekend quite by accident. Leaving Lake Taupo after a successful afternoon of fishing, we planned to drive through to Wellington. At about 7:00 p.m., feeling drowsy from the effects of the wind and sun on the lake, we decided to stop enroute. Our guide book recommended Wanganui, a 45- minute detour west of New Zealand Highway #1. Our stop provided us with one of the highlights of our three-week vacation.

We luckily found accommodations in the delightful Riverside Inn, a beautifully restored Victorian at #2 Plymouth at the corner of Somme Parade and, as the name suggests, by the river.

The Inn is lovingly decorated with period antiques and colorfully landscaped gardens. We were surprised to discover the "bed and breakfast" rates the lowest of any we found in New Zealand. The Inn also boasts a Youth Hostel and backpacker accommodation. The marvelous hosts Don and Maree Adams also run River City Tours featuring five-day canoe trips down the Wanganui River, Taumarunui to Pipiriki.

The spacious Riverside Bar across from the Inn combines the features of a pub, a German beer garden and restaurant. We found it a great place to meet the local Kiwis and enjoy an inexpensive pub-style meal.

Courtney's and the Golden Oaks on Liverpool Street across from the famous Collegiate School are favorite restaurants as well.

Sunday morning we awakened to find 200-300 Kiwis of all ages in shorts, congregating at the Riverside's outside Garden Bar. The Wanganui Sunday runners were

gathering for their weekly run. We darted off with the pack, jogging through Wanganui's residential streets, parks and along the river. The fun finished at the Garden Bar where we enjoyed cooling off and socializing with the Kiwis over refreshments. We found that our American tee shirts are great conversation pieces. Most runs start from Wanganui's Splash Centre in Springvale Park.

Much of Wanganui's recreation is found on the gently winding Wangariui River, New Zealand's second longest and its longest navigable. Spawned on Mt. Tongariro, it rushes over a spectacular series of rapids before calming down for a lazy run to the sea. A number of jet boat rides are offered in varying lengths, including the longest traversing the spectacular river scenery between Pipiriki and the descriptively named Drop Scene. The paddlewheeler Otunui sails from the City Marina to Holly Lodge Estate Winery Monday through Saturday. On Sunday it travels further upriver from Holly Lodge.

Wanganui's most unusual attraction must be the Durie Hill Elevator. The ancient elevator rises 216 feet to the top of the hill but first must be reached by a 672-foot level tunnel. An additional 176 steps to the top of the War Memorial Tower gives a panoramic view of Mt. Taranaki, the Mt. Fuji look-alike, in one direction and Mt. Ruapehu and South Island in the others.

Nearby in Putiki, St. Paul's Anglican Memorial Church, beautifully decorated in Maori art, is a moving tribute to civilizations' common faith and goodwill.

The fine black sand beach close by in the suburb of Castlecliffe is complete with lifeguards, showers and changing rooms. The Wanganui Regional Museum boasts a fine collection of Maori artifacts and skeletons of the giant but extinct Moa bird. Virginia Lake and Gardens on St. John's Hill is popular for Sunday walking.

The 122-mile drive from Wanganui to the capital of Wellington leads through the wonderfully named town of Bulls and passes alongside Ohakea Air Base, home of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Mirage fighters and American-built A-4 Skyhawks.
It is worth a two-mile detour at Otaki to visit

the Maori Church there to see some of the finest carvings in New Zealand.

We enjoyed an excellent seafood dinner while gazing across the sea toward South Island at the Fisherman's Table Restaurant perched on a cliff above the beach at Paekakariki.

Paekakariki's Queen Elizabeth II Park, then called McKay's Crossing, was home to the U.S. Marine Corps's 2nd Marine Division during WW II. Recently the New Zealand government asked WW II Marines where they might have buried live ammunition there as it keeps turning up. Besides an excellent beach and picnic sites, the park houses an operating tramway (streetcar) museum.

From here the last 20 miles into the heart of Wellington are by freeway. More detailed information on Wanganui can be obtained from the New Zealand Tourism and Publicity Office. Closer to the scene is the Wanganui Visitors Information Centre, P.O. Box 637, Wanganui (tel. 064 58529) located at 101 Guyton Street at the corner of Hill Street.

Wanganui proclaims itself to be "The Friendly City," a perception visitors quickly adopt.

NEWS FROM SOUTHERN CROSS TOURS

McDonald Rentals, a family owned and operated New Zealand Auto Rental Company since 1987, has appointed Southern Cross Tours, Inc. as their official USA representative. (Ed. KiWiphile FILE recommends McDonald Rentals--formerly McDonald Motors).

McDonald's has a fleet of over 160 vehicles throughout New Zealand with 4 branch offices. Their head office is located in Christchurch with branches in Auckland, Rotorua and Picton. All vehicles are less than 2 years old and are maintained in excellent condition. Their rates are very reasonable and include unlimited mileage, insurance and GST taxes.

For reservations and rates contact: Southern Cross Tours, 206 Indiana Ave.. Ste B-3, Coeur d'Alene ID 83814 1-800-793-2999.

Also from Southern Cross Tours, KIRRA operator of New Zealand Motorcoach Holidays 25 years have announced the appointment of Cross Tours as their US travel agency representative.
KIRRA TOURS is a privately owned NZ company

whose owners become involved on a daily basis to ensure their operation maintains maximum efficiency and best possible standards. They offer 4 to 17 day adventures with a wide variety of sightseeing. Contact Southern Cross Tours, address above, for information.

VOICE OF A KIWI - by Richard Croft

The City of Auckland is the main gateway for visitors arriving in New Zealand. Jean Batten International Airport, 10 miles to the south at Mangere was named in honour of the young aviatrix who made the first daring solo flight from England to New Zealand in 1934.

Most visitors go on to tourist destinations to the south, and that's fine, but the 270-mile-long neck of land that lies to the north of Auckland offers a surprising variety of land and seascapes. It has none of the spectacular grandeur of the South Island's Alps, lakes and fiords, but its undulating, green wooded hills and sub-tropical climate offer their own particular scenic attractions. In addition to those it has a seemingly endless number of harbours, inlets, bays and unspoiled beaches to delight those who like to spend time at bathing, boating, deep or inshore fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving.

For those interested in history there is much of value as the area around the Bay of Islands and the

Far North was the cradle of European settlement in New Zealand, but perhaps we could come back to the events of that notable era a little later on.

North Aucklanders, probably because of the climate and their comparatively isolated geographical location are pretty laid back. Visitors to New Zealand have to adjust to a slower pace of life but in the north there is an even more relaxed atmosphere which is pervasive. Time seems to assume another dimension. Tourists of all persuasions are more than adequately catered for here without being commercially pressured. It's a place to take it easy, to dress casually, to let your hair down and put your worries aside for a while. There are many expatriates who came here for a look and never left.

Auckland, often called the City of Sails because of the profusion of watercraft on its expansive harbour, is the starting place for all points north and, after leaving the downtown area, you'll be passing Westhaven Marina before crossing the Harbour Bridge to the sprawling North Shore suburbs. There is a demanding two hours plus drive of 110 miles to the port city of Whangarei over a winding undulating section of S.H.1, and that is where the real north begins.

There are several places en route well worth a short pause to break the journey. At 25 miles. on the Hibiscus Coast, Orewa lies beside a beautiful safe 2-mile stretch of wide sandy beach, then a few miles further on over a twisty little hill, is Waiwera with its hot pools set in a garden of lawns and flowers, with an adjacent camping ground. The pools, open about 12 hours a day, are a favoured rendezvous for city dwellers of all ages. Warkworth is a pretty little town 15 miles further on beside the winding Mahurangi River which in summer is choked with pleasure boats moored near the quaint main street.

And so to Whangarei (pron. FONGA-RAY), built around sub-tropical bush-clad hills overlooking a winding deep-water harbour, at the entrance of which is New Zealand's only oil refinery, Marsden Point. There is also a large standby oil-fired power station. Both of these installations can be visited by arrangement. A 20 mile drive along the harbour's northern shore is well worthwhile, and a most interesting longer round-trip can be made further north to Tutukaka, Ngunguru and Matapouri. However, take a day if you can to explore a succession of picturesque coves and beaches. Choose from dozens of picnic spots or dine at eating-houses along the way. Tutukaka is a major deep-sea game fishing base with charter boats available, and there are sightseeing and fishing trips around the nearby Poor Knights Islands. Check at the Visitor Information Centres wherever you go because they are set up to assist travellers with routes, tours, shopping, dining, and usually for booking all types of accommodation from budget to luxury.

It's a short drive of 45 miles north to Paihia, the main tourist centre for the Bay of Islands. English navigator Capt. James Cook bestowed this descriptive name on this land-locked waterway well over 200 years ago. The graceful fusion of low, rolling green hills with the

sea provides a pleasant aspect in this archipelago of 150 islands. A short car-ferry ride across the bay from Opua brings you to the township of Russell which in 1840 became the first capital of New Zealand even though its tenure lasted only 9 months. Earlier it had acquired an infamous reputation as the "Hell-hole of the Pacific" with its motley collection of ship deserters, time-expired convicts from the Australian penal settlements, and itinerant whaling crews. Russell's tranquility these days belies the frenetic activity of the wild, early 1800's, and it is now a favoured vacation resort. Indeed it is difficult to imagine it as it was--a lawless frontier town crammed with grog shops and adventurers of every breed.

Just north of Paihia, in an historical reserve, sits the Georgian-style Treaty House which is symbolic of New Zealand's Nationhood. It was here in 1840 that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by representatives of the British Crown and 45 Maori Chiefs and by which the country became part of the British Empire. At Rangihoua the Rev. Samuel Marsden conducted the first church service on Christmas Day 1814.

Russell is the country's top big game fishing centre and draws sportsmen from around the world in their quest for marlin, tuna, thresher, hammerhead shark, etc. The sport here received international fame through the writings of the famous American author Zane Grey who established a base in beautiful Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island in the 1920's.

Spend a few days in this area soaking up the historical atmosphere. There are limitless opportunities for sailing, boating and fishing. Large and small party charter boats are available and cruises negotiate the myriad bays and inlets around the islands daily. Many bush walks are readily accessible or you can fraternise with the visitors along the waterfront promenade or in the taverns. But inevitably the time comes to move on, and it is only a short 20 or so miles to Kerikeri, almost hidden down a side road off S.H.10.

Tall, thick hedgerows hide the orchards which flourish in the rich volcanic soil. Citrus and all types of sub-tropical fruits thrive in Kerikeri's pleasant climate, and people from many countries give the little town a quaintly cosmopolitan air. Its reputation is growing as a centre for pottery and handcrafts. At a nearby tidal inlet, Kerikeri Basin, there stands the oldest building in the country, the Mission House, one of a series of mission stations. Alongside is the Stone Store, and there is also a full-scale reconstruction of a traditional Maori Village (Kainga) which recaptures the mode of native life in pre- European times.

A further 20 miles on, past Kaeo, a short road takes you to Whangaroa on the Harbour of the same name. The Maori name means Long Waterway, and this long, narrow indentation is notable for its incredibly smooth glass-like water surface sheltering as it does between sheer, jagged brecchia pinnacles. Again, this is just one more in a succession of lovely boating, fishing and vacation havens along the eastern coastline. One of

the prettiest of these is Mangonui on Doubtless Bay. The town grew up as a port for ships engaged in the kauri timber trade. Look in at the Old Oak Inn on Mill Bay just before the town to see a good example of old colonial architecture and also for souvenirs, craftwork, and great food. Sailing ships used to tie up opposite and sometimes prisoners were quartered in the upstairs rooms and shackled to iron rings in the floor. The owner will show them to you.

S.H.10 winds across a headland past Cooper's Beach and Cable Bay with some fine outlooks to the open Pacific, and then it's down to Taipa with its international hotel and good beach. A memorial by the bridge marks the first landfall of the brave Kupe and his crew on their great voyage from Hawaiiki over 1000 years ago.

It's a short drive westward to Awanui and Kaitaia which is the stepping-off place for that fascinating last strip of the North Island which takes you 60 miles to Cape Reinga. Everybody loves to say they have been to the geographical extremities, whether it be Lands End or Key West or the Arctic Circle, and that's exactly why you must go to the Cape, and we will find out more about this neck of the woods next issue.

DOLPHINS. PENGUINS, FORESTS AND FIORDS

From swimming with dolphins in its sub-tropical north to photographing yellow-eyed penguins in its sub-Antarctic south, New Zealand offers visitors an enchanting natural world wrapped with 9,300 miles of scenic, uncrowded coastline.

And now a new free booklet from the New Zealand Tourism Board offers a handy guide to the services of dozens of tour operators who specialize in showing and explaining nature's wonders and mysteries to visitors.

Ecologists say that New Zealand is the closest that most of us will ever get to studying life on another planet. The Natural Heritage Guide is just the ticket for people who want to get full value out of one of the most rewarding travel experiences here on earth.

The 20-page guide, available simply by calling (310)395-7480, outlines walks, cruises, rides and safaris, and lists prices, contact addresses, phone and fax numbers.

Visitors can swim with dolphins in the Bay of Islands on a half-day outing for about US$30. ride a narrow-gauge train through a kauri forest in the Coromandel for about $3, canoe and camp out with a guide for 4 days in Whanganui National Park for about $250, and enjoy a homestay, sea lions and penguins on the Catlins Coast near Dunedin for about $90.

MAORI TABU - (From Following the Equator. A Journey Around the World , by Mark Twain, pub. 1897.)

The highest class white men who lived among the Maoris in the earliest time had a high opinion of them and a strong affection for them. Among the

whites of this sort was the author of "Old New Zealand;" and Dr. Campbell of Auckland was another. Dr. Campbell was a close friend of several chiefs, and has many pleasant things to say of their fidelity, their magnanimity, and their generosity. Also of their quaint notions about the white man's queer civilization, and their equally quaint comments upon it. One of them thought the missionary had got everything wrong end first and upside down. "Why, he wants us to stop worshiping and supplicating the evil gods, and go to worshiping and supplicating the Good One! There is no sense in that. A good god is not going to do us any harm."

The Maoris had the tabu; and had it on a Polynesian scale of comprehensiveness and elaboration. Some of its features could have been importations from India and Judea Neither the Maori nor the Hindoo of common degree could cook by the fire that a person of higher caste had used, nor could the high Maori or high hindoo employ fire that had served a man of low grade; if a low-grade Maori or Hindoo drank from a vessel belonging to a high-grade man, the vessel was defiled, and had to be destroyed. There were other resemblances between Maori tabu and Hindoo caste-custom. (will be continued)

TO THE TOP - by Judy Miller

At last I can say I've been to New Zealand top to bottom. Yes, I know that geographically Cape Reinga is not the farthest north point in New Zealand, but it was close enough for me. I traveled north from Whangarei via Intercity Bus which dropped me off right at the tourist information center in Paihia, so I confirmed my Fuller's trip for the next day before checking on accommodation.

Since I had stayed in Paihia a couple of times previously, I decided to take the ferry to Russell and stay on that side of the bay. I was very glad I did as I found Dukes Lodge Motel which sits adjacent to the historic Duke of Marlborough Hotel and right on the strand. There are both poolside and harborview rooms ranging in price from $65-$140 with off-season rates available. My room fronted on the blue tile pool which was set off by the brilliant magenta-colored bougainvillea and tropical foliage.

There are several small restaurants along the strand in addition to the Duke of Marlborough with its wide front verandah where you must stop at least for a while to enjoy a cool drink and the lovely view.

There are two Fuller's full-day Cape tours from which to choose in addition to a couple of other smaller operators. The Fuller's Deluxe tour was extremely enjoyable and well done. Stops included a short bush walk and visit to a kiwi house and glowworm grotto (these worms differ from the Waitomo variety in that they actually like the human voice as the frequency closely resembles that of their prey, so the more you talk to them the brighter they glow).

We drove up 90 Mile Beach where we had another brief stop and then negotiated Te Paki Quicksand

Streambed which is the only way off the beach at the north end. The towering sand dunes were remarkable and I had a hard time reminding myself I was in New Zealand. Box lunches were provided and we enjoyed those at the Cape where we had great weather for picnicking and the short walk down to the lighthouse.

The trip covered over 500 kilometers and it was a long day, but worth it.

AN OPTION

Not for everyone but definitely an option for anyone wanting something a bit different is the Cape Reinga overnight camping trip on the Northland FUN Bus. The $79 tariff includes all meals, tea/coffee, accommodation, all camping equipment except sleeping bags (some bedding is available, so let them know if you need a bag when you book), and use of their snorkeling gear, frisbees, volleyball, etc. The trip is limited to 14 so you get a chance to get well acquainted with everyone. Camp is at Tapotupotu Bay. "This not a luxury trip designed for tourists who insist on hot showers, but a self service camping trip for the adventurous and/or nature lovers." I am putting it on my to do list for next time.

DANSEY'S PASS

If you are in the Central Otago region of the South Island, I would highly recommend a side trip through Dansey's Pass. If you are traveling to or from Mt. Cook via route 83 turn off at Duntroon and head over the pass toward Naseby. The road is unsealed and not for the faint of heart, but the high. country vistas are spectacular, and at the top you will find the charming and historic Dansey's Pass Inn. Recently renovated by the new owner, the original stone structure dates from 1862 and was a roadside coaching inn. A verandah fronts the building and the pub is dark and cool, but has a lovely stone fireplace, and herbs as well as memorabilia from days past hang from the huge, dark open beams of the ceiling. Drinks can be enjoyed in the miner's bar or outside on the verandah, and the dining-room can accommodate 60 diners. All the accommodations have been upgraded and all rooms (as of March 1993) are NZ$86. The Inn is also an easy 11/2 hour drive from Dunedin if you just want to go up for the day or evening.

Contact Ewan and Sue Carr, Dansey's Pass Coach Inn, R.D. No. 2, Naseby, Central Otago, NZ. Ph. (03) 444-9048.

Just some general closing comments:

There are Tourist Information Offices in most towns. They are a great way to get acquainted with the area, book tours or accommodation, pick up maps, etc. They also invariably have clean toilets.

The South Island now has all one area code rather than each town having its own. To dial any place on the South Island from the U.S. dial the New Zealand country code, 64, then 3, then the number you wish to call. The North Island is broken up into several different calling areas.

Pick up a copy of the Jasons Motels and Motor Lodges Guide, They are available at Tourist Info Offices

but don't buy one there. Almost all the accommodations listed in the guide will have a complimentary copy available. It is extremely comprehensive and if you plan to stay in motels and motor lodges is invaluable.

NATIONAL WOOLCRAPTS

During the month of May this year more than 700 of the 6000 members of the New Zealand Spinning, Weaving and Woolcrafts Society attended a festival at Victoria University in Wellington.

The group of enthusiastic spinners first met in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 25 years ago. Spinners and weavers who at that time worked almost exclusively with wool are now experimenting with a wide variety of yarns:

alpaca, angora, mohair, silk, cotton, camel hair, cashmere, ramie, and some synthetics.

Popular now is "kiwicraft"', a form of knitting developed by Maori women using smooth sticks for knitting needles and staples of wool pulled straight from the raw fleece on the shearing shed floor. The fleece is then rolled lightly on the knee and knitted at once.

The festival included displays of looms, dyes and other craft products, and featured a series of demonstrations from shearing to speed spinning and knitting competitions.

PREDATORS ENDANGER UNIQUE SPECIES

For 18 million years New Zealand's birds, reptiles and invertebrates have existed in a peaceful paradise of splendid isolation.

Because New Zealand's islands broke away from the ancient southern continent Gondwanaland before the evolution of mammals, no carnivorous mammals (or crocodiles or poisonous snakes) hid in wait for New Zealand's wildlife. So evolution has crafted a unique community of flightless birds, huge, conspicuous invertebrates and primitive plants, frogs and snails that are uniquely vulnerable and found nowhere else on Earth.

With little need of flight to escape from enemies, birds' wings grew rounded and weak. Eventually, many birds became entirely flightless: the kiwi, the plump blue notornis, the weka, a flightless rail, are just a few. Early European explorers described with alarm how one unique flightless bird, the kakapo--a nocturnal parrot, the heaviest parrot on Earth--would drop like a rock from a branch when it was alarmed, not even bothering to spread its stumpy wings. (The kakapos climb up trees with powerful feet, but getting down is more difficult.)

Invertebrate animals, with few predators to hide from, evolved into spectacularly large, bizarre forms. The giant weta, the heaviest insect on earth, looks like a maple-colored cricket the size of a human fist. It weighs more than a mouse. Without the pressure to reproduce quickly before they were eaten, many species evolved leisurely lives. The Powelliphanta land snails, for instance, live 40 years or more and do not lay eggs until

around age 15, The average American garden snail is lucky to live to age 2.

And New Zealand's extraordinary safety from predators and browsing mammals allowed many of Gondwanaland's original plant and reptile inhabitants to survive here and here alone. New Zealand alone hosts the tuatara, the last remaining species of the Rhynchocephalons, an ancient order of reptiles that lived among the dinosaurs. Only in New Zealand does the world's most primitive fern survive (Loxoma), the world's most primitive frog (Leiopelma) and the multilegged peripatus, which looks like a millipede but is more ancient.

These traits render New Zealand's primitive. peaceful wildlife at once uniquely valuable and vulnerable. They were largely defenseless in the face of man's introduction of mammals such as weasels, dogs and cats, and these introduced animals are devastating the wildlife here. Because so many of its birds are poor fliers, ground nesters or entirety flightless. 70% of the nation's unique bird species are threatened with extinction, largely at the jaws of introduced predators. Nearly 200 kinds of invertebrate species are endangered.

Ninety-five percent of New Zealand's vanishing native species are found nowhere else in the world. "There is enormous scientific value to these remnants of things that have vanished everywhere else in the world," said Richard Sadler, an ecologist with New Zealand's government-funded Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. "And once they're gone from here, they're gone forever." (By Sy Montgomery, publ. in L. A. Times).

BLUE TOUCH. WELLINGTON

Celia Kennedy owns an exclusive retail gift shop in Wellington which she operates mostly from her home at 230 The Terrace. She doesn't encourage shoppers to come there in person. She goes to them, carrying a Gladstone bag and a very good catalog.

Her small gallery holds a store of objects crafted from New Zealand materials such as native woods, greenstone, and raku-fired ceramics. All the artists she buys from use indigenous materials.

Kennedy considers herself to be an art broker, offering the very finest products. She saves people from running about town in a panic to buy a last minute gift. Many of her customers are government ministers shopping for official visits overseas, and big businesses--but ordinary people are among her customers, too. Gifts she has available can range in price from NZ$40 to $850.

LETTER BOX

I recently returned from another fantastic journey to New Zealand, Australia and Tahiti, and I thought I would share some of my observations.

First, if you carry travelers checks you might consider using VISA Travelers Checks instead of A/E. Although A/E has a great many benefits

associated with their use I found that many exchange businesses charge you an extra 2-3% surcharge for their use. Apparently A/E requires that their checks be submitted with a short period of time and as such the holder cannot wait for a more favorable exchange rate so this is passed on to the user.

Second, take as much film as you can purchase in the US. Film is very expensive in all of the South Pacific. Also if you use an 8mm video it is almost impossible to find film.

Third, if you smoke I suggest that you purchase your cigarettes in Duty Free Shops prior to arrival as cigarettes are in excess of $4.00 per pack in New Zealand, Australia and Tahiti. It is also becoming the non-thing to do in all of these countries.

Finally, I found a wonderful and unique way of making new friends of different nationalities and walks of life, the Silver Fern Tape Recording Club. This wonderful organization is headquartered in New Zealand and has over 100 members in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, England, Europe, So. Africa and the USA who all share a wide variety of interest on audio tape.

Each month members swap tapes produced by several other members with ample room for greetings and comments. Membership is only a few dollars a year and the tapes open up a whole new world for making friends and sharing experiences.

For information contact: Mrs. Fred Moore, 9 Kamahi Place, Rotorua, New Zealand.

You'll be glad you did!!

Kia Ora. Michael Griffiths, Southern Cross Tours, Inc., 206 Indiana Ave., Suite B-3, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814 - 1 (800) 793-2999.

Each issue of KlWIphile FILE seems to get better. Please renew for three years. Paul Reifsnyder, New Mexico.

A SHEEP TAIL - by Judy Miller

Sheep are born with tails. I hadn't thought about it much, actually not at all, until about my fifth visit with friends Lynne and Colin Gibson on their farm near Oamaru, New Zealand.

By this time I had seen plenty of woolly babies, tails switching vigorously, butting dinner from their placid, but tailless, mamas. Still no connection.

Cathy and I met just as I started planning my sixth trip to New Zealand. An admitted city girl, she works for a regional telephone company, travels frequently on business and pleasure, is always impeccably dressed and groomed and can intimidate with a glance. She had just returned from a year's stay in Eastern Europe and was going through a divorce, so it was relatively easy to talk her into buying plane tickets. My sister Donna, also a busy executive with a certain reputation for impeccability, decided to fly in from Singapore, where she was living at the time and join us for the second week of our trip.

Cathy and I arrived in Auckland on a beautiful early morning in mid-September. Being upgraded to business class on the San Francisco to Auckland leg of the flight hadn't done us any harm, and although we'd had very little sleep, we were ready to get started.

The day was a full one of sightseeing and driving and by the time we arrived at the Pui Nuhi Motel in Rotorua we were more than ready to relax. We filled our private hot pool, poured glasses of wine and drifted our way out of the first day.

Over the next few days we explored the central North Island while making our way toward Wellington. Once there we returned our rental car, boarded an inter-island ferry for the crossing to South Island and then continued on to Christchurch via train. We were looking forward to meeting Lynne Gibson there, and to our stay at Eliza's, a lovely, restored victorian manor house. Lynne was on the platform waiting as the train pulled in, and we were soon settled in our rooms and ready for dinner.

Although Eliza's is located near downtown, we called a taxi to take us to dinner as I am genuinely impressed by New Zealand cab drivers. I have had tips returned. "Lady, you've been here before and you should know better." He was right. And once in Invercargill when I called for a taxi with only five minutes to make a bus connection, I arrived with time to spare. It's particularly amusing if you take a Kiwi along for the ride. They assume a horrified expression and make vile threats if you even remotely suggest tipping. "Don't want to get that kind of thing started here.' Anyway we had a lovely dinner and planned the next couple of days.

Christchurch is a beautiful city. The River Avon meanders through the main business district, its banks a favorite spot for locals and visitors alike to enjoy some time out to picnic, feed the ducks, or simply watch the fiat bottomed punts slip by poled by strong armed young men. Anchored by the lushness of Hagley Park and its botanical gardens, the city spreads across the Canterbury Plains toward the Southern Alps and over the Cashmere Hills to Lyttleton Harbor. On fine days Cathedral Square, cobblestoned center of the downtown business and shopping district, fills with local workers and tourists there to enjoy the sunshine, street vendors, food carts, buskars, and Christchurch's own Wizard. Just off the square is the walking mall with its multi-level shopping arcades, sidewalk cafes and coffee houses. It is also shopper's paradise.

I don't shop. Lynne and Cathy are world class. We voted. I lost. During the next two days I saw more of Christchurch's shops than on all of my previous trips combined. In all fairness we did visit the Art Center where the non-shopper bought pottery, the Canterbury Museum, and several restaurants and pubs.

The next day we left for Oamaru, first stopping by the airport to pick up Donna. Her flight from Singapore had been as long as ours from Seattle, but she stayed awake for most of the 3-hour drive to the farm.

( A Sheep Tail will be continued in next issue).

THE NEW ZEALAND CHARACTER

(From A First Year in Canterbury Settlement by Samuel

Butler - 1873)

New Zealand seems far better adapted to develop and maintain in health the physical than the intellectual nature. The fact is, people here are busy making money; that is the inducement that led them to come in the first instance, arid they show their sense in devoting their energies to the work. Yet, after all, it may be questioned whether the intellect is not as well schooled here as at home, though in a very different manner. Men are as shrewd and sensible, as alive to the humorous, and as hard-headed. Moreover, there is much nonsense in the old country from which people here are free. There is very little conventionalism, little formality, and much liberality of sentiment; very little sectarianism, and, as a general rule, a healthy, sensible tone of conversation, which I like much. But it does not do to speak of John Sebastian Bach's Fugues or Pre-Raphaelite pictures.

BITS AND BITES

* If you worry about your financial affairs while you're in NZ for a while (or anywhere else), then PRO Check Writing can help you. They'll pay your bills, make deposits, and wire money to you. Address: P.O. Box 36027, San Jose CA 95158 (408-224-5458).

* Quantas Vacations, 300 No. Continental Blvd., Ste 610, El Segundo CA 90245 (ph. 1-800-641-8772) continues to offer its FLY FREE 18-day tour of NZ and Australia from $1999 per person, double occ. from L.A.

* For working holidays (mainly conservation volunteering) in the Nelson/Marlborough area contact Richard de Hamel, Dept. of Conservation, Private Bay 5, Nelson NZ.

2. He will send K.F. readers a copy of the brochure "New Zealand in Style", a 24-page color brochure with extensive descriptions of 24 exclusive retreats and sporting lodges.

3. The Best of New Zealand will offer special discounted prices for cruises aboard Orient Lines MV Marco Polo for the following cruises:

"Grand Antarctic Circumnavigation: " - Argentina to NZ via Antarctica, 24 days with prices starting at $5,450 per person.

"Splendors of New Zealand" - Around New Zealand, 12 days with prices starting at $1,995 plus r.t. air from L.A. for only $395.

"The South Pacific" - Around the South Pacific, 19 days with prices starting at $2,950 plus r.t. air from LA. for only $395.

Call Mike at numbers listed above.

THE HUNTING LODGE

We've heard good things about a colonial homestead-turned-restaurant nestled among trees and vineyards on the slopes of the Waikoukou Valley about 30 minutes from downtown Auckland.

The kauri villa was built in 1868 by a Scotsman, and has been renovated and added to many times over the years. There are now five dining-rooms, most of which are cozy and intimate. In the winter there are log fires and in the summer lazy lunches on the verandah.

The Hunting Lodge recently won top prize as Overall Best Restaurant in the Diners Club International restaurant awards judged by about 70,000 Diners Club members.

The Hunting Lodge is at Waikoukou Valley Rd., Waimauku. Ph. 09-411-8259. Open Thurs. to Sunday for dinner.

QUEENSTOWN CARNIVAL

Queenstown is to host a 3-day carnival to celebrate the arrival of spring.

The carnival, to be held Sept. 17 to 19, will feature a range of activities on the snow as well as in Queenstown itself.

Organizers have planned a music festival to complement skiing on Coronet Peak, while at the nearby Remarkables ski field activities include the Ultimate Challenge, involving ski jumping, slalom racing and mogul skiing, and such fun events as a bicycle race on snow.

A gold-rush competition in Queenstown has also been planned, with a prize of $10,000. In addition, a food and wine extravaganza will be organized for the weekend, along with a European and New Zealand film festival, a spring gala ball and a golf tournament at nearby Milbrook Estate.

Air New Zealand National and Mount Cook Group are offering special packages to this spring carnival.

It is with personal sadness and regret that I announce the death of my beloved husband John Trapani on May 20, 1993. He fought a long and courageous battle with cancer.

John will be remembered as a gifted and dynamic person with an indomitable spirit and a rare enthusiasm for life. He loved people, loved his work, and especially loved his family.

His love affair with New Zealand began at first sight, and he and I together shared the warmth and hospitality of many Kiwi friends.

It was with John's encouragement and zestful enthusiasm that I began the KlWlphile FILE. It is with the inspiration of these same qualities that I shall continue the work in dedication to his loving memory.

RAVE REVIEW FOR NEW ZEALAND (from NZ Herald)

My husband I recently returned from a 3- week vacation in New Zealand. We are writing to thank everyone in NZ for a wonderful holiday.

We loved your country. The people were super-friendly, accommodating and willing to go out of their way to help. This was true of shops, hotels, homestays, tourist attractions, petrol stations, etc.

The scenery in your country is fantastic. We were amazed at the care with which people protect the natural resources and the environment The parks, the trails, the fiords, thermal areas, lakes, rivers, all seem to be respected, clean, cared for.

We saw people fishing in the rivers in Christchurch, which was amazing to us; in the U.S. we would never be able to do that because of pollution.

We would recommend increasing your visibility here in the U.S. New Zealand is a country not to be missed yet few Americans we know think of it as a vacation spot. We chose it over Australia and are very glad we did .

R. & G. Haston, Wheeling, IL

Until next time, KIA ORA!!

TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN

THE KIWIphile FILE"'