NZ Holidaymaker -- Issue #006 -- July 2006

Table of contents

1 Queen Elisabeth drinks New Zealand wine
2 Godzone New Zealand Dictionary
3 Courteous Auckland
4 Eventfinder
5 Last chance to see the One last ring
6 What do international visitors think of New Zealand?
7 Getting married Maori style

Queen Elisabeth drinks New Zealand wine

We really love New Zealand wines, and most of all the white wines New Zealand produces -- the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc for example. And we are not the only ones -- queen Elisabeth seems to be a New Zealand wine lover too! At least, the Te Mata Estate's 2004 Woodthorpe Chardonnay (Hawke's Bay) was among the wines served at a party to mark her 80th birthday, on June 16. It was one of only three wines selected from around the world for the four-course dinner. (Click on the link to learn more about New Zealand wines.)

Godzone New Zealand Dictionary

The language spoken in New Zealand may be English, but as a traveller from another country, you're bound to be puzzled now and then by the words and expressions you hear people using. Not only does New Zealand English contain quite a few Maori words that have become part of the common language, there are also many words and expressions that may have originated elsewhere (and are forgotten), but are still being used in New Zealand. Do you know what a bach is, for example, or a jandal? Just check the brand new Godzone New Zealand Dictionary.

Courteous Auckland

Recently, Reader's Digest has held a survey to find out which city was the most polite and helpful in the world. To that end, more than 2000 separate tests of behaviour were conducted in 35 cities across the globe. The cities were awarded points for tests such as holding doors open for other people, assisting in picking up dropped documents and whether shop assistants said 'Thank you' to customers after they paid. Auckland gained a 97 per cent pass rate in the shop assistant test but only 45 per cent of people held the door open for some one else. Overall, Auckland ranked seventh, which we think is still quite good. (It is a lot higher than the position 'our' city (Amsterdam - ranked 20th) occupies.) So this explains why we're always a bit surprised when people actually stop when we try to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing! By the way, the most courteous cities in the world turned out te be New York (1), Zurich (2) and Toronto (3).

Healing powers of manuka honey

The healing powers of manuka honey have been known for ages. Since the ancient Egyptians, it has been used as a medicine, who regarded it as a cure all. This year, the Christie Hospital in Didsbury, Manchester, decided to import New Zealand manuka honey to use on mouth and throat cancer patients after surgery. Nectar from some manuka produces a valuable 'active' honey and has special anti-infection properties, that may help prevent infections. If you want to try New Zealand honey yourself, and build up your immune system by doing so, you can now buy Comvita Active 5+ manuka honey from New Zealand on line. The honey is guaranteed to have a total antibacterial activity level of 5 or higher.

NB: www.productsfromnz.com offers a 100% money back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the product -- no questions asked!

Eventfinder

Want to know what's on in New Zealand when you're visiting the country? Where to go, which exhibitions to see, what to do? Just check the events calender on the Eventfinder website. It's a fast loading website (We checked it out on a dial up connection, and it worked perfect!) Listings can be displayed per region, per month, and per category (Arts & Culture, Business, Community, Education, Health & Fitness, Home & Garden, Music & Gigs, Recreation & Outdoors, Sports). All information is freely accessible, however, to be able to contact event organisers, you have to be a registered user (registration is free). This website will definitely be one of our favourites!

Last chance to see the One last ring

Speaking of events, if you're in New Zealand before August 20 of this year, make sure you visit the Te Papa Museum in Wellington. It will be your last chance to see the exhibition of the Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy. New attractions include Aragorn's crown, a miniature of the fortified city Minas Tirith, and new interviews with Peter Jackson, the cast and crew. But foremost, the show zooms in on the groundbreaking technology developed by the Weta Team. And last but not least, let yourself be photographed in a film-set to see how scaling special effects work, and encounter the One Ring itself in a dramatic, atmospheric space.

What do international visitors think of New Zealand?

Well, overall, New Zealand gets an 8.3 out of 10! That's according to a survey carried out by the Tourism Ministry and Tourism New Zealand. Especially Wellington's tourist attractions scored well: Te Papa scored 8.2, and Wellington's cultural events even rated 9.2! Generally speaking, 'stand-out performers' were natural assets such as rivers, lakes, mountains, waterfalls and nature reserves -- all rating 8.8 or 8.9. Amenities that rated worse were city walks, shopping, bars and nightclubs, and historic sites, at between 7.6 and 7.9. A lowly 6.2 was awarded for campervan parking. And finally, other than we would have expected, New Zealand scored only 7.1 out of 10 for adventure and excitement, 6.3 for unique wildlife, and 6.7 for authentic culture.

Getting married Maori style

Thinking of getting married? Ever considered a traditional Maori wedding in Rotorua? According to the Maori legend, it is in Rotorua, on the Island of Mokoia, that, many generations ago, the seeds of love were planted by two of their famous ancestors, Princess Hinemoa and Tutanekai. Their endless love for one another is recorded in Maori history as the greatest love story ever to be told. Since three years Darren Brown a Maori priest and celebrant operates New Zealand Traditional Maori Weddings in Rotorua, selling Maori weddings to tourists. As a couple, you don't have to have an association with Maori at all. You're welcome if you just want to have something different, something unique. You can get married in native woods, at a sacred spring, with a geyser going off in the background, at a traditional Maori village, or even at an island location. Prices range from NZ$4000 to NZ$8000.

Happy travels,
Boukeline & Rob
www.new-zealand-camper-van-adventures.com