6TH Ed TRAVEL GUIDE

LEGEND Area Maps Motorway Sea Hamilton National Road Main Road Napier NEW Other Road ZEALAND Nelson 35 Route 2 Number Greymouth

AUCKLAND City Queenstown Town or SOUTH Paparoa Village PACIFIC OCEAN

Airport TRAVEL GUIDE

Lake Taupo Main Dam or (Taupomoana) Waterway CONTENTS River Practical, informative and user-friendly, the Tongariro National 1. Introducing New Zealand National Park Globetrotter Travel Guide to New Zealand The Land • History in Brief Park Government and Economy • The People akara highlights the major places of interest, describing their Forest 2. Auckland, Northland ort Park principal attractions and offering sound suggestions and the Coromandel Mt Tongariro Peak on where to tour, stay, eat, shop and relax. Sightseeing 1967 m Around Auckland • Northland ‘Lord of the The Coromandel Rings’ Film Site The Authors Town Plans 3. The Central North Island Motorway and Graeme Lay is a full-time writer whose recent books include Hamilton and the Slip Road Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and The Miss Tutti Frutti Contest, Inside the Cannibal Pot and the Bay of Plenty Coastline Wellington Main Road Rotorua • Taupo In Search of Paradise - Artists and Writers in the Colonial Seccombes Other Road South Pacific. He has been the Montana New Zealand Book The River • The East and Poverty Bay • Pedestrian Awards Reviewer of the Year, and has three times been a CITY MALL 4. The Lower North Island Zone finalist in the Cathay Pacific Travel Writer of the Year Awards. Railway Line Hawke’s Bay • The Wairarapa Wellington One-way Street NEW ZEALAND 5. The Upper South Island Built-up NEW ZEALAND Area The Marlborough Sounds • Nelson Tasman Bay Coast • Golden Bay Library The Marlborough Plans – Marinewatch Town H Hotel 6. Christchurch and Vital tips for visitors the Canterbury Region P Parking Published and distributed by Distributed in Africa by Distributed in the USA by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd Map Studio The Globe Pequot Press Christchurch and Surrounds Place of Best places to stay, eat and shop The Hurunui • Skiing in Canterbury Worship Johannesburg, Connecticut Canterbury Towns

Police Station Cape Town, Durban 7. The Southern Alps and Lakes Star-rated top attractions Aoraki/Mount Cook • Arrowtown Auckland Building of Museum Interest Cromwell and Wanaka • Queenstown

I SBN 978-1-84773-903-2 8. The Wild West Coast

Hospital Detailed regional profiles Coastal Towns Bus Station 9. Dunedin and the Deep South Essential area and transport maps rt Place of Dunedin and Around allr Interest The Southern Scenic Route Invercargill and Southland Tourist 9 781847 739032 Best tours and excursions i Information Fiordland • Stewart Island

NEW Post Office HOLLAND Park or Victoria Park Garden NZ INSIDE COVER 10/14/10 9:09 AM Page 1

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

r e Ferry to t Breakwater Birkenhead a TITLES AVAILABLE w s Auckland New Zealand North Cape y Algarve Lebanon Cape Reinga a Ninety Mile B Amsterdam Lisbon and Te Kao o Beach Houhora t 0 500 m Hamer Princes Wharf y Andalucía Portugal Cavalli Islands r 10 r FerryFerry to Stanley to Devonport Bay Waitemata Harbour Brigham Passenger Terminal Athens Madagascar Bay of Islands Westhaven Marina e 0 500 yd 0 250 km Kaitaia Kaeo Russell HILTON H F Queens Bledisloe Australia Madeira Poor Knights Wynyard Wharf AUCKLAND Wharf Terminal Fergusson 0 125 miles Kaikohe 1 Azores Malaysia Islands St Marys J Hobson Wharf Whangarei ellico America's Cup National Captain Bay e Village Wharf Jellicoe Baltic States Maldives Maritime Ferry Cook Dargaville Ma Museum Bledisloe Wharf Barcelona Mallorca and Great Barrier t dde Berth Wharf N 12 n n Marsden Island o Wharf Hauraki Viaduct i P Barbados Menorca Wellsford m Wharf u Ferry Gulf y SEBEL Freyberg a P Basin Quay Berlin Malta Orewa e ake Building Wharf B nha lse H Whangaparaoa London m a st H e P COPTHORNE Bermuda Marrakech W H AUCKLAND Whitianga y s Dunedin e Britomart y N ld m de r Botswana Mauritius Thames Pauanui a G r o r le D au u t tu Transport e Mechanics nt s S STAMFORD in o m 1 St Marys V u Customs East Budapest and Mexico Whangamata ia b Centre T

d C uct Har PLAZA P Quay lu Bay Wairamarama Paeroa Waihi P w Bay e Hobson e Hungary Milan and the e Gas Auckland Mail aw P H n H Matakana Island nsh Swanson a JUCY 2 Hicks Bay N Fa S L HAMILTON Works N Service Centre o Bulgaria Italian Lakes Bay of Plenty St Patricks MERCURE l East y H ASPEN e o THE HERITAGE ills Fo North Island Raglan Lake rt P n Tauranga Tikitiki Cape r Queen t California Morocco 35 H WyndhamM Sh HOUSE Teal Rotorua St Marys t Victoria AUCKLAND o A lse VU rtl H hu Cr h L an B u C d n h e Park Waipiro a ral AN a

College P e s

Otorohanga e Park e L HYATT M Canary Islands Mozambique 1 Rotorua Opotiki AN z c

35 Beaumont H d E a Vector

Bay r V a e

e E c ictoria W n n REGENCY d c Q

Te Kuiti Murupara ll t F Chancery P u Hi Vict es e h t Arena ay Cape Town Namibia 2 College oria W n A Auckland Mangakino Paremata M H Albert H ASCOTT C v Victoria Park est h U Centre r Railway Copenhagen Naples and Korako Thermal Baths Aniwaniwa o Waterloo e e Taupo ostley England nion H CENTRAL ig s

C t Market CITY METROPOLIS c n

H Quadrant e Station Judges Bay o Gisborne Victoria u H r n n

and Denmark Sorrento Sky Tower e Gladstone

r e t Tasman (Taupomoana) 5 Sale tt ow e New Plymouth Ireland w East n B Ron Dove Meyer and Casino e a r 2 Napier P llio h ve y e Corfu Inglewood a A n c u Rangipo Wairoa Franklin E e c e ra Robinson Sea 4 y St Matthews W n t Auckland The Strander Mahia Peninsula Ryle C ellesley r i T Stratford ook Albert lfo y o K us The Strand a Costa del Sol New Zealand Hawke Bay t a Park Eltham n L Princes University s B

W B so Freemans Bay P est Park u S s 45 Hastings un n P g t e Costa Rica Hawera Napier G Queen s arn u g Wanganui/ School Union WellesleyArt East d A G d 3 Havelock Wellington lso Alfre n ell R York e u d Aotea Civic o o J Côte d’Azur and Peru Whanganui o e d St Andrews North Gallery m ise arle r Parnell Br o E g N Centre y id Marton 2 gw Theatre S Auckland e Rose ge s Cleveland Provence Prague Waipukurau in i Grafton w H ll P B a Palmerston e Co Hobson M Methodist University Parnell ld Gardens te Dannevirke Freemans ie ay Crete Queensland Cape Farewell k a Town Garf r North e ese a Mission r D'Urville gl y W Carlaw dso Croatia Rhodes Puponga An BeresfordBay Hayden H o Hall Stanley Win Avon Golden Bay Island Levin 2 Rakaunui ra e a Park Kahurangi Point l Driv A k Rota Place ir 1 How e Parnell Cuba Rio de Janeiro 60 Tasman Kapiti Paget RENDEZVOUS Auckland C Stratford Vincent e f Bay d i h Heaphy Bluff Island Masterton AUCKLAND a e University of L e Cyprus Rome and l ow s Parnell

Motueka Nelson Western e l e h d Parnell Hepburn ir Uruti Point e Myers Park Technology r D e School Delhi, Jaipur the Vatican Picton Picton Park o

m Richmond Auckland P Greys Ave Alberon Queen WELLINGTON it P H a and Agra San Francisco Karamea Bight Burrows Ave 63 t i es Bay Atapo Girls rpool Auckland n Victoria Blenheim PARK Corunna Ave Dubai Scotland Westport Grammar P Auckland LiveCity Domain St StephensSchool Avenue Glengarry 1 Ponsonby TOWERS Auckland City eorg 6 School Hebrew T Dublin Seychelles H a Parikawa k Dolomite Point Reefton St G Molesworth Hopetoun Congregation u Egypt Sicily n THE LANGHAM ta e Grafton Bridge P i Greymouth Haupiri Kaikoura MaidstoneSalvation Karangahape e D Florence and Singapore 7 P u o Army m 1 o Q North Cathedral of the South Island Hokitika ll Drive t a Tuscany Culverden e Newton n n in T Cheviot n ai e P Holy Trinity o er Th sc D h 6 73 SOUTH PACIFIC m Newton Auckland m e Cre u Florida Sri Lanka Mackelvie o r B n Symonds D iv ri g Whataroa Rangiora Crum ve P e gh a Goa and Mumbai Stockholm Scanlan Dri l. t C Castle Hill n C l P on r OCEAN o s Winter at ra e Kaiapoi n e t Park Auckland War hed s Gran Canaria and Sweden n c c S i n ic Gardens Memorial e Mount Cook Lake u K a d M n Greek Islands Methven CHRISTCHURCH ss c r e a t Tekapo e F n School of Museum un Laurie A Village Rakaia x M e Grafton se B Hong Kong Tanzania n Medicine ll Haast Lake Akaroa t Geraldine Ashburton GreatWaima North a ve Cascade Point Pukaki 8 Harbour I Newton S Car Ibiza and Tel Aviv and Grafton lton G Temuka t or Big Bay Lake 6 Lake e Ayr Formentera Jerusalem Norw h ve e Hawea Timaru ich t Khyber Pass on rg Wanaka u o 1 Dean e m e Iceland Tenerife Milford 83 Chatham Islands Potatau o G Lake Hom V C m re tly A Carlton Gore Thomas i n Parnell Wanaka Waimate x la Sound r h Morgan E u Haslett g a t C Indonesia Thailand Wakatipu Clayton Newmarket i rlo H Bloodworth Strachans Keppell n n Round Head n i Queenstown r a t e Park Ireland The Philippines 6 Cromwell The Sisters e Bright te tt Park Lake Oamaru t A A h g St Peters e Chatham s le v rt Burleigh ss Secretary Te Anau Buchanan e u 94 1 e x No College Khyber Pass Ba Israel Tokyo Island Alexandra Islands W a N Mostyn n Nikau h d w Kingdon Te Anau Kingston Palmerston t e e T Istanbul Tunisia Wharekauri r r n u Kaingaroa N o h o Bost a Newmarket Resolution Monowai Mosgiel N Shaddock h e Jamaica Turkey Raes Junction r w G The P e a rst Island ud l o a g e

1 L Southern Motorway w Gore Waitangi Aitken Terrace r Mt Eden Mountain n n Japan Venice DUNEDIN Fourty King t Mt Eden Feldwick Winton u hu Kent e e i a Owenga Fours r a Melrose Milton s Railway Newmarket v u Enfield Prison M a p Jordan Vietnam Riverton Seccom a Windsor 1 Kaitangata Station Mt Eden y Station e Mataura Star Keys Auckland bes row Teed S H Point Pitt Strait a Kenya Vienna Foveaux StraitInvercargill Cannibal Bay Mangere Island Eden Terrace Grammar C Pitt Edw Eden Kraków and Poland Zambia and Island Charles Edenvale Cres School P

Slope Point in M Morrow Halfmoon Pyramid Island roadw Kruger Victoria Falls Stewart d o n Tawari r B n esce t Bay a e u Middleton o Cr Island Kowhai y t y National Park Zanzibar n ad Normanby n n e SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN M d i y o l n t rtim w r Intermediate W e A a Gillies Ave er i S Lanzarote Zimbabwe South West Cape Dominion P f Teachers School View e i ass f St Michaels

n u

Esplan Cliv ilgit N College G Almorah School

Bl CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 4 CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 5

5

1 Introducing New Zealand

ew Zealand is an elongated land extending through PAPUA NEW INDON GUINEA ESIA SOLOMON N13° of latitude. With two large islands and several Port Moresby ISLANDS smaller ones, the land area totals 265,150km2 (102,348 VANUATU

AUSTRALIA NEW sq miles). The islands are isolated – the nearest large CALEDONIA neighbour, Australia, is over 2000km (1243 miles) away Canberra North Island Wellington – and were among the very last on Earth to be discovered NEW INDIAN OCEAN ZEALAND and settled by human beings, just a thousand years ago. South Island The islands of New Zealand contain a remarkable variety of landscapes. In the far north there are gigantic sand dunes, in the far south a region of sheer-sided fiords. TOP ATTRACTIONS The South Island has a wide spine of snow-covered alps,  Bay of Islands: a complex the Northland coast is filigreed with bays and islands. The of islands, bays and beaches. central plateau of the North Island is a region of volcanic  Rotorua: hot water lakes, activity, the eastern part of the South Island includes geysers, mud pools, dormant extensive alluvial plains. The islands’ landscapes include volcanoes and thermal springs.  Tongariro Alpine forested mountains, glaciers, live volcanoes, deep Crossing: a walk across a sounds, alpine lakes, gulf islands, and even a cold desert. and crater, The slender shape of both main islands means that around an active volcano and emerald lakes. nowhere in New Zealand is far from the sea. The country’s  Abel Tasman National coastline is exceptionally long and varied. An important Park: mountains, native consequence of this is that nearly all New Zealanders grow forest and birds, right along- side a series of deserted bays up within easy reach of the sea and have an abiding love and golden sand beaches. of it. Boating, fishing, swimming and surfing are treasured  Queenstown: the adven- aspects of the people’s heritage and can also be relished by ture capital of New Zealand. visitors from abroad. The small amount of heavy industry and the land’s exposure to strong winds means that skies are unusually clear and bright at most times of the year. Opposite: Carved Maori New Zealanders are justifiably proud of their country’s portal, Whakarewarewa ‘clean, green’ image, and work hard to maintain it. Thermal Reserve, Rotorua. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 6

6 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

FACTS AND FIGURES New Zealand is a large country in relation to its popu- lation size. The total land area is not much less than that • Highest point: Aoraki/ Mount Cook – 3754m of Italy, Japan or Britain, yet New Zealand’s population (12,317ft) of 4.3 million is infinitesimal compared with the number • Lowest point: of people who live in those countries. Apart from urban The bottom of Lake Hauroko congestion on the Auckland isthmus, New Zealand is (Fiordland) – 306m (1004ft) below sea level uncrowded. In much of the North Island and most of the • Largest lake: Taupo – South, coasts, roads and inland areas seem ‘empty’ to 2 606km (234 sq miles) overseas visitors, so that touring by road is delightful. • Deepest lake: Hauroko – 462m (1516ft) Two-thirds of the population live in the North Island. • River with strongest flow: Today, the New Zealand population is a mixture of Clutha – 650m3 (22,955ft3) Europeans and Polynesians. The indigenous people, the per second Maori, are descendants of the first immigrants who • Largest glacier: Tasman – 29km (18 miles) long arrived a millennium ago; most Pakeha (of European • Deepest cave: Nettlebed, descent) are descendants of immigrants who escaped Mount Arthur – 889m (2917ft) from the poverty of 19th-century Britain. • Town furthest from the sea: Cromwell – 120km (75 miles) Recent immigration from south and east Asia, and • Length of the New eastern Europe has added other exotic elements to Zealand coastline: urban populations. Thus, all New Zealanders could be 5650km (3511 miles) described as immigrants. They are noted for their in- formality, friendliness and lack of class consciousness. Egalitarianism is a valued precept, and tolerance of differences has become more pronounced as New Below: A view looking Zealanders have travelled more widely in recent years south across Lake Taupo, and experienced other cultures. with in For the visitor from overseas, New Zealand offers a the background. wide diversity of both physical and cultural appeal. A country unspoiled by industrial excess or over- population, it is a land that was made for physical adventure, and few other places in the world are as geared as New Zealand to participating in its environ- ment in every imaginable way. After all, this is the nation that gave the world, among other things, bungy jumping. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 7

THE LAND 7

THE LAND Above: The roof of New Geologically, New Zealand is a new and fractured land, Zealand: Mount Tasman relatively recently raised from beneath the sea. Most of (the left of the two the surface rock is less than 100 million years old and highest peaks) and the land is still being actively shaped by earth-building Aoraki/Mount Cook forces. This is because the islands lie close to where two (right) crown the South of the world’s greatest tectonic plates come into contact. Island’s beautiful Just east of the North Island the Pacific Plate ‘collides’ Southern Alps. with the Indo-Australian Plate. As the latter is drawn under the Pacific Plate, the crust is heated, then rises as magma A LAND LIFTED HIGH in the , in the central North Island. This is a region of intense and dramatically active volcan- Over two-thirds of New ism. In the south of New Zealand the collision of the two Zealand slopes at greater than 12º, and nearly half of plates buckled the crust, thrusting it up to form the the land at greater than 28º. Southern Alps. An enormous fault line – the Alpine Fault Three-fifths of New Zealand – extends diagonally for almost the entire length of the is over 300m (984ft) in alti- tude, and one-fifth is over South Island, from Milford Sound to , creating a 900m (2953ft). Half of the zone of instability where are common. land is farmed, with another The Southern Alps are New Zealand’s most spec- 30% being forested. Even the tacular landform, a broad sierra of snow-covered peaks, highest and most barren areas are used, mainly for glacial lakes and valleys, braided rivers, giant glaciers and mountain climbing, tramping intermontane basins. New Zealand’s highest peak, and skiing. Aoraki/Mount Cook at 3754m (12,317ft), stands amid CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 8

8 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

these alps. There are majestic fiords in the extreme southwest of the South Island, and a lovely maze of islands and peninsulas – the Marlborough Sounds – at the opposite extreme. In the east are the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand’s largest low- land. A deep, storm- tossed channel, Cook

THE SHAKY ISLES Strait, separates the two main islands. The North Island’s topography is more diverse. A New Zealand is noted for spine of heavily dissected mountains averaging 1500m the frequency of its earth- quakes. On average there are (4922ft) extends to the northeast, flanked by fertile low- 17,000 each year, most of lands. In the centre of the island is the Volcanic Plateau, which are too deep-seated to Lake Taupo and a high, cold desert region. The North be felt by anything other Island’s highest mountain, the active volcano Mount than a seismograph. Six of these, however, are greater Ruapehu, 2797m (9177ft), is located here. than magnitude 6 on the The North Island tapers away in a northwesterly Richter Scale, meaning they direction, becoming a region of peninsulas, deep bays, are big enough to cause major destruction if they indented harbours and islands. Here the sea – the occur near the surface and Tasman to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east – strike a town or city. is almost always in sight. New Zealand’s northern The Wellington Fault runs extremity is Cape Reinga, a place of deep spiritual right through the centre of the capital city, and significance to the Maori people and the turbulent Wellingtonians are used to meeting point of these two seas. feeling the earth move There is a marked difference between the west beneath their feet. In 1855, when it was just a town of and east coasts of both islands. In the west, strong 6000 people, a massive prevailing winds create boisterous swells and strong raised the coast waves, very suitable for surfing. On the relatively to the east of Wellington by a staggering 6m (20ft). sheltered eastern coasts the sea is more subdued. Here Today, such a ’quake would the white sand beaches, tranquil bays and tidal inlets cause untold devastation, in are ideal for swimming, fishing, boating and diving. spite of the fact that the city’s There are also many excellent surfing areas on the east high-rise buildings were ‘earthquake-proofed’ during coast. There are sharks present along both coasts, the 1970s and 1980s. particularly in summer, but shark attacks are extremely rare in New Zealand. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 9

THE LAND 9

Cape Reinga Climate warm, humid summers; New Zealand’s climate mild, wet winters; 13–25ºC, 1000–2500mm (winter rainfall) North Island can be classified as warm summers; mild winters; 12–22ºC, 1300–2000mm maritime and temperate, (year-round rainfall) which is the result of three warm to hot summers; AUCKLAND moderate winters; 14–32ºC, 500–1500mm (winter rainfall) factors: its ocean setting, Hamilton Rotorua its location in the path warm, sunny summers; Tasman mild, wet winters; 11–23ºC, Lake Taupo of prevailing westerly 1000–1800mm (winter rainfall) Sea (Taupomoana) temperate summers; mild winters; New Mt Ruapehu winds, and the mountain 12–21ºC, 1500–3000mm Plymouth (year-round rainfall) 2797 m Napier backbone of both the warm summers; cool winters; Palmerston North main islands. The moun- 9–24ºC, 700–1300mm (year-round rainfall) C

o

o tains serve to modify the k

S

very warm summers; cool winters Nelson t r WELLINGTON a with snow; 11–26ºC, 300–1200mm i strength of the winds, (sparse winter rainfall) t and they also provide a hot summers; cold, snowy winters; 4–27ºC, 600–1000mm Greymouth SOUTH sheltering effect on their (high winter rainfall) PACIFIC leeward side. Therefore, Aoraki/ OCEAN Mt Cook CHRISTCHURCH the major contrast in 3754 m

New Zealand’s climate is Queenstown South Island between the western and the eastern parts of the Dunedin country, with the west Invercargill coast being much wetter Stewart Climatic Zones Island than the east.

Opposite: Pohutu Geyser, one of the main attractions in the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, Rotorua, is an impressive sight when it spouts steam. Left: This beach, typical of Northland’s coastline, is located in Araiteuru Reserve, near Omapere. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 10

10 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

CLIMATIC EXTREMES The weather (the day-to-day temperatures as well as the rainfall) is produced by a series of alternating high • Highest North Island temperature: 39.2ºC (104ºF), and low pressure systems which move across New Ruatoria, East Coast, Zealand from the Tasman Sea, bringing with them 7 February 1973. changeable conditions. Typically, there will be about • Highest South Island two to three days of settled weather, followed by a temperature: 42.4ºC (108ºF), Rangiora, North Canterbury, similar period of unsettled conditions. 7 February 1973. There are few extremes of climate, with mild • Lowest North Island temperatures and moderate rainfall being the normal temperature: -13.6ºC (-57ºF), , Mount pattern in most areas, although winds coming from the Ruapehu, 7 July, 1937. southerly quarter bring snowfalls to upland areas of • Lowest South Island both islands from June through to September. Only temperature: -21.6ºC Central (the South Island region furthest from the (-71ºF), Ophir, Central Otago, 3 July 1995. sea and surrounded by mountains) experiences the very • Highest North Island cold, dry winters and hot dry summers of a continental- annual sunshine hours: type climate. Napier, 2588 hours, 1994. • Highest South Island Rainfall is particularly heavy in the southwest and annual sunshine hours: west of the South Island, where the high mountains Nelson, 2711 hours, 1931. force up the rain-bearing westerlies, which then release • Highest 12-month rainfall total: Waterfall Creek, their moisture on the windward slopes of the moun- Westland, 1982–83, tains. In this part of the country the annual rainfall 14,108mm (556in). averages over 12,800mm (504in). • Strongest wind gust: 250 km/h, Mount John, Canterbury, 18 April 1970.

Opposite: These impres- sive giant kauri trees are to be found in the , Northland. Right: The Whakapapa ski field at in Tongariro National Park is very popular with visitors, especially at the height of the season. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 11

THE LAND 11

The weather in New Zealand is most settled from THE MIGHTY KAURI February through to April, when temperatures are generally warm to hot and rainfall is low. For those A native of New Zealand, who enjoy tramping, swimming or boating, this is the the majestic kauri () is a giant conifer best time to visit New Zealand. The winter sports which grows naturally only season in the South Island usually begins in June and north of 38º latitude. It has a ends in October, and on the North Island ski fields rounded ‘stag-headed’ crown around Mount Ruapehu, winter begins in July and lasts supported by a huge cylin- drical trunk up to 7m (23ft) right through September. in diameter and can attain a height of 60m (197ft). Flora and Fauna Ravaged by millers until the early 20th century for its tim- New Zealand’s natural vegetation was forest, a ber, the remaining examples consequence of its moist, . There are are strictly protected and can two types of native forest – coniferous podocarps and be seen in the Waipoua and Trounson forests in western southern beech – both types evergreen, which in pre- Northland, and in parts of European times covered about half the total land area. Coromandel, where there are The 19th- and early 20th-century settlers cleared the some magnificent specimens. forests ruthlessly, replacing them with pasture, so that They can live to 2000 years. The Kauri Museum at today only 30% of the land is forested. Nevertheless, Matakohe, 45km (28 miles) the remaining areas of native forest, with their unique south of Dargaville, has tree species, are places of great beauty and tranquillity. extensive displays illustrating the historical significance of Trees such as kauri, rimu, totara, miro, kahikatea, the kauri to the Northland matai, rata in the North Island, and the beech forests of economy. the South Island are today protected and valued for CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 12

12 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

ANATIONAL EMBLEM their recreational value. Many species of tree ferns, THREATENED such as the ponga, occupy the forest floors and damp

The flightless kiwi is New gullies, and the nikau is a particularly handsome palm Zealand’s emblem and New which grows in both islands. Zealanders themselves are When New Zealand ‘drifted’ away from the ancient often known affectionately as ‘kiwis’. Ironically as well continent of Gondwana about 80 million years ago to as sadly, the national bird is its isolated position in the Southwest Pacific, land- today a highly endangered distributed plants and animal immigrants were unable species. There are three to reach the land. Winged immigrants were able to species of kiwi: the brown (Apteryx australis), the great settle, however, and many did so, coming mainly from spotted (A. haastii) and the Australia. Many birds which reached New Zealand in little spotted (A. owenii). Kiwis ancient times subsequently became flightless, due to are nocturnal, foraging on the forest floor with their long the lack of natural predators. The , long extinct, beaks for insects and other and the kiwi, takahe and kakapo – today all highly invertebrates. Dogs, stoats, endangered species – are the best-known examples. ferrets and rats prey on the Some surviving representatives of Gondwana fauna kiwi and its eggs, so over 95% of kiwi chicks die in the wild. are the tuatara, member of a very early order of Thus, the bird’s main chance reptiles, and the native frog. On the forest floor earth- of long-term survival lies with worms, wetas (large flightless insects belonging to the the populations living in zoos and on New Zealand’s cricket family), centipedes, spiders and large carnivorous predator-free offshore islands. snails are animals inherited from Gondwana times. The only native land mammals are two bat species – the CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 13

THE LAND 13

short-tailed and the long-tailed bat – but there are NEW ZEALAND’S ANCIENT REPTILE several native species of skink and gecko which, unusually, give birth to live young. The tuatara (Sphenodon punc- New Zealand’s forests were rich in bird life long tatus) is a unique archaic before the arrival of human beings, approximately animal which survives only in zoos and on New Zealand’s 1000 years ago. Species such as the tui, bellbird, huia, offshore islands. It belongs to native pigeon, morepork, saddleback, kokako, the a very early order of reptiles, and the kaka found an ideal home in the forest habitats the Sphenodontida, which appeared at the time that the of both islands. dinosaurs were evolving, Humans introduced predators, however, which about 230 million years ago. decimated the native bird population. The Maori The tuatara are the only surviv- ing Sphenodontida. They are hunted all species of moa to extinction within 500 amphibious, and reproduce by years of their arrival, and introduced dogs and the kiore means of the male and female (the Polynesian rat) which attacked the young of the pressing their genital openings flightless birds. European settlers introduced cats, dogs, together so that sperm passes from the male to the female. rats, stoats, ferrets and opossums, all of which prey Rat-free Stephens Island, north on the vulnerable eggs, chicks and mature birds. of the Marlborough Sounds, is Widespread clearance of the birds’ natural habitat, the home to New Zealand’s largest tuatara population. native forests, has also contributed to their threatened status. The huia became extinct about 100 years ago, while today the takahe, kokako, kakapo and kiwi hover Opposite: The great on the brink of extinction. spotted kiwi is a To help stave off this extinction, many offshore nocturnal-foraging bird. islands are wildlife reserves free of all introduced Below: A tuatara on Little mammals. The most important of these sanctuaries are: Barrier Island, a wildlife Little Barrier, Kapiti, Maud and Codfish Islands. sanctuary near Auckland. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 14

14 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

VIEWING ENDANGERED HISTORY IN BRIEF SPECIES The first arrivals in New Zealand came from eastern New Zealand’s endangered Polynesia, the islands today called French Polynesia national bird, the kiwi, along and the Cook Islands, approximately 1000 years ago. with other native birds and They sailed in double-hulled, catamaran-like canoes tuatara, can be seen at the Kiwi House Native Bird Park and navigated by the stars to cross the several thousand in the small King Country kilometres of open ocean between their islands and town of Otorohanga, about the new land. Return voyages to the islands of tropical 50km (31 miles) south of Hamilton. Mount Bruce Polynesia almost certainly occurred. The generic name National Wildlife Centre in for these people is Maori. the northern Wairarapa is a The islands these Polynesians called Aotearoa (‘Land vital centre for captive of the Long White Cloud’) were much cooler and larger breeding of kiwi, takahe, kokako, saddleback and than the tropical islands they had left behind, but after kakapo. Here the birds live in a few hundred years they had adapted skilfully to their large aviaries among a pre- new environment, hunting and trapping birds, cultivat- served stand of native forest. ing the kumara (sweet potato), catching fish, hunting seals and fashioning tools from stone and greenstone. Opposite: An ornately They lived tribally in villages and fortified hill settle- carved Maori storehouse, ments called pa. or pataka, in Waiotapu. Below: A Maori war European Contact canoe, also called a The first European sailing expedition to sight New waka, at Waitangi, Bay Zealand was that commanded by the Dutch explorer, of Islands. Abel Tasman, in 1642. A fatal skirmish with Maori in the CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 15

HISTORY IN BRIEF 15

northwest of the South Island drove the expedition away, however, and Tasman charted only part of the New Zealand coastline. Vastly more far-reaching and influential was the expedition of Captain James Cook, which entered the South Pacific in 1769 in search of the mythical con- tinent, called Terra incognita australis, and also to observe the transit of the planets Venus and Mercury.

HISTORICAL CALENDAR

c1000 Approximate arrival of destroying Pink and White election; Finance Minister first Polynesian immigrants. Terraces and killing 153 Roger Douglas begins C1300 Polynesian settlement people. deregulating the economy. established in both islands. 1893 Franchise is extended 1995 Team New Zealand 1642 Abel Tasman charts part to women. wins the America’s Cup. of the coast and calls it Staten 1907 New Zealand is 1996 New Zealand Land. Another Dutchman later constituted as a Dominion. implements Mixed Member changes it to Nieuw Zeeland. 1914 German Samoa Proportional (MMP) system 1769 James Cook makes first occupied by New Zealand of government. visit, taking the land in the Forces. Expeditionary Forces 1999 New Zealand’s first name of King George III. sent to Egypt. elected woman prime 1814 First Anglican mission 1935 First Labour Govern- minister, , station established. Sheep, ment elected under Michael becomes country’s leader. cattle and horses introduced. Savage. 2000 New Zealand success- 1821 Inter-tribal Maori 1939 Second New Zealand fully defends the America’s . Widespread Expeditionary Force formed. Cup against Prada of Italy. slaughter. 1953 and 2001 New Zealand-made 1839 Captain William Tenzing Norgay conquer film, The Fellowship of the Hobson instructed to establish Mount Everest. Ring, the first of the Lord of British rule in New Zealand. 1966 International airport the Rings trilogy, is released. 1840 New Zealand officially opens at Auckland. 2003 Population reaches 4m. Company settlers arrive in 1968 Inter-island ferry Wahine New Zealand loses America’s Wellington. Treaty of sinks in a storm in Wellington Cup to the Swiss, Alinghi. Waitangi signed at Bay of Harbour, 51 people die. 2004 Third film in Lord of Islands. British sovereignty; 1973 Britain becomes the Rings trilogy, The Return Auckland seat of government. member of EEC, necessitating of the King, wins 11 Oscars. 1865 The capital is new markets for New Zealand 2008 The National Party transferred to Wellington. exports. defeats the Labour Party and 1877 The Education Act 1979 DC forms the Government, in establishes a national system 10 crashes on Mount Erebus, coalition with Act and the of primary education. Antarctica, killing 257 people. Maori Party. John Key 1886 Mount Tarawera erupts, 1984 Labour Party wins snap becomes Prime Minister. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 16

16 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

Cook circumnavigated the islands of New Zealand, charted their waters bril- liantly and made significant contacts with the Maori. He estimated that there were about 100,000 Maori living throughout the islands. Upon Cook’s return to Britain, publication of his journals aroused great inter- est in the South Pacific, and from the 1790s onwards a succession of Europeans set Above: A bust and a sail for New Zealand, with many and varied motives. portrait of Captain Cook at Traders, sealers, whalers, missionaries and adventurers the National Museum of came to the islands, bringing with them European New Zealand – Te Papa goods, the gospels and infectious diseases. Tongarewa, Wellington. Opposite left: The Maori A Colony of Britain war dance, or haka, at New Zealand did not officially become a British Waitangi, Bay of Islands. colony, however, until 1840, when the Treaty of Opposite right: The Waitangi was signed in the Bay of Islands between the original of the Treaty of Crown and a number of Maori chiefs. This ceded New Waitangi, signed on Zealand to Britain while theoretically protecting Maori 6 February 1840. land and fishing rights. British rule, however, led to an influx of European settlement over the next decades, culminating in mass immigration during the 1860s and ANNUAL HOLIDAYS 1870s. Disputes between Maori and Europeans over land sales and settlement led to war between the two New Year • 1 and 2 January • 6 February during the 1860s. Wars – both inter-tribal and with Good Friday European authorities – and introduced diseases caused Monday a drastic decline in the Maori population. Anzac Day • 25 April The discovery of gold in the 1860s gave further im- Queen’s Birthday • first Monday in June petus to European immigration. Between 1861 and 1891 Labour Day • last Monday net immigration to New Zealand was 272,990 – the in October main sources of migrants being England, Scotland, Day • 25 December Ireland, Wales and Australia. These settlers sought land Boxing Day • 26 December of their own, and cleared the native bush ruthlessly, par- ticularly in the North Island, to convert it to pastureland CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 17

HISTORY IN BRIEF 17

for cattle and sheep. The advent of refrigerated shipping OZONE LOSS in 1882 led to substantial exports of frozen meat, butter Ozone is a stratospheric gas and cheese, almost all of which was sent to Britain. which provides protection for humans from destructive The 20th Century ultraviolet radiation. The New Zealand’s 20th-century history was dominated by amount of ultraviolet radia- tion in New Zealand has the two world wars, in both of which the young nation increased by approximately was a fervent supporter of the British cause, and alter- 15% over the last 30 years nating periods of economic boom and depression. as a result of ozone deple- tion. This is caused by the The slaughter of New Zealand and Australian troops release of chlorofluorocarbon by Turkish forces during the Gallipoli campaign in April molecules – used as coolants 1915 gave rise to Anzac Day, a national holiday cele- in refrigerators and propel- lants in spray cans – into the brated every year on 25 April, when all the country’s atmosphere. The result is that war casualties are commemorated. Some 16,781 New a significant ozone ‘hole’ has Zealanders died in World War I, a huge number con- developed over Antarctica in sidering that the nation’s total population only reached recent years, and during the Antarctic spring (October to one million in 1908. During World War II New Zealand December) up to 60% of the forces served the Allied cause against Germany in ozone layer disappears, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Italy, and against increasing the intensity of the sun’s rays. Human skin thus Japan in the Pacific. Again, casualties were high. burns very quickly during the In the years following World War II, New Zealand New Zealand summer, and prospered. The Korean War of the early 1950s (to sun block must be applied which New Zealand contributed ground and naval and sun hats worn, particu- larly by those who have a fair forces) also caused a boom in wool prices. Assisted skin, to prevent skin cancer. immigration from Britain and the Netherlands brought more new settlers. Inflation and unemployment were CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 18

18 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

THE VILLA negligible. The population reached two million in 1952, and trade boosted the growth of city ports like The most distinctive New Zealand residential building Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Work oppor- is the bay villa, examples of tunities in towns and cities, and the increased which are found in the cities’ mechanization of farming, led to a migration of people older suburbs. The bay villa from rural areas into the growing urban centres. Maori was most popular from 1895–1910. Usually built were particularly affected as they moved from their tra- of kauri, villas have weather- ditional rural tribal districts to the cities to do unskilled board walls, a front verandah work in factories and food processing plants. and bay, large sash windows, shingled gables topped with Strategically, New Zealand perceived a threat to its finials, and a corrugated security from communist ‘expansion’ in south and east iron roof. The verandah is Asia. Troops were sent to Malaya in 1956 to help embellished with fretworked counter insurgency, to Malaysia in 1962 during that brackets and spindles. The elegance, spaciousness and country’s ‘confrontation’ with Indonesia, and to Vietnam relative rarity of the villas from 1965 until 1971 to assist the United States’ cause. have led to a renewed appre- The demand for factory labour continued in the ciation of them in recent years, and many are now 1970s, and a new source of immigrants, the islands of being renovated and restored the South Pacific, was tapped. People from Western to their Victorian glory. Samoa, Tonga, Niue Island, the Tokelaus and the Cook Islands, all of which New Zealand had had close polit- ical affiliations with during the early 20th century, migrated to Auckland and Wellington, driven from their home islands by a lack of work and low wages. In 1961 there were 14,300 Pacific Islanders in New Zealand. By 1971 there were 43,700; by 1981 nearly 94,000; by 1996 nearly 217,000 and by 2006 265,974 people, or 6.9% of the total population, identified themselves as Pacific people. In 1973 Britain became a member of the EEC and oil prices were substan- tially ‘hiked’, necessitating changes in New Zealand’s economic direction. Trade became more diversified, with closer ties to Australia, Japan and North America, and domestic sources of natural gas and oil developed. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 19

HISTORY IN BRIEF 19

Left: Queen Street is Auckland city’s main commercial thoroughfare. Opposite: This attractively painted Victorian-era wooden house at Oriental Bay, Wellington, incorpor- ates several characteristics of the villa, including sash and bay windows.

The election of the Fourth Labour Government in 1984 brought a radical restructuring of the economy. The dollar was devalued by 20%, subsidies were elim- inated and all controls on foreign exchange transactions and overseas borrowing were removed. Many formerly protected industries collapsed, causing a sharp increase in unemployment. In 1986 a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced. It was raised to 12.5% in 1989 and to 15% in 2010. The Labour Government was re-elected in 1987, but share prices plummeted by 59% during four months of the same year, leading to reces- sion and the election of a National Government in 1990. The 1990s were characterized by slow economic growth, high unemployment and a significant increase LIVING IN THE CITY in immigration from Asian countries such as Taiwan, Today 86% of New Zea- South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, China and India, and landers live in centres with from South Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. more than 30,000 people. Although migration from Asia has slowed since 2003, Auckland is dominant: 32% of the total population lives overall immigration is increasing the population by there. During the last 50 about 5000 annually. Consequently New Zealand’s years, as well as substantial population has become increasingly multicultural and rural-urban migration, there polyglot, with strands of the South Pacific, Asia and the has been a ‘Northward Drift’ of population and, in recent Middle East readily apparent in the major cities. Ethnic years, the South Island has restaurants and street markets have proliferated, adding had a small net gain of to the cities’ cosmopolitan atmosphere. The rural areas people. Today there are over three million people in the have been largely unaffected by these trends, however, North Island and nearly one and in the many small country towns the subdued pace million in the South Island. and homogeneity of life continues much as before. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 20

20 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY New Zealand is an independent state, a monarchy with a parliamentary government. Queen Elizabeth II has the title ‘Queen of New Zealand’. The Governor-General is the representative of the Sovereign in New Zealand and exercises the royal powers derived from statute and the general law. The Governor-General’s main constitutional function is to arrange for the leader of the majority party in Parliament to form a government. The Governor- General’s assent is also required before bills can become law, though the Governor-General is required to follow Above: The ‘Beehive’ (left) the advice of the ministers of the Crown. The Sovereign and Parliament House, appoints the Governor-General on the recommendation central Wellington. of the Prime Minister, for a 5-year term. From 1840–1967 Below: The New Zealand Governors-General were chosen from British nobility. Sir flag incorporates the Arthur Porritt GCMG, GCVO, CBE (b. Whanganui, Union Jack and the 1900), who was Governor-General from 1967–72, was Southern Cross. the first New Zealand-born holder of the post, and sub- sequent Governors-General have been New Zealanders.

THE FLAG Dame GCMG, GCVO, DBE, QSO, who held the post from 1990–95, was the first woman The flag is the symbol of Governor-General. The current Governor-General is Sir the realm, government and GNZM, QSO, the first person of Asian people of New Zealand. The flag’s design consists of the descent to hold the office. Union Jack in the upper left New Zealand’s Constitution Act 1996 brings together quarter, and on a dark blue the most important statutory constitutional provisions and background to the right, the Southern Cross is repre- clarifies the rules relating to the governmental handover of sented by four five-pointed power, dealing with the roles of the Sovereign, the stars with white borders. Executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The constitu- tion operates democratically through New Zealand’s long tradition of parliamentary govern- ment. The Government cannot act effectively without Parliament, as it cannot raise or spend money without parliamentary approval. Local governments are largely independent of central govern- ment, though their powers are conferred by Parliament. They have sources of income, mainly CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 21

GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY 21

local taxes on landed property. These taxes, called rates, A TRADING NATION are set by local authorities, based on the value of land The vast majority of New and buildings. Local authorities can promote legislation Zealand’s exports and regarding areas in their jurisdiction, and are answerable imports are moved by sea. to the electorates through general elections, held every In 2007 New Zealand’s ports three years, in which all ratepayers are entitled to vote. loaded and unloaded 99% of overseas cargo by weight, and over 85% by value. The Economy International air freight Despite radical reforms in the 1980s, New Zealand’s generally consists of fragile, perishable and expensive economic growth was slow during the 1990s. A 7–8% items such as cut flowers. unemployment rate, an excess of imports over exports, Some New Zealand ports balance of payment deficits and a high level of overseas are net exporters, generally reflecting their location close debt characterized the economy. Low prices for wool to extractive industries. and meat made farming (for many years the mainstay of These ports include Bluff the economy) marginal or uneconomic. Many local (aluminium smelter), industries were forced to close down or move ‘offshore’ Tauranga (forest products) and Napier (farm produce). in the face of cheaper imports of consumer goods. Three ports, namely Economic growth from 2002–06 was steady. Corporate Auckland, profits rose, the stock market performed well, commodity and Whangarei, are net importers, the first two prices increased, inflation was relatively low, unemploy- importing to meet consumer ment at 3.5% was at its lowest level for many years, and demands, and Whangarei government accounts showed substantial surpluses. being where the country’s oil However, the international recession affected New refinery is located. Zealand. Unemployment rose to 7.1% in 2009, immigra- tion numbers slowed down, there was a decline in the balance of payments and an increase in government debt, Below: The container while a rise in the value of the New Zealand dollar wharf in Napier handles adversely affected the export sector. In 2008–09 there was mainly agricultural a slowdown in international visitor arrivals. However, a exports from the Hawke’s slow recovery in 2010 saw the unemployment rate fall to Bay area. 6% and international visitor arrivals rise to a record high of 2,501,264, contributing $8.3 billion to the economy. Tourism and exports of processed milk products, meat and wool, fruit, flowers, seafood and wine will continue to be the mainstays of the economy. There will also be a need to concentrate on exports of processed products with high added value. Key economic elements for the future will involve reducing government debt, obtaining more skilled migrants and training New Zealanders in the skills needed for a globally competitive economy. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 22

22 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

ORDER OF THE PEOPLE NEW ZEALAND New Zealanders are proud of their egalitarian tradition, a New Zealand’s highest result of their forebears’ determination to escape the class award is the Order of New systems of Britain. Isolation and a pioneer background Zealand (ONZ), which was have also encouraged resourcefulness among New instituted on 6 February 1987 (Waitangi Day) to rec- Zealanders, a determined ‘do-it-yourself’ attitude which ognize outstanding services means that they are a very practical people. They are also to the Crown and people of very informal, proud of their achievements in developing New Zealand in a civil or military capacity. There are a modern, democratic nation in less than 200 years, and no more than 20 members at welcoming to overseas visitors. A great love of the out- any time, and they currently doors, sea, coasts, forests and mountains, is matched by a include diva Dame Kiri Te fondness for sharing their pleasures with visitors. Kanawa, writers CK Stead and , sports- One consequence of their isolation is that New man , Zealanders are extremely mobile and well-travelled, architect Sir particularly young people, a rite of passage for whom is and former Prime minister Helen Clark. their ‘OE’ or Overseas Experience. After travelling the The New Zealand Order of world, the usual pattern is for them to return, although Merit is an Order of Chivalry more lucrative working conditions in cities like Sydney, introduced in 1996. The order is for those people who London and New York during the 1990s have tended to in any field of endeavour prolong their overseas experience. From the beginning have rendered meritorious of the 21st century, however, more New Zealanders service to the Crown and have been returning to live in their homeland. nation, or who have become distinguished by their emi- Although their ways of life were dissimilar, New nence, talents, contributions Zealanders of European descent (Pakeha) and the indi- or other merits. Knighthoods genous people, the Maori, have mostly co-existed easily and Damehoods had been abolished by the Labour this century. Intermarriage between the two races has Government in 2000, but been common, so many New Zealanders are of mixed were reinstated by the ancestry. Until the 1970s there were few other races – National-led Government in 2009. Those awarded the equivalent honour from 2001–09 were given the option of choosing to use or not used the honorific title ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’.

Right: Young Samoan New Zealanders at a cul- tural festival, Auckland. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 23

THE PEOPLE 23

some Chinese (descendants of the 19th-century gold- miners) and some Indians. Racial homogeneity and isolation led to a narrow parochialism among many New Zealanders, but this has changed as internationalism and substantial immigration from the South Pacific and Asia has diversified the population and led to a much greater tolerance of differences. A number of diverse cultural celebrations such as Pacific and Asian festivals and food and wine festivals are now a regular and eagerly antici- pated aspect of the New Zealand social calendar. The overseas experiences of travelling Kiwis have led to a demand for a more diverse and sophisticated way of life, particularly in the field of wining and din- ing. This demand has been met enthusiastically. Ethnic cafés and restaurants, many with outdoor eating areas, have proliferated since the 1980s, featuring fine New Zealand wines and local ingredients prepared to the recipes of Italy, France, Japan, India, Thailand and Above: A Maori warrior Turkey. Unlike the dreary days of the 1950s and 1960s, in traditional costume when it was forbidden to sell alcohol with food, most performing the haka. of these cafés and restaurants are licensed or BYO (bring your own liquor). Tourism, both inbound and outbound, along with immigration, has brought a new cosmopolitanism to the New Zealand way of life.

Maori Society THE LOCATION OF THE After suffering a serious decline in the mid-19th century, MAORI POPULATION due to introduced infectious diseases, land dispossession The timber town of Kawerau, and war, Maori population growth is now vigorous. In on the Volcanic Plateau, has 2006, 15% of New Zealanders identified with the Maori the highest percentage of Maori people, at 61.1%, and ethnic group, a total of 565,000. The annual growth rate the South Auckland city of of the Maori population is 1.4%, slightly higher than for Manukau the largest number non-Maori growth, which is 1%. Those who identified (47,346). At the other extreme,the population of Maori as their sole ethnicity totalled 298,494 in 2006. the South Island town of This reflects the trend among New Zealanders to identify Waimate is only 4.5% with more than one ethnic group. Maori, while the territorial The regions with the largest Maori populations today local authority of Mackenzie in the central South Island are the East Coast, Poverty Bay, Northland and Rotorua. has the smallest number of At the other end of the scale, the rural central part of Maori (only 165). the South Island has less than 5% Maori population. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 24

24 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

Ethnicity

New Zealand New Zealand Chinese 64% Pakeha 14,7% Maori 2,1% British Samoan Indian 12% and Irish 2,6% 1,1% Dutch Cook Island Korean 1,3% 1,2% Maori 0,3% 0,4% German 0,8% Tongan 0,2% Japanese

Above right: A pair of Intermarriage with Pakeha has always been a feature Maori youngsters proudly of Maori society. In 1960, for example, half the marriages display their skateboards. contracted by Maori were with Pakeha spouses. Another significant feature of Maori society in the second half of the 20th century was its rapid urbanization. From 1950 until the 1980s, 75% of the Maori population migrated SOCIAL INDICATORS from their rural tribal areas to the towns and cities, to

Birth Rate: 13.6:1000 which they transplanted adaptations of their culture, such Death Rate: 7.5:1000 as community activities and marae. However, since the Life Expectancy: rise of unemployment during the 1980s, many urban Females – 82 years Maori have returned to their tribal areas, where they have Males – 76 years Fertility rate: inalienable rights to land and fishing. 1.79 births per woman By many social criteria, Maori fall behind the popu- Housing: lation as a whole. In education, health and particularly 67% of New Zealanders own their own home unemployment, Maori are significantly disadvantaged. 86% of New Zealanders At March 2008, the unemployment rate for Maori was live in urban areas 7.7%, compared with the national rate of 3.6% for all Median age: ethnicities combined. Some 32% of Maori leave school In April 2007 the median age of New Zealanders without qualifications (13% for non-Maori). Both the was 34.2 years birth and death rate are higher for Maori than non- Population growth: Maori, while life expectancy is lower. The New Zealand population growth rate is For the first five decades of the 20th century the now 1% per year teaching and speaking of the Maori language was dis- couraged, on the grounds that Maori people would as a CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 25

THE PEOPLE 25

result assimilate more rapidly with the Pakeha way of life APAINTER OF GENIUS and thereby progress more rapidly. This policy has Colin McCahon (1919–87) is changed markedly since the 1960s, however. Since then, considered New Zealand’s the learning of the Maori language has been encouraged, greatest painter and one who as part of a general renaissance in traditional Maori cul- has achieved international ture and heritage. The establishment of Kohanga Reo, acclaim, most of it post- humous. A dark, slim, self- Maori language ‘nests’ for pre-school children, where effacing man, he was raised in they are immersed totally in spoken and written Maori, the South Island and influ- has done much to foster the continuation of the language. enced by cubism, modernism and the New Zealand land- In 2005 there were 10,216 children enrolled in Kohanga scape. He moved to Auckland Reo. The Maori language is now also taught at primary, with his wife and children in secondary and tertiary levels of the education system, 1953 and taught at Elam Art School, where he in turn influ- although a continuing problem is the lack of trained enced many younger painters. teachers, a sad legacy of the earlier assimilation policy. McCahon’s paintings were fre- Because most of the Maori people now live in the quently reviled by those who cities, urban marae have been established to serve as a found his abstract style and religious themes baffling, but focus for community activities. A marae is a place appreciation of them never- where the tribe, hapu (sub-tribe) or whanau (extended theless grew, until today they family) see themselves as belonging. The marae consist are worth millions of dollars. A chronic alcoholic whose of a whare runanga, or meeting house, designed in the condition was worsened by traditional manner and adorned with woven panels, Korsakov’s Syndrome, carved poles and barge boards. Visitors to these city McCahon died in Auckland marae are still called onto it by a karanga, given by Public Hospital in May 1987. mature women who belong to it, then greeted accord- ing to traditional custom. It is customary for the visitors, or manuhiri, to bring a gift, known as a koha, for the Below: Pastoral farmland people of the marae. The Greater Auckland area has in the Gisborne area, on several such marae to accommodate the needs of the the North Island’s East people from the various tribes who live in the area. Coast. A source of contention has arisen in recent years over whether urban-based Maori, many now second- and third-generation city dwellers, still retain their customary rights to valuable commercial fishing resources, most of which are well away from the cities. The New Zealand Court of Appeal has ruled that urban Maori do not retain these rights, a judgement which has caused a division along rural-urban lines. The Maori electoral population is decided by eligible Maori voters choosing to enrol on either CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 26

26 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

FRANK SARGESON the Maori Roll or the General Roll. There were seven (1903–82) Maori electorates for the 2005 General Election. In 2004 Sargeson is considered to be the Maori Party was formed, mainly as a protest against the first fiction writer who the Labour Government’s Seabed and Foreshore legisla- truly captured the cadences of tion, and in the 2005 election they won four seats in New Zealand speech. A short- story writer, novelist and Parliament. After the 2008 general election the Maori playwright, he qualified as a Party, led jointly by Pita Sharples and Tariana Turia, solicitor before devoting his entered into a coalition with the National Party and thus life to writing. He lived in a humble cottage in Takapuna, became part of the Government. on Auckland’s North Shore, from 1930 until his death. The Arts The house, a centre of literary Over the last two decades there has been a burst of meetings and friendship, is today preserved as a museum artistic activity in New Zealand which has reflected the by the Sargeson Trust and can maturing of the young nation’s national consciousness be visited by those interested and a recognition of its position as a South Pacific in the writer’s life and work. The key is available from the country with its own unique national identity. In art, Takapuna Public Library, music, film, drama and literature, New Zealand now Takapuna. has large numbers of accomplished professional prac- titioners whose work is of international quality. The breakthrough from colonial to a post-colonial artistic community was made by a number of visionary individuals. Painters Rita Angus and Colin McCahon, novelists Jean Devanney and Jane Mander, short story writers Katherine Mansfield and Frank Sargeson, film-maker John O’Shea, architect Vernon Brown, composers and Jenny McLeod, playwright Bruce Mason and poets A.R.D. Fairburn, Ursula Bethell, and Denis Glover took their art in uniquely New Zealand directions which were further developed by others who followed. As Allen Curnow (1911–2001) wrote in his prophetic 1943 poem, The Skeleton of the Great Moa in the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch: ‘Not I, some child, born in a marvellous year, Will learn the trick of standing upright here.’ CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 27

THE PEOPLE 27

State support for the arts dates back to the 1940 cen- tenary celebrations. The Literary Fund, established in 1946, supported New Zealand writers and publishing. Its work was later continued and broadened to include the performing arts by the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, now known as Creative New Zealand, the operating name for The Arts Council of New Zealand – Toi Aotearoa. Creative New Zealand receives funding through Vote Cultural Affairs and the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board. A typical funding round, for March–May 2010, offered 82 grants, totalling NZ$2,050,156, to support pro- jects by New Zealand artists, practitioners and arts organisations; website: www.creativenz.govt.nz The New Zealand Film Commission was formed in 1978, to help finance a growing number of private film- makers. The most internationally successful New Zealand Above: A Maori man with films supported by the commission have been Once Were a traditional facial tattoo, Warriors and Whale Rider (2003). The latter achieved a or moko, in koru patterns. worldwide box office take of NZ$93.2 million. Opposite: The altar of The combination of private artistic drive, state support the Roman Catholic and business sponsorship has seen a proliferation of church at Jerusalem, on New Zealand music, painting, film, dance, drama and the , literature since the 1970s. Overseas film companies have featuring traditional Maori found New Zealand’s scenic beauty and technical carvings and wall panels. expertise appealing, and many films and television series have been shot here. The largest cinematic project to date is a three-part adaptation of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, the filming of which was completed in 2003, directed by Wellington-based film-maker, . New Zealand’s artistic flowering includes the work THE KORU of Maori artists such as painters , Shane Cotton and Emily Karaka and writers Witi Ihimaera, The koru is a stylized fern- and the late . There has scroll motif traditionally used in Maori carving and been a parallel growth in the work of Pacific Island tattooing. Taken from the New Zealanders such as artists Fatu Feu’u, Michel bunched, unfolding branch Tuffery and Ani O’Neil and novelists and of the ponga tree, the koru Sia Figiel. Maori art combines traditional and contem- is also commonly used as a contemporary emblem, most porary images, while Pacific Island New Zealand artists conspicuously on the tail of feature experiences of immigration and influences of Air New Zealand’s planes. their island heritage as major themes in their work. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 28

28 INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND

Sport A mild climate, abundant recreation areas and an admiration for physical excellence have made New Zealanders ardent sports people who have had international success in rowing, rugby, netball, squash, softball, cricket, horse riding and yachting. The leading men’s winter sports are , which New Zealanders are passionate about, rugby league, soccer and hockey. Even the smallest New Zealand town has a rugby field. Under the professional system introduced in 1995, the rugby union season begins in February with the international Super 14 competition and con- cludes with the National Provincial Championship final in late October. The legendary All Blacks play annual inter- Above: The distinctive nationals against traditional rivals Australia and South All Black shirt and scarf Africa as part of the Tri-Nations Series, as well as com- both have the silver peting against France, England, Ireland, Scotland and fern symbol. Wales. The loss of an important test match by the All Blacks has been known to cause an onset of national depression among followers. Rugby league, soccer, netball, women’s rugby and touch have grown in popularity in recent years. The ski season lasts from June to October, and indoor sports include squash and badminton. New Zealand’s golf FUNDING FOR SPORT courses occupy some of the loveliest land in the country. Sport and Recreation The most popular summer sports are cricket – men’s New Zealand (SPARC) was and women’s – tennis, athletics and sailing. Rowing com- formed in 2002, following petitions take place on inland lakes such as Karapiro in the the merger of the Hillary Commission, the New Waikato. Triathlons and ‘Iron Man’ contests attract many Zealand Sports Foundation competitors. The long coastline and warm conditions and the policy arm of the allow swimming in most regions from mid-November to Office of Tourism and Sport. May, but board riding and windsurfing are enjoyed This government-funded body helps sport by assisting throughout the year with the added comfort of wet suits. the thousands of volunteer Surf lifesaving championships are held every summer. coaches, umpires and team Sea fishing is a hugely popular pastime, both from managers who actively sup- port ; boats and shore, while fishing for rainbow and brown website: www.sparc.org.nz trout in New Zealand’s cooler lakes and rivers attracts both local and overseas visitors. CH1-INTRO (p4-29) 10/15/10 9:58 AM Page 29

THE PEOPLE 29

Food and Drink REGIONAL SPECIALITIES For years New Zealand produced superb ingredients – While there are regional meat, poultry, fish and vegetables – then cooked them with specialties, such as West a lack of imagination. ‘Meat and three veg’, soggy salads Coast whitebait, Bluff oysters, and charred BBQ chops and sausages were the standard Canterbury lamb, South fare, and foreign food was viewed with suspicion. Island farmed salmon and Kaikoura crayfish, New Those days are over. Now the ingredients are Zealand chefs enthusiastically matched by the treatment they receive from food pro- adopt foods from all parts of fessionals. New Zealand’s new cuisine, a mélange of the country. An efficient transport system means that overseas recipes and local influences, is as tempting foods produced in one area and tasty as any in the world, and is complemented by can be marketed the next day locally produced wines of exceptional quality. Pastoral anywhere else in the country, retaining that hallmark fresh- products such as lamb and beef, a variety of seafoods ness. A new generation of and a climate which enables most vegetables to grow chefs, many with overseas most of the year round are the foundations of a thriving experience, are willing and and diverse food industry. able to experiment with new varieties of fruit and Venison, mussels, salmon, lamb, scallops, snapper, vegetables, resulting in crayfish, oysters and whitebait – not the overseas unique culinary creations. variety but the larvae of the native trout – provide the basis of some of New Zealand’s most distinctive main courses, while delicious desserts utilize the many varieties of fresh fruits available, often combined with farm-fresh dairy products. Stylishly served with a Marlborough Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, a Central Otago Pinot Noir or a Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon, and followed by locally made cheeses of peerless quality, a meal in a reputable New Zealand restaurant can be a memorable experience. There are also now more than 50 wine and food festivals held throughout New Zealand, most of which take place in February and March.

Left: This wine shop at Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula offers a choice of local vintages. NZ-INDEX 10/15/10 10:07 AM Page 127

INDEX 127

beaches (cont.) Dunedin (cont.) islands (cont.) INDEX Wainui Beach 59 Octagon 108, 110 Brown’s Island 37 Note: Numbers in bold Blenheim 78 Olveston 108 Great Barrier Island 37 indicate photographs Bluff 114, 115 Otago University 110 Kapiti Island 69 Burns, Robbie 110 Speights Brewery 111 Kawau Island 42 accommodation 44–45, Writers’ Walk 110 Little Barrier Island 13, 62, 70–71, 80, 88, 98, Canterbury 86, 87 Dusky Sound 117 36 106, 120, 123 Oamaru 87 Matakana Island 49 architecture 18, 83 Temuka 87 East Coast 58, 59 Mayor Island 49 Arrowtown 94 Timaru 87 Eastern Southland Art Mercury Island 43 Millbrook Resort and Cape Kidnappers 65 Gallery, Gore 115 Mokoia Island 51 Country Club 94 Cape Reinga 39 education 67, 110 Motuihe Island 36 art see culture Captain James Cook emergencies 126 Motutapu Island 36 Auckland 19, 22, 30–43 14–16, 117 etiquette 126 43 Albert Park 33 Christchurch 83–85 Rangitoto Island 36 Auckland Art Gallery 33 Akaroa Harbour 85 77 Stewart Island 118, 119 K-Road 33 Antarctic Centre 84 Featherston 67 Tiritiri Matangi Island 36 Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Arts Centre 84 Featherston Heritage Urupukapuka 41 Encounter and Cathedral Square 83 Complex 67 Waiheke Island 37 Underwater World 35 Hagley Park 84 festivals 22, 66, 74, 77, White Island 50 Old Government Lyttelton 84 79, 105, 114 House 33 churches film see culture Jerusalem 26, 58 Queen Street 32, 33 Church of the Good Fiordland 115, 116, 117 Sir Keith Park Memorial Shepherd, Lake Tekapo flora and fauna 11–13, 36, Kaikoura 72, 78, 79 Site 35 90, 93 40, 92, 112, 118, 119 kiwi 12 Sky Tower 32 First Church of Otago 111 food and drink 29, 66, 77, koru 126 33 Roman Catholic Church, 78, 97, 102, 105, 114 Waitemata Harbour 30, Jerusalem 26 see also restaurants lakes 31, 32, 36 St Mary’s Pro Cathedral, Fox and Franz Josef Lake Ada 116 New Plymouth 61 glaciers 105 Lake Hauroko 6 Bay of Islands 14, 17, 41 St Paul’s Anglican Frame, Janet 87 Lake Manapouri 117 Paihia 39, 41 Cathedral, Dunedin Lake Matheson 104 Russell 41 110 Gisborne 25, 59 Lake Pukaki 93 Urupukapuka 41 climate 9–11, 32, 45, 63, Golden Bay 76, 77 75 Bay of Plenty 49, 50 71, 81, 89, 99, 101, Collingwood 77 75 Opotiki 50 107, 118, 121 Farewell Spit 77 Lake Taupo 6, 16, 53 Te Puke 50 communications 126 Takaka 77 Lake Te Anau 91, 117 Whakatane 50 Coromandel 42, 43 Gore 115 Lake Tekapo 90, 93 Baxter, James K. 58 Kuaotunu 43 Greymouth 104 Lake Waikaremoana 56 beaches 34, 35 Pauanui 43 Jade Boulder Gallery 104 Lake Wairarapa 66 Carter’s Beach 103 Tairua 43 Monteith’s Brewing Lake Wakatipu 91, 96, 97 Hot Water Beach 42 Thames 43 Company 104 Lake Wanaka 95 Karekare 34 Whangamata 43 Tama Lakes 56 Midway Beach 59 Whitianga 43 Hamilton 48, 49 land 6–13 Mount Maunganui crafts see culture Hanmer Springs 86 language 126 Beach 47 Cromwell 6, 95 Hauraki Gulf 36, 37 Larnach Castle 110, 111 Muriwai 34 culture Havelock 74 literature see culture Ninety Mile Beach 39 art 25–27, 61, 65, 74, Hawke’s Bay 21, 65, 66 Lord of the Rings 27, 49, Oakura Beach 61 75, 83, 84, 95, 110 Hastings 65 55, 68, 71, 96, 115 Ocean Beach 66 crafts 51, 52, 104, 105 Napier 21, 65, 66, 67 Ohope Beach 50 film 27 health 123, 126 Mackinnnon’s Pass 116 Opunake Beach 61 literature 26, 58, 87, 95, history 14–19 Manawatu 67 Oreti Beach 115 105, 110 Hokianga Harbour 40 Maori 4, 14, 15, 17, 23, Piha 34 music 115 Hokitika 102, 105 24, 25, 26, 27, 51, 52, Riversdale Beach 67 Huka Falls 54 61 St Clair Beach 111 Deep Cove 117 Hulme, Keri 105 Maori Leap Cave 79 St Kilda Beach 111 Devonport 30, 32 Hurunui 85–86 markets 35, 75 Sumner Beach 83 Doubtful Sound 117 Marlborough Plains 77, 78 Tautuku Bay 113 Dunedin 109–111 Invercargill 114, 115 Marlborough Sounds 73, Te Henga 34 Botanic Garden 111 Queens Park 115 74 Tomahawk Beach 111 111 islands Queen Charlotte Waikanae Beach 59 Dunedin Public Art Alderman 43 Walkway 74 Waimarama Beach 66 Gallery 110 Bay of Islands 41 Marshall, Owen 95 NZ-INDEX 10/15/10 10:07 AM Page 128

128 INDEX

Martinborough 66 museums (cont.) parks and reserves (cont.) Taupo 53, 54, 55 Bay 41 Waikato Museum of Art Te Urewera National De Bretts Thermal Resort McCahon, Colin 25 and History 48 Park 56 54 Milford Sound 116, 117 War Memorial Museum Tongariro National Park Tauranga 49 76 and Domain 31 10, 55, 56 Te Anau Caves 117 mountains West Coast Historical Trounson Kauri Park 40 Te Mata Peak 66 Aoraki/Mount Cook 6, Museum, Hokitika 105 Victoria Forest Park 101 Tongariro Alpine Crossing 7, 91, 93 World of Wearable Art Westland National Park 56 Ben Lomond 96 and Collectable Cars 105, 112 tours and tourism 45, 63, Cardrona 97 Museum 75 Whakarewarewa Thermal 71, 81, 89, 99, 103, Cecil Peak 96 music see culture Reserve 4, 9, 46, 52 106–107, 111, 112, 96, 97 Whanganui National 115, 121, 122 Crown Range 95 national flag 20 Park 57 transport 44, 62, 70, 80, Kaikoura Range 78 Nelson 74, 75 people 6, 22–26 88, 98, 106, 120, Mount Anglem 118 Ngaruawahia 49 Picton 74 124–126 Mount Arthur 6 41 Pohutu Geyser 8, 46 TranzAlpine Express 85 Mount Cook see Northland 11, 38–42 population 19, 24 41 Aoraki/Mount Cook Poverty Bay 59 Mount 54, Oparara Basin 101 public holidays 16, 17, 33 59 Orakei Korako 54 123 University of Otago 109 Mount Hobson 37 Oriental Bay 16, 64 68 Urupukapuka 41 Mount Maunganui 49 Otago Central Rail Trail 95 useful contacts 45, 63, 71, Mount Ruapehu 10, 48, 109–113 Queenstown 96, 97 81, 89, 99, 107, 121 55, 56 60, 61 Palmerston North 67 Rakiura 118 35 Mount Tarawera 52 Massey University 67 Rawene 40 Mount Tasman 6, 7, Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki religion 58 Waikato 48 91, 93 101, 103 restaurants 34, 35, 45, Waikawa 113 Mount Tongariro 6 parks and reserves 63, 71, 80–81, 88–89, Waiotapu 15 Mount Victoria 32 Abel Tasman National 94, 98–99, 106, Waipapa Point 114 Remarkables 96 Park 76 120–121, 124 Waipoua Forest Sanctuary 97 Araiteuru Reserve 8 Richmond 75 11, 40 Mount Bruce National Auckland Zoological rivers 6, 22, 28 54 Wildlife Centre 67 Park 35 Avon River 83 Wairarapa 66, 67 museums Catlins State Forest Buller River 103 Castlepoint 66 Canterbury Museum 83 Park 112 Clutha River 6, 95 Featherston 67 Fell Engine Museum, Egmont National Park 60 Haast River 105 Martinborough 66 Featherston 67 Fiordland National Mataura River 115 Waitangi 14, 17 Lake District Museum, Park 115, 116 Rangitata River 87 Waitangi, Treaty of 16, Arrowtown 94 Goat Island Marine 55 41, 85 Matakohe Kauri Reserve 43 48 Waitemata Harbour 31, 32 Museum 39 Hanmer Springs Thermal Waitahanui River 55 Waitomo Caves 49 Museum of Art and Reserve 86 Waitaki River 92 walks 32, 33, 37, 56, 58, History, Rotorua 51 Hauraki Gulf Marine Whanganui River 57 65, 66, 76, 77, 79, 86, Museum of Transport, Park 36 Rotorua 4, 9, 50, 51 93, 94, 97, 113, 116, Technology and Social Haurangi Forest Park 66 Blue Baths 51 118 History, Auckland 35 Kahurangi National Government Gardens 51 Wanaka 95 National Maritime Park 77 Hell’s Gate 52 Warkworth 41 Museum, Auckland 34 Mercury Island 43 Polynesian Spa 51 Wellington 18, 20, 64, National Museum of Mount Aspiring National 68, 69 New Zealand – Te Papa Park World Heritage safety 17, 126 Cable Car 69 Tongarewa 16, 69 95, 101 Samoa 20 Katherine Mansfield New Zealand Fighter Mount Cook National Sargeson, Frank 26 Birthplace 69 Pilots Museum 95 Park 93, 94 Shantytown 104, 105 Parliament House 69 Otago Settlers Nelson Lakes National 95 Port Nicholson 69 Museum 111 Park 75 Southern Alps 93 West Coast 101–105 QEII Army Memorial Paparoa National Park sport 28, 54, 56, 61, 86, Westport 103, 104 Museum, 57 101, 103 87, 91, 97, 111 Whangaparaoa Peninsula Southland Museum 115 , Taranaki Sydney, Grahame 95 36 Taranaki Museum 61 61 Whangarei 41 The Museum of Spa Thermal Park 54 Tairoa Head 111 wine 21, 23, 29, 35, 59, New Zealand, Sugar Loaf Marine Taranaki 60, 61 66, 67, 73, 75, 77, 78, Wellington 69 Reserve 61 Tasman Bay 76 79, 85, 95, 97, 105,