New Zealand
by Susan Davidson, “n” Magazine

Far away are the two islands known as New   Zealand.  Once part of a continent that included Antarctica, Australia, Africa and South America, New Zealand is now separated from the rest of the world by the Tasman Sea.  With more than 11,000 miles of coastland – most of which is still unspoiled – as well as volcanoes, fiords, a mountain   range known as the Southern Alps and vast fertile plains – this isolated, sparsely populated and breathtakingly beautiful country welcomes visitors warmly, as more and more Americans are discovering.

The first people to come to New Zealand were Maori.  The actual date of their arrival from Polynesia is a matter of controversy but most historians agree that the first settlers came from Polynesia around 1300 AD.  The first European to arrive was Abel Tasman in 1642, on assignment from the Dutch East India Company.  His entourage was not well received and several of his men were murdered.  Not until Captain James Cook’s voyage to the South Pacific, in 1769, did Europeans return to the islands.  Their mission was to explore the flora and fauna of the country that England claimed as its own. 

Today, the relationship between Maori and New Zealanders of European descent, known as pakeha, appears amicable.  All New Zealanders – maori and pakeha – are very welcoming.  Maori culture is a large part of a tourist’s New Zealand experience.  It is celebrated, particularly on the North Island, where several meeting houses, marae, have been preserved.  Nowhere though can one get a better idea of Maori history than at Wellington’s partly educational and partly entertaining Te Papa Museum.  Or by eating a traditional Maori meal – pork or seafood or vegetables, such as kumara, a kind of sweet potato, cooked in an earthen pit, hangi.   

Food, in general, is very high quality – fresh and tasty.  Its preparation reflects not just Maori traditions but the many influences picked up by New Zealanders returning from what they call the O. E., Overseas Experience, a year or two after graduation that is spent traveling the world (and discovering new cuisines) before settling down.  Lamb is ubiquitous – New Zealand is said to have more sheep than people – so is seafood, particularly salmon and the enormous green-lipped mussels farmed in the Marlborough Sounds.  New Zealanders also have a fondness for coffee, often fresh-ground and served numerous ways.  But you need to know the lingo:  a flat white is a double espresso with more milk than coffee; a cappuccino is the opposite.  A short black is what we would can espresso; and a macchiato is a single or double espresso with just a hint of foamed hot milk on top.  A pavlova (meringue made with balsamic vinegar) goes nicely with caffeine in any dosage. 

Wine, too, is an important part of dining in New Zealand.  Exports,  too.  What is now a $50 million ( U.S. dollars)  business began one hundred and fifty years ago when monks became vintners whose modest yield was used as sacramental wine.  There are almost 400 wineries in New Zealand, located in Gisborne, Central Otago, Martinborough, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough, which is best known for its Sauvignon Blancs,     or “Sauvy” to a   New Zealander.  It is the wine that put New Zealand on many oenophiles’s map.  It remains the most plentiful product, but New Zealand vintners are also making notable chardonnays and pinot noirs – excellent reflections of the rich soil, clean air and just the right climate.

One of the many reasons New Zealand maintains its ecological integrity is because those who live there have great respect for land and water.  On arrival at the airport, travelers are expected to answer such questions as where have you been and, if asked, to present their shoes for inspection.  And there’s no messing about:  if caught bringing in food, organic material, or just dirt on your   boots, the fine is close to $300, on the spot. 

Apart from eating and drinking extremely well, what should one see or do while in New Zealand?  What are the highpoints?  On the South Island, Queenstown is a good place to start as it is the action capitol of a country that enjoys all manner of sports – from tramping (hiking) to cycling, fly fishing, golf (New Zealand has more gold courses per capita than any other country in the world), rock climbing, skiing, jet-boating (riding a flat bottomed boat build to move and turn speedily in shallow waters), swimming and surfing.  Then there’s Queenstown’s own invention – Bungy jumping, which requires being suspended by a cord and dropped from a great height.  Adventure travelers have taken this death-defying leap one step further by jumping from helicopters rather than more stable platforms such as high bridges and mountain tops.  A better way to see the spectacular South Island is to travel by helicopter in and around the fiords. 

Queenstown has several fine places to stay.  For quiet, blissful luxury and a spectacular view of Lake Wakatipu, I recommend Azur, www.azur.co.nz; for a more rural but equally luxurious lodging, there is Punatapu, www.cuisinequeenstown.com.  In the small, downtown area of  Queenstown, is The Spire, a trendy hotel, www.thespirehotels.com. 

At the northern end of the South Island, in Marlborough, Blenheim’s Hotel d’Urville, www.durville.com, while retaining many of the features of the bank it once was – to enter my room I had to go through a vault door – offers comfort and charm.

On the North Island, Wellington, www.wellingtonnz.com, offers a great base from which to take day trips.  There are several good hotels to choose from; in terms of location, the centrally-located Intercontinental, www.intercontinental.com , puts much of the town within walking distance.

Napier, www.hawkesbaynz.com, in Hawkes Bay, levelled   by an earthquake in 1931, was rebuilt in Art Deco style, which is quite different in mood and structure from anything else in New Zealand.  But steals your heart in New Zealand are magnificent landscapes no architect can come close to competing with.

Sidebar:  Getting There

Yes, it is a long haul.  Getting from the east coast of the United States to New Zealand’s main airport in Auckland can take the better part of thirty hours, counting flying time (approximately 19 hours) going through security, changing planes and waiting around in airports.  So the question is … is it worth it?  Yes!  But the savvy traveler might want to consider breaking up the journey.  When I traveled from Washington, D.C. to Queenstown, New Zealand, I stopped for twenty-four hours in San Francisco, six of which were spent walking around that fair city.  The exercise was tiring so I managed to sleep across the Pacific, a method I recommend.

Air New Zealand, a Star Alliance member, has an enticing option – a stop of a few days in Tahiti.  For Air New Zealand details, call 1-800-262-1234 or visit www.airnewzealand.com/usa. 

Sidebar:  Knowing What to Say

Kia ora, means hello, good bye, thank you.

Haka, the song and dance traditionally performed by men is now used as a rallying cry by the All Blacks, New Zealand’s winning rugby team.

Hongi, pressing foreheads and noses together, a Maori greeting that means a sharing of the same thoughts and space.

Kiwi, a bird that cannot fly; also slang for New Zealander.

Moko,  Maori-style tattoes worn on the face and body.

Tiki,  a carved green stone worn around the neck.

Susan Davidson, Arts Editor and Theater Reviewer of Washingtonian Magazine, likes to travel.