Milton Street Dairy by Goeftheref on Flickr

Where would Kiwis be without the local dairy? Certainly situations such as running out of the milk needed for the perfect cup of tea or not having enough snacks to share while watching a film on TV could get quite hairy. Well, OK, it’s not as dramatic as all that, but the dairy, the local word for a small shop, is an important part of New Zealand culture.

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Have you ever caught a chocolate fish?

Chocolate fish by Marie

Every country has special sweets that children grow up with and New Zealand is no exception. One of the favourites of Kiwi kids is the chocolate fish. It is marshmallow, either white or pink, wrapped in chocolate. They are usually about 10-15cm long but you can also buy giant ones and tiny ones, known as sprats. Go into any dairy, the New Zealand word for a small shop or corner shop, and you’ll find chocolate fish along with lots of other goodies from open boxes. Although it is changing a bit these days as more things are individually wrapped, you can still choose what you like from the boxes in dairies putting them into a little paper bag and paying by the piece. There are variations on this theme in the form of toasties, a block of marshmallow covered in chocolate and toasted coconut, and pineapple lumps, smaller squares of pineapple flavoured marshmallow covered in chocolate. But the chocolate fish has become one of those images in New Zealand we call “Kiwiana” as it represents lots and lots of nostalgia.

Do you like sweet things? Try:

Alfajores from Argentina
Mooncakes from China
Tort de ciocolata from Romania

Last month marked the 95^th anniversary of the Anzacs landing at Gallipoli.

Each year on the 25th April Anzac Day is commemorated as a public holiday in Australia and New Zealand. On this day we honor the WWI Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs) who landed at Gallipoli, Turkey, on 25th April 1915. It also signifies a time we remember all who have served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions.

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Swim between the flags by Shanti, shanti

“Swim between the flags” is a phrase you often hear in New Zealand. It’s quite difficult to warn visitors of the dangerous nature of New Zealand beaches and so they’ve come up with an easy to understand system. If you arrive at a beach and you cannot see any surf lifesavers, who wear the ubiquitous yellow and red uniforms, it means the beach is unpatrolled and somewhat likely to be unsafe for swimming. Patrolled beaches have a core of lifesavers who keep watch on the swimmers, but also on the ever-changing water.

How to spot a rip by Shanti, shanti

There are strong undercurrents known as rips that can pull unsuspecting swimmers under the water and out to sea. The pull of these rips is beyond even the strongest swimmer, so it is important to take precautions in order to have a great day at the beach. There are signs on many beaches with a picture that shows you how to spot a rip and where it is safe to swim. But the best thing to do when you’ve chosen your beach is to spot the lifesavers and the yellow and red flags. You also need to be aware that the flags are moved as the water changes.

So, keep an eye out that you are still in the safe zone if a little time passes while you are out in the water. Don’t be put off! New Zealand has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and most are not crowded. With a little bit of forethought, a wonderful day out can be had.

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Carving by Shanti, shanti

The Maori were the first people in New Zealand and Rotorua is a town steeped in Maori history and culture. It is located in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. A great place to gain first-hand knowledge of some of the traditions of Maori culture in Rotorua is the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute at Te Puia. Here you can watch traditional weavers and carvers carrying out thier craft.

Some of the original students from the school’s beginnings in the 1960s are still here and teaching the three-year diploma students. While they are teaching the next generation about the history and methods behind their craft, they also welcome visitors to chat and ask questions. You can find out the meaning behind the various patterns and how natural resources are used to great effect.

Later, visitors have the opportunity to purchase some of the items in the shop that are actually made on site. With the care and attention given to each item, of course, this artwork comes at a price. But if you are in the market for something original to take home, chances are that you may also get to chat to the artist who has made it. This makes for a personal souvenir for the visitor and a welcome recognition of the artist. In turn the tradition of these craft will carry a value that will keep it going well into the future.

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First events on the Christmas calendar in New Zealand? Santa parades! In the first or second week of December many towns and cities have a parade which kicks off the excitement of Christmas for the youngest Kiwis. The streets will be lined with parents and kiddies who enjoy watching the singing and dancing. But the highlight is when Santa himself arrives in his sleigh decked out in Christmas reds. And, since Christmas falls in the summer down here in the Southern Hemisphere, Santa can often be seen wearing shorts, sunglasses and jandals (flip-flops).

The weeks leading up to the 25th of December will be busy as people shop for Christmas presents and also attend parties put on by their place of employment. The office Christmas party is a tradition where people tend to let loose with their workmates and enjoy the end of the work year together. Depending on where one works, you might be having the party in-house, or some employers will book a restaurant or maybe even a dining cruise. There is usually food and drink and sometimes there is also a “Secret Santa” element to the party. For this, everyone will buy a gift that costs up to a specified limit, usually just 5 or 10 dollars, and all the gifts will be collected, mixed up and then handed out randomly. You never know what you will get or who will end up with the present you bought.

Christmas in New Zealand is very much centered around family and being outdoors. As it’s also school holidays, many families will leave town for a few days or even weeks to relax at the beach. They may stay in a caravan or a bach. Whatever they choose, the aim is to get away from it all. A day or two before Christmas everyone will pack up the car and head out to the destination of choice. Upon arriving they will settle in, finish wrapping presents for under the tree, have some food and perhaps some New Zealand wine or beer and let the relaxing begin until Christmas morning when it’s time to open presents.

While Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere is all about keeping warm and cozy during the winter weather, New Zealand Christmas is more about enjoying the sunshine. Heavy roast dinners are not as common and many people will have barbecues and, if they are lucky, get to eat the seafood they’ve caught that day. Having said this, there is one thing that is essential to the Kiwi Christmas dinner table, and that is the pavlova. A pavlova is like a meringue that is the size and shape of a cake. It is adorned with fruit such as berries or kiwifruit to offset the sweetness of the meringue.

On the morning of the 25th, Christmas Day, everyone will wake up and open the presents that have appeared under the tree from Santa. Kiwi’s tend to have either a fake or real fir tree with lots of decorations as is common in Europe. But there is also a New Zealand Christmas tree called a pohutukawa. These trees grow all over the country and are marked by bright red, brushlike, blossoms around Christmas time. When the landscape begins to turn red, Kiwis everywhere start to get that summer feeling and look forward to Christmas.

Although New Zealand has a recognised bi-cultural European/ Maori heritage, you can see that many of our Christmas traditions have a lot in common with those of European countries. But one thing that sets our festivities apart is the wonderful summer weather we have in December. Everyone should experience a warm Christmas at least once in a lifetime!

Come back tomorrow for our final Christmas around the world post, Christmas in Germany, by Marcel.

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Although New Zealand has some beautiful beaches dotted with palm trees, sometimes people don’t realise that it is not a tropical country at all. In fact, our winter in the North Island tends to be cold, windy and rainy. In the mountains and in the South Island we even get snow. That’s why it’s surprising that three New Zealanders have managed to start growing vanilla here.

John Ross, his daughter Jennifer and her husband Garth Boggiss first started growing vanilla in Tonga as an aid project designed to give locals a new means of income. It was successful. Part of the success was because a greenhouse in Tauranga, in the North Island of New Zealand, was able to be used to cultivate the plants.

Because of the amount of volcanic activity here in New Zealand, the greenhouse could be heated through geothermal power. With this in mind the entrepreneurs thought why not try to actually grow the vanilla to full size, harvestable plants here. Luckily for New Zealand, the plan worked and we now have the first vanilla in the world that was grown outside of the tropics.

Technically, you could call it volcanic vanilla!

To find out more about the project, visit the website at Heilala Vanilla. They even have a video and some delicious looking recipes.

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