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> Australia and South Pacific
> New Zealand
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Social Profile
Food & Drink: New Zealand has a reputation as a leading producer of meat and dairy produce with lamb, beef and pork on most menus. Venison is also widely available. Locally produced vegetables, such as kumara (a natural sweet potato), are good. There is also a wide range of fish available including snapper, grouper and John Dory. Seasonal delicacies such as whitebait, oysters, crayfish, scallops and game birds are recommended. New Zealand is also establishing a reputation for French-type cheeses: Brie, Camembert, Bleu de Bresse and Montagne Bleu. New Zealand’s traditional dessert is pavlova, a large round cake with a meringue base, topped with fruit and cream. Many picnic areas with barbecue facilities are provided at roadside sites. Restaurants are usually informal except for very exclusive ones. Waiter service is normal, but self-service and fast-food chains are also available. Some restaurants invite the customer to ‘BYO’ (bring your own liquor).
New Zealand boasts world-class domestic wines and beers, some of which have won international awards. A wide range of domestic and imported wines, spirits and beers is available from hotel bars, ‘liquor stores’ and wine shops. Bars have counter service and public bars are very informal. Lounge bars and ‘house bars’ (for hotel guests only) are sometimes more formal and occasionally have table service. The minimum drinking age in a bar is 18. There is some variation in licensing hours in major cities and some hotel bars open Sunday, providing a meal is eaten. In most hotels and taverns, licensing hours are 1100-2300 except Sunday.
Nightlife: New Zealand has an active and varied entertainment industry. Theatres offer good entertainment ranging from drama, comedy and musicals to pop concerts and shows. Concert tickets can be booked online (website: www.ticketek.com). In large cities, there are often professional performers or guest artists from overseas. Visitors should check ‘What’s On’ in local papers. There are also cinemas and a small selection of nightclubs in larger cities. Information is also available online (website: www.itsoninnz.co.nz).
Shopping: Special purchases include distinctive jewellery made from New Zealand greenstone (a kind of jade) and from the beautiful translucent paua shell. Maori arts and crafts are reflected in a number of items such as the carved greenstone tiki (a unique Maori charm) and intricate woodcarvings often inlaid with paua shell. Other items of note include woollen goods, travel rugs, lambswool rugs, leather and skin products. Shopping hours: All shops and businesses are open Mon-Sat 0900-1700, as a minimum; there are local variations but many stores and most malls are also open Sun 1000-1300. In resorts, most shops are also open in the evenings.
Special Events: For further details and exact dates, contact Tourism New Zealand (see Contact Addresses section). The following is a selection of major events held in New Zealand in 2003:
Jan 6-11 Heineken Tennis Open, Auckland. Jan 28 Auckland Anniversary Regatta. Jan 31-Feb 5 Harvest Hawkes Bay Wine & Food Festivals, Hawkes Bay. Feb 1/Mar 1 Martinborough Fair. Feb 8 Wine and Food Festival, Malborough. Mar 1 Ironman New Zealand (triathlon), Taupo. Mar 8 Pasifika 2003, Auckland. Mar 17 Festival of Maori Arts and Crafts, Northland Region. Apr 18 Waiheke Island Jazz Festival; New Zealand University Games, Palmerston North and the Manawatu. May 3 Rotorua Marathon. Jul 18 Christchurch Arts Festival. Nov New Zealand Wild Places Challenge (3000km/1863 mile race from Bluff to Cape Reinga); Ellerslie Flower Show (largest floral exhibition in the southern hemisphere). Dec Festival of Lights, New Plymouth.
Social Conventions: Should a visitor be invited to a formal Maori occasion, the hongi (pressing of noses) is common. Casual dress is widely acceptable. New Zealanders are generally very relaxed and hospitable. Stiff formality is rarely appreciated and after introductions first names are generally used. Smoking is restricted where indicated. Tipping: Service charges and taxes are not added to hotel or restaurant bills. Tips are not expected.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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