What to see in New Zealand
I have just returned from a trip to New Zealand, the country of my birth, and as a result of that trip felt there were some tips I could give that would be of use to those wanting to make the same journey.
If you do not like the cold I do not recommend that you go in August, when I went, nor in July which is when I was supposed to go! It was so cold I had to wear two jerseys. Perhaps I am getting sensitive to the cold, but when I was younger, I do not recall having to do that!
I can recommend a few museums for you to see as they give an insight into what New Zealand is about.
Royal New Zealand Navy Museum: Devonport, Auckland
Admission: Voluntary donation.
This is packed with exhibits starting from the earliest visit by Captain Cook in his Royal Navy ship, through the Royal Navy ships funded and manned by New Zealanders in World War I, Royal New Zealand ships in World War II where the N.Z. navy was key in bringing down the Graf Spee and through to the present time Navy. There are uniforms, small arms, ships bells etc that give a picture of what a navy is all about. I spent about 2 hours in there following along the time line of development. The battle of the River Plate takes a significant part of the exhibit and is a very interesting show all by itself!
Museum of Transport and Technology, MOTAT: Auckland.
Admission:
This is actually two museums. One in Auckland, the other in Western Springs an outer suburb. You could spend a day at these two, easily. At Western Springs there are aircraft which you can clamber into for a great concept of what these were like to fly in. I did not visit these on this trip, but on an earlier one. But the exhibits are well done with excellent descriptions.
Waitangi Treaty house: Waitangi, Bay of Islands.
Admission:
This is where you find out about the Treaty of Waitangi. Here you can see the different translations of the original document, the difference between the intent and the actuality, and the way of life of the people at the time. Just compare what they had to do then to wash clothes as to what you have to do now!
Te Awamutu museum: Te Awamutu, Waikato
Admission: Voluntary donation
Heard of the Finn Brothers (Split Enz, Crowded House)? This is their home town. And there is an exhibit showing photos of their early years and interesting snippets from their lives. But even more interesting is the history of the local psychiatric asylum. You can follow through the history of when it was first set up to the time it was disbanded. Decide for yourself which is the most enlightened treatment of those unable to cope with ordinary living, and where mental care went off the rails! There is also a display of where the local Maori originated and where they settled and how they lived.
Wellington: Wellington
Admission:
This is THE place to go to find out about the peoples of the pacific. There are houses, artifacts and information sheets galore and you can easily spend a whole day getting to know how the Maori lived before the white people arrived. I have not been there for 10 years or so, but it is a well cared for museum.
Up in the Bay of Islands, near Kemp house, there is the ultimate in finding out how the Maori lived. It is a Maori village, built on the hillside by a river. There are the actual food, sleeping, and meeting houses with cooking fires etc. See this and you appreciate what progress we have made!
I will provide more details on this when I re-post in about 3 days.
Now, be advised that when you arrive at Auckland Airport, before you go into immigration and customs, you can get duty free goods. What I could not understand was how come these items were so expensive! Wines started at NZ$22 a bottle when I know there are wines for NZ$10 in the supermarkets. So, to be charitable, I must assume they are only selling the more expensive wines. Honey was also pricey. And chocolates. Perhaps someone would care to do a comparison of Wine with Wine and see if there is really an advantage in shopping duty free.
There is a sales tax in NZ, called GST. The tourist only gets out of that by shipping the item abroad, or arranging for pick-up at the airport on departure. There used to be a means of providing your receipts at the airport and getting the tax back, but that was years ago.
Sorry to end off at this point, but there will be more later. If you wish to make suggestions on content then send an e-mail to stephanhokke@hotmail.com but do not expect a reply!
If you do not like the cold I do not recommend that you go in August, when I went, nor in July which is when I was supposed to go! It was so cold I had to wear two jerseys. Perhaps I am getting sensitive to the cold, but when I was younger, I do not recall having to do that!
I can recommend a few museums for you to see as they give an insight into what New Zealand is about.
Royal New Zealand Navy Museum: Devonport, Auckland
Admission: Voluntary donation.
This is packed with exhibits starting from the earliest visit by Captain Cook in his Royal Navy ship, through the Royal Navy ships funded and manned by New Zealanders in World War I, Royal New Zealand ships in World War II where the N.Z. navy was key in bringing down the Graf Spee and through to the present time Navy. There are uniforms, small arms, ships bells etc that give a picture of what a navy is all about. I spent about 2 hours in there following along the time line of development. The battle of the River Plate takes a significant part of the exhibit and is a very interesting show all by itself!
Museum of Transport and Technology, MOTAT: Auckland.
Admission:
This is actually two museums. One in Auckland, the other in Western Springs an outer suburb. You could spend a day at these two, easily. At Western Springs there are aircraft which you can clamber into for a great concept of what these were like to fly in. I did not visit these on this trip, but on an earlier one. But the exhibits are well done with excellent descriptions.
Waitangi Treaty house: Waitangi, Bay of Islands.
Admission:
This is where you find out about the Treaty of Waitangi. Here you can see the different translations of the original document, the difference between the intent and the actuality, and the way of life of the people at the time. Just compare what they had to do then to wash clothes as to what you have to do now!
Te Awamutu museum: Te Awamutu, Waikato
Admission: Voluntary donation
Heard of the Finn Brothers (Split Enz, Crowded House)? This is their home town. And there is an exhibit showing photos of their early years and interesting snippets from their lives. But even more interesting is the history of the local psychiatric asylum. You can follow through the history of when it was first set up to the time it was disbanded. Decide for yourself which is the most enlightened treatment of those unable to cope with ordinary living, and where mental care went off the rails! There is also a display of where the local Maori originated and where they settled and how they lived.
Wellington: Wellington
Admission:
This is THE place to go to find out about the peoples of the pacific. There are houses, artifacts and information sheets galore and you can easily spend a whole day getting to know how the Maori lived before the white people arrived. I have not been there for 10 years or so, but it is a well cared for museum.
Up in the Bay of Islands, near Kemp house, there is the ultimate in finding out how the Maori lived. It is a Maori village, built on the hillside by a river. There are the actual food, sleeping, and meeting houses with cooking fires etc. See this and you appreciate what progress we have made!
I will provide more details on this when I re-post in about 3 days.
Now, be advised that when you arrive at Auckland Airport, before you go into immigration and customs, you can get duty free goods. What I could not understand was how come these items were so expensive! Wines started at NZ$22 a bottle when I know there are wines for NZ$10 in the supermarkets. So, to be charitable, I must assume they are only selling the more expensive wines. Honey was also pricey. And chocolates. Perhaps someone would care to do a comparison of Wine with Wine and see if there is really an advantage in shopping duty free.
There is a sales tax in NZ, called GST. The tourist only gets out of that by shipping the item abroad, or arranging for pick-up at the airport on departure. There used to be a means of providing your receipts at the airport and getting the tax back, but that was years ago.
Sorry to end off at this point, but there will be more later. If you wish to make suggestions on content then send an e-mail to stephanhokke@hotmail.com but do not expect a reply!
posted by Stephan Hokke at 7:40 PM
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