Village Squire, 1975-11, Page 22only thank God that it is far enough away
from the rest of the world to have been spared
the blight of too much tourism.
' Paradoxically, too, that's another thing that
makes a tourist plus.
You see it pretty much in its natural state,
not tarted up at the behest of some
international travel agent or equipped to
relieve you of as much money as possible.
The barmen and taxi drivers still frown on
tipping. A tip suggests that you are a cut
above them, but in this land even the prime
minister has hard time being No. 1 among
equals.
You could always ring up Sir Keith
Holyoake to tell him how you would run the
country. His home telephone number was
listed in the book. Perhaps his two successors
follow the same practice. Who do they think
they are anyway?
PHYSICAL EXCELLENCE
There is no animosity in this question. No
New Zealander is poor and few are rich, so
the only way to demonstrate superiority is by
physical excellence, as befits a farming
nation. That's why Dick Taylor holds the
world record the mile; why Peter Snell,
Murray Hallberg and Jack Lovelock were
pther famous track stars; why the All Blacks
strike fear and admiration in lesser rugby
teams, and why Sir Edmund Hillary
conquered Everest.
Aggressiveness seems to be left on the
sports field, too, for the average New
Zealander is as casual as can be. The national
saying is: "She'll be right," a motto for all
occasions, whether refusing alift home,
approving a piece of makeshift handywork or
recovering trom a broken leg.
It's the sort of quality made famous by
James Stewart on the screen.
A Montreal accountant remarked on it
when visited by what he thought was to be a
high-powered New Zealand government,
official recently. "He was so relaxed," he
said.
It's a quality that New Zealand hasn't tried
to publicize, perhaps because the publicists
are not aware of its importance in the tourist
business. North America sells relaxation,
even cultivates it at special resorts. Down
Under, however, it's complementary.
Part is probably due to the country's
isolation from the rest of the world; part may
be due to the happy-go-lucky Polynesian
influence, and part because of the emphasis
on outdoor activity.
Apart from hotels, dairy bars and cinemas
the whole country closes down at 9 p.m. on
Friday for the weekend. Other commercial
activity is illegal. This started as a wartime
manpower saving measure, but the people
liked it so much that Saturday work was never
restored.
The custom is sometimes called the Great
New Zealand Sleep, but only because the man
who dubbed it thus didn't look over the
garden hedges, didn't visit the beaches, golf
courses, sports fields, trout and salmon rivers
or the mountains.
If he had, he would have found plenty of
activity. You don't conquer Everest by
sleeping!
One of the first famous visitors to discover
and participate in the wealth of activity was
Zane Grey, the Western author. He had a
place in the Bay of Islands, north of
Auckland, from which he indulged his
passion for big game fishing. There is still
plenty of it. These waters have not been
overfished at all.
For those who want freshwater fishing
there is little more to it than buying a licence
and casting a hook. Lake Taupo is renowned
NORTH
Auckland
ISLAND
New
NEW mr"d
ZEALAND
TAS.MAN
SEA
Milford
Sound
Nelda
Wellington
Christchurch
Timaru SOUTH
TeAneu ISLAND
Ubtol PACIFIC OCEAN
1_
I
STTEEW�ARTt.
for its trout - but so are many other places.
Hunting is abundant, too, with a choice of
deer, moutain goat or wild pig. These animals
were all released by early settlers into an
environment that had no four -legged
creatures. So there were no natural enemies
to keep the new arrivals down.
They have multiplied to a stage of
destructiveness that makes the government
welcome hunters. It even employs deer
cullers in helicopters.
For those who like more gentle activity, but
For over forty years
Welcome Wagon hostesses
have been making calls
on newcomers - whether they
be within our own nation or
in a foreign country.
If you are a newcomer,
know of one, or are a businessman
desiring representation
in the newcomer's home, call
your local representative listed below
for WELCOME WAGON LIMITED.
604
LTD
Call your Welcome
Wagon Hostess now.
Wingham 357-3275
Exeter 235-2870
Mitchell 348-8925
Clinton 482-7567
Godcrich 524-6675
Scaforth 527-0923
Struwon-6 ' I.5856
ZU, VILLAGE SQUIRE/NOVEMBER 1975