Discovering Kiwi Culture

Learn all there is to being a "real" Kiwi With Lou Baddiley, Di Reid, Krissy Griggs & Linda McIntosh from Rotorua | Wellington | Christchurch | Queenstown

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Hey there everyone, I'm Don, Professor Goethe and welcome to the GoethePro Travel Talepodcast.
Travel far and travel often.
Discovering Kiwi Culture.
You've got something down there about the bird of the century.

(00:25):
just might leave.
I just wanted to remember how to say, butaki -taki in case it came up.
Butaki -taki.
I did a bit research today.
know what?
It's not a kiwi bird.
It's not an indigenous.
You can get it in Australia, in Asia, in Are you going to paint that too?
No, no, no.
Well, was actually, I might have worked that angle in.

(00:48):
Hi there everyone, I'm Don, Professor Goethe and welcome to the GoethePro Travel Talespodcast.
Here from expert guests, including conservationists, explorers, tourism professionals andeveryday globe trotters to discover fascinating stories in the world of travel and be
inspired to travel far and to travel often.
Listen and subscribe to the GoethePro Travel Tales on your podcast app of choice and checkout episodes on the GoethePro YouTube channel for video podcasts plus other exciting

(01:15):
content on the world of travel.
Inspire, motivate, educate.
Now today, we have with us here in our office in Toronto.
They've just all flown in from Vancouver.
Where were you before Vancouver?
LA, Los Angeles.
So you've done New Zealand.

(01:35):
LA, Vancouver, Toronto.
And I heard you mentioned Boston and a possible baseball game or something.
Yeah, Boston Red Sox.
Boston after here, New York is another one?
Chicago next and then Boston after Chicago.
And then we are pretty much home after that.
So the we that Dai is referring to is, I'm going have to read this so I make sure I get itall correct as in titles.

(02:00):
We have from Rotorua, New Baddly, to my left.
for those watching.
From Wellington D.
Reid, who's opposite me.
Kia ora.
We have from Christchurch Chrissie Griggs.
Kia ora.
Opposite also.
And to my far left, we have Linda McIntosh representing Queenstown.

(02:20):
So actually, when I say from Rotorua, Wellington Christchurch, Queenstown, are youactually from there or that's where you're representing?
We all live in the place.
You all live in the places you're representing?
Yeah, the place, yeah.
okay.
So there you go.
So we have the ladies doing a whirlwind tour through North America.
Last year, Lou was here with us with three other representatives from other parts of NewZealand at the time.

(02:45):
And I looked up today before the girls arrived and tried to work out what the collectivenoun was for a group of Kiwis, the birds, not the people.
And it's a tribe, or the fruit, yes.
And it's a tribe.
So we have a tribe of Kiwis with us here today.
And a Kiwi, for those who may or may not know, is affectionate slang, I guess, for someonefrom New Zealand.

(03:08):
So if you meet a Kiwi or New Zealand, you can call them Kiwis, they're fine with that.
And they're all here today to talk to us about their respective areas.
And more importantly, to discover the Kiwi culture.
Now, a lot of people might immediately associate Kiwi culture, rightly so, with the Maoriculture and the Hakka, some of the more famous things, the indigenous population.
But we're not here really today focused on that.

(03:28):
It's more just the general.
lifestyle or the Kiwi culture.
So before we get going, so I'll go left to right, you know, Luke, just a shortintroduction of each of you.
So, Luke, first from Rotorua or from and representing Rotorua.
Kia ora.
So yes, I live in the place.
In fact, it's quite funny as we all talk, a lot of us have lived in each other's places,but we've gone back to where we now call home.

(03:51):
Okay.
Yeah.
So yeah, I'm the international manager.
I look after trade for Western markets.
Okay.
And like the others around the table, the destination expert for.
Okay, Linda.
Beautiful, you're kia ora.
Lovely to be here, thanks Don.
I'm born and bred in Auckland in the North Island, I migrated south to Queenstown.
I went for one season, short time, not a long time, and 24 years later I still find myselfin that beautiful part of the world that I love to call home to girls and just fabulous

(04:21):
lifestyle and I'm really blessed to be able to promote our home.
in Queenstown and share that as a really mature tourism economy.
yeah, look after Western markets too for Queenstown and Lake Wanaka tourism.
That's quite new for me.
Can you clarify what Western markets means?
Anything North America, UK, Europe.

(04:41):
Okay, North America, UK and Europe.
Australia as well.
The West Island.
Kia ora, kō Chrissi Toku ingoa, kō Otatahi aho.
My name is Chrissi and I'm from...
Christchurch, I was born and bred in Christchurch but I did go overseas for quite a fewyears, decided to come back to New Zealand and it's such a beautiful place that I came
home.
I'm the visitor markets manager for Ototahi Christchurch, so I look after all markets.

(05:05):
There you go.
Kia ora team, my name's Di Reed, I am the tourism trade manager with Wellington NZ.
I was actually born and bred down in central Otago, close to Queenstown.
I've always been a country girl but now I live in the city.
And look, Wellington.
I've only lived there for three years to be fair, so I'm actually still kind of new, youcould say, to there.

(05:27):
yeah, so it's actually great.
I'm getting to know Wellington as well as a local, as a visitor, as all of those things.
So seeing it from fresh eyes all the time.
So it's awesome.
It's awesome to be here.
So those listening and watching as well, probably hear my accent.
So just for clarity's sake here, because the girls were just saying they just caught ontheir flight from Vancouver to Toronto.
They were, I'm going to use the word blessed to say out of their.

(05:49):
right window or left window as a case of a left window probably.
saw the Northern Lights and I just saw a photo of it.
It was a stunning display of it as well.
But the people on board the plane, the cabin crew or something referred to the girls asAustralians, which they're not obviously.
They're from New Zealand.
And you should be able to hear a difference in the accent and that'd be one of thebiggest, more noticeable differences between Australia and New Zealand when you speak to

(06:15):
people is the accent.
It is quite...
different if you listen closely enough.
One thing that is similar but still different, this is a hard thing to about Australia andNew Zealand, there's a lot of similarities but you they're both different countries, is
the lifestyle.
Australia is known for the beaches and the sun and a laid -back lifestyle but that's verymuch the same thing for New Zealand as well.

(06:37):
So today we're going to delve a little bit deeper into as I say the lifestyle of a NewZealander.
So I'm not going to nominate someone, can just...
Give us a general overview of why you think New Zealand is the laid back country that itsreputation is growing to be.

(06:58):
I think first off, we work to live, not the other way around.
So I think the work -life balance.
for the most part, and you're a great example of that, and Linda, on our skis every butsecond, and me on my mountain bike every other second.
So I think first and foremost, we live in a really beautiful country where the outdoors isaccessible year round, and so I think it's just ingrained in us to maximise the use of our

(07:25):
kind of pretty environment, and to minimise the time at work to accommodate that.
I agree, think Kiwis are explorers.
We get told to explore our backyard all the time and we explore the world too.
So as you heard, I came home after exploring and I was lucky enough as a child to be ableto explore our country as well.
And we're known for our outdoors.
You say the beaches for Australia, ours is definitely our mountains and our waters and ourliving is on our back doorstep.

(07:51):
it's very accessible.
What's it, you're never more than an hour and a half from the beach in New Zealand orsomething like that?
There couldn't be with the coastline.
need to fact check better.
But it's not barred on.
Yeah, so that's the only thing like, if you look at the map, New Zealand's obviouslysmaller than Australia.
Australia has a reputation of sun and beach, rightly so, but a lot of people don't takethat for New Zealand, which it does have.

(08:13):
But geographically, you are situated a bit further south.
So if you run a straight line across from Sydney, where would you hit in New Zealand?
I don't think you would hit anything.
You would, yeah.
It's Auckland, just about Auckland.
Just about Auckland?
Yeah.
we've got a little globe here that...
got the globe.
I think if you go Melbourne, if you go over Auckland, I it's probably more of a...

(08:36):
Okay, so there you go.
yeah, heading across Melbourne.
So that also induces New Zealand to having great winter activities, skiing, I would preferto...
Absolutely.
Which would be the heart of the ski world for New Zealand as a very, very popular skidestination for Aussies as well.
So, Linda, you want to expound on Queenstown because...

(08:57):
To lose point of working to live, Queenstown, guess, is the epitome of that both summerand winter opportunity.
you want to give us some feedback Yeah, inherently in our DNA is just that nature of workhard, play hard.
Our alpine backdrop being in the heart of the Southern Alps really is just that magnetismthat draws you outdoors.

(09:21):
I think no matter what kind of training I do, even for me, I'll still walk into a newhotel and I'll look out the window to see where I am and all of the grandeur that
surrounds.
But yeah, like I say, I moved to Queenstown to do one season, met my husband up there atCoronet Peak Ski Field, and I never looked back.
And now with two kids there, we go up skiing both days of every weekend from the start ofthe season to the end of it.

(09:45):
and it just feels so wholesome, you know, and you're there with people alongside.
It's a real community sport.
So I love that, being in the lift line waiting to go up line and, you know, waving out topeople or having a chat while you're waiting for a chair.
And that's just winter for us.
That's just stock standard way of life.
But this time of year at the moment with spring, you know, we're starting to come intolonger daylight hours.

(10:09):
So I love actually going up and you can still be skiing in the morning, but by theafternoon, you know, your legs are tired, you come downhill.
And, but you still kind of feel like you just want to be outdoors.
So that might just still be taking the dog for a walk or getting out on your bike and inthe garden or, know, I mean, summer, you know, we're out on the lake as many chances as we
can get both Queenstown Wanaka side, just because it's so accessible.

(10:31):
It's so there on your doorstep.
It's the high value commodity of why we've chosen to live in the place.
And we love sharing that with anyone who then comes to visit.
So down south in Queensland obviously in winter time and again it's reversed for NorthAmericans, it's coming into down under being New Zealand and Australia's summer now.

(10:53):
So excluding the winter activities which would be pretty much exclusive to the Queenstownarea, for your other regions the activity opportunities would be as equal excluding the
skiing or
I'm really excited about this because I feel it's a proposition not just for theCanterbury Christchurch region but for New Zealand as a whole as well but we're really

(11:17):
diving into this as our stargazing opportunities that we've got in our region.
We have got some of the clearest skies in the world and it's like literally thesanctuaries we've now got through dark sky we've got sanctuaries and reserves throughout
New Zealand.
In the South Island I know for example
Mackenzie region is a sanctuary and now Kaikōura have just been named a dark sky sanctuaryas well.

(11:39):
So you throw a blanket, a dark blanket on the sky and you shove some glitter up there andit's literally the world opens up.
It's pretty spectacular what you can see in that area just by being, you know, notsupposed to say this, but in Hagley Park, apparently it's a great dark sky opportunity.
But Akaroa, there's opportunities just outside, you know, you don't have to go far to havethe world open up to you there.
Yeah, that's South Island you're referring to or is that pretty much all of New Zealand?

(12:01):
I think you can do it in the whole of New Zealand.
pass it over to these guys for that, but I know as a pro from the Southland it'sdefinitely the proposition for us for the South.
And the outdoor activities in the Northland, course Rotorua is one of the probably betterknown destinations within New Zealand.
but the North Island in general for activities.
Because again, last time you were here Lou, with the, I can't remember the ladies namesyou were here with, but you were discussing that with, from Rotorua and the surrounds

(12:27):
within that area.
Yeah, you just do a quick recap of that?
Yeah, sure.
particularly, Rotorua in particular, we're a lake district.
It's a real shame somewhere else called it the lake district.
But anywho, we've got 18 lakes on our doorstep.
They're all freshwater lakes.
You are never far from the beach in our part of the world.
So we're one hour literally from some of the best beaches in New Zealand.

(12:50):
Back to Rotorua, we have incredible forests.
I just learned, Don, I didn't know this last year, the second largest recreational forestin the world.
Who that?
In Rotorua.
Yeah, kia ora, you're welcome.
So anyway, anything you can think of to do in the forest, hop on.
And this is absolutely for anyone's listening to this, this is for their clients.
can go, you call it hiking, we call it just going for a walk, right?

(13:11):
We're quite casual about that.
Go for a walk, get your trainers on.
You can go a little bit more off piste and do some serious hiking.
Riding a bike, we've got 300 kilometres of mountain bike trails in Rotorua, what's that,186 miles or something like that.
Yeah, horse riding, zip lining, swimming, and of course you've got all the geothermalactivity, so it's not unheard of for our visitors to head out on one of the lakes and

(13:35):
actually go swimming in beautiful warm geothermal water in the lake.
And I'm from there and I even think that sounds slightly crazy.
Yeah.
And I, Wellington?
Yeah, look, Wellington, I mean, we're sort of that urban, funky, cosmopolitan city.
know, we are very much that, you know, that little creative cultural capital for us.
Outdoor activities, we do have the Remataka Cycle Trail on our back doorstep.

(13:59):
So cycle tourism is really massive in New Zealand.
It's growing all over the country and it can be basically as gentle or as advanced as you
So if someone wants to cycle anywhere in New Zealand, obviously we're talking Wellingtonhere, they're obviously not going to drag their bikes from here over, but like there are
good bikes to Bike hire places all over the place, really, really easily accessibletransfers and everything from wherever you're staying.

(14:23):
So, and you know, we've got beautiful viaducts, tunnels, streams, rivers that you can goover through bushland.
So it's just, it's beautiful.
So that's sort of the beauty of Wellington.
It's really close.
You can get out of that city within 10 minutes you're out in the bushland.
thing.
Coastal walks, we're obviously a coastal city and so there's a heap of walking trails andgetting up the Kapiti Coast along the beaches or you flip over the hill over the Remataka

(14:46):
Ranges and you're in wine country.
So probably a lot more relaxed down the Wellington way for adventure stuff.
Food and wine is probably So we're obviously here talking to our North American travelpartners about pushing selling people to go to New Zealand but
Do the local Kiwis partake in everything we've discussed as well?

(15:10):
is it like, because there are certain parts of the world, like I use my back, my area ofexpertise down in Machu Picchu, locals visit, predominantly it's foreigners coming in to
visit the big sites, Machu Picchu, like Titicaca, et cetera.
But to me, New Zealand sounds like everything we're discussing today is as much open tothe international traveler as it's open to the locals visiting.

(15:32):
Is that a fair statement?
Yeah, I think COVID probably opened us up to being more aware of how much domestic travelwe actually do do.
And I have to double check this, but something like 75 % of domestic travel domestically.
And it's just incredible to see that we're great investors for our backyard.
And I think that does give credit to the experiences and what we can do.
From Christchurch, you can easily travel to Queenstown or up to Hamner Springs, or you goto Wellington for an afternoon.

(15:57):
Our country's not big.
So to get around, it's so easy to be able to go there for a long weekend or a week in theschool holidays.
So yes, one of the most well -known destinations in the country.
We're actually 60 % domestic and 40 % international.
Yeah.
OK, that sort of leads to my next question because I'm not sure, I'm sure you've had heardthe news, but I'll just bring it up anyway.
The news has been hitting the North American cycles recently in tourism is a lot of placesin Europe are sort of pushing back against tourism because it's over -touristed.

(16:29):
As you said, Chrissie, it's not a big country in New Zealand.
But one thing I've always found and seen by talking to people like yourselves and Lou andjust being involved in the tourism industry, small country, lots of people go there, but
at the same time, it seems to be spacious as I back my question of domestic tourism andinternational tourism, you can go to not every place, but a lot of places, particularly

(16:50):
down south and feel like you're the only one down there.
Is that a fair statement for New Zealand?
For the most part.
I'll jump in again for first if that's right girls.
I think there's up to five and a half million people in New Zealand and something like 25million cattle or sheep.
So you're gonna see more animals than you'll see people.
think Linda you mentioned that day you can walk down your tracks without anybody there allday.

(17:12):
We can go to our beach in the morning and walk our dog and be a couple of dogs on thebeach and that's literally it.
We're very lucky and we don't want to push anybody away.
We're welcoming with open arms.
Yeah, so I think that's a key thing, particularly this day and age where the big famoussites, big and famous for a reason, but from experience I was in Thailand earlier this

(17:34):
year, I think.
And I was a bit disappointed to be honest, simply because the areas we went to werecompletely southern Thailand.
And I don't want to put anyone off going to Thailand as well, I don't want shoot myself inthe foot here.
But I think that's one of the big attractions of New Zealand is you can go there and
go to famous sites and feel as if you're the only one there or one of very few at aminimum.

(18:00):
And our cities aren't big, know, us coming over here, for example, we're blown away byjust the size by the queues outside cafes and restaurants and things.
don't get that at We have never, I've never seen a for a cafe.
Really?
Like round the corner queue.
Apart from fairgrounds.
Apart from town.
But in general.

(18:21):
I talk about Wellington as a city and it's only two kilometres from one end of ourdowntown to the other.
So it's not big at all.
It takes you 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other.
So it's just not the scale.
And that's why we don't have those mass numbers.
Even in peak tourism season, there's certainly areas of New Zealand that are small andprobably don't handle those numbers as well as others.

(18:44):
But overall, I don't think you'd ever feel overwhelmed and part of a huge crowd in NewZealand.
We have a saying in New Zealand about manaakitanga and that talks to us about welcomingand while you're there you arrive as strangers and leave as friends and we really do like
to welcome and enjoy and get to know you.
So Lou mentioned the other day take your guard down and really enjoy being part of ourwhanau or our family because it is part of being in New Zealand that you're going to get

(19:08):
to know the locals.
You're going to be at the grocery store right?
and they're gonna wanna chat about what your holiday is, probably introduce you to theiruncle down south.
so yeah, that's probably a key piece of advice for travel agents sending your visitorsdown there, is let you guard down a little bit.
Still keep your bags zipped up.
But absolutely get ready to chat because the Kiwis are...

(19:31):
think we're fascinated by people that travel, and it's not that far, let's be honest, buttravel and come and see our part of the world.
We wanna hear about them.
Like I know when I was growing up in Australia, this is pre -80s before Australia hit themap with know, INXS and Cockerland and all that stuff.
all sort of rolled.

(19:52):
all the America's Cup.
It just, it was a perfect storm of Australia hitting the headlines and the tourism boarddoing an exceptional job of letting the world know we were there.
Prior to that you felt.
Like if you heard Australia mention in a movie, you're, ooh, they know about us, they knowabout us.
To me, from afar, seems like Australia's still up there, but it's had its sort of momentin the sun, and then New Zealand quietly snuck in behind it and took over that southern

(20:17):
hemisphere mantle.
Do you, traveling as much as you do, representing as you do, right, you'll have adifferent view on it compared to the average Kiwi walking the streets in Wellington or
Christchurch.
Does the average person,
sort of feel like they're, you when they see an international tourist, like, it a noveltystill, or is it because you have such a good reputation now that it's par for the course,

(20:45):
so to speak?
I'm going to go somewhere in the middle.
It's par for the course, but it's kind of like, hey, so where did you come from?
And where are you going after this?
And what made you come here?
You're going to get a million questions.
Now, again,
Is that because...
be a little bit of a novelty actually.
Yeah, like I was saying, like is that because, well it could be both, is that because it'sa bit of a novelty still because the Kiwi psyche is we are a small country, Australia

(21:10):
gets, or did get all the sort of publicity.
You do.
Now we still look, like we're sort of, you again, you know what I said before, pre -80sfor us, you heard about us, and or is it, and I think it's probably gonna be yes to both
of these.
It's just the Kiwi nature is welcoming and curious.
Yeah, I think so.
And I think we talk about obviously how small New Zealand is, but like I think about whereI grew up, know, little rural farm town.

(21:37):
If, you know, North Americans or someone with a really strong, I don't know, for example,French accent or something turned up down in little small towns of New Zealand, they
probably would be going, you're not from around here.
Where are you from?
Kind of thing.
It would be an absolute novelty.
If you're off that tourist track,
But otherwise, I think people are just curious.
We're just curious, welcoming little humans down in New Zealand.

(22:00):
It's not just Italy, because we are so widely travelled.
might have been where they come from.
the four of us?
No, think Kiwi and Gila are well -travelled people.
Okay, so on that note, from a cultural point of view, again, I don't think it's changed inAustralia, but when I was growing up, not everyone, but most people would finish high
school or university, and there was a sort of...

(22:22):
write a passage to go to Europe for a year, six months work, six months travel, and ortravel longer because Australians had reputations, and I should say Australians and Kiwis
had reputations of when you did travel, because we were so far away from everything, whenyou went, you'd do as much as you couldn't, one big hit, and you'd come back and hit your
career, whatever it may be.

(22:43):
Are Kiwis on the flip side, out of the country, still that driven to get out of NewZealand to see the world?
There's a million of us in London alone.
That's why there's only five million back home.
I was going to say, I want to go back there.
So there's about five point something in New Zealand.
Now I don't know what, I think...

(23:03):
Toronto's around about three million people.
No, we Googled it at 6 .5 wider metropolitan.
Was that what I Googled?
and again, as you know, being here to spread.
So there are more people in Toronto than there are in New Zealand.
But you're saying there's a million in London.
There's probably two million Aussies as well.
All in same place.
Yeah, all in all's court.

(23:23):
To answer your question, it is absolutely a rite of passage.
And we have a phrase for it.
It's called the OE.
And I think you call that too.
And that stands for Overseas Experience.
And fundamentally, we are such a young country, one of the youngest countries in theworld.
And all of us, I mean, you might meet someone that's a fourth generation New Zealander,that's kind of unusual.
And so because we all kind of know that we come from another place, so both of my parentsare English, but I'm 100 % a Kiwi as far as I'm concerned.

(23:51):
But I know that I come from the UK.
So that's not uncommon.
Linda has a strong link to Croatia.
I was going to ask.
Chrissy, UK as well.
I'm actually Scotland and Australia.
I can have back Aboriginal heritage to be fair.
Yeah, on my mother's side.
That's typical.
And so we kind of have to go and find out where we came from to understand where we arenow.

(24:13):
So what is the bulk of the cultural heritage?
obviously there's the Māori, which is the First Nations, or terminology for NorthAmerica's First Nations.
people, indigenous population, but for the Caucasian, the European, is it predominantlyEurope?
Europe would be major.
British would be number one.
British number one would be the heritage.

(24:36):
you have many South Africans in New Zealand?
Yeah, quite a There's a fair few.
Yeah, a lot of South Africans in New Zealand, but actually quite large growing populationsof India and China, particularly around the Auckland region.
We have a strong Indian community in Rotorua.
Did you guys go through an influx though?
That's probably not the right word.

(24:56):
It often has drogatory inferences.
But an increase of migration from Asia at any time.
Australia went through a peak of Vietnamese and stuff in the 70s, 80s.
Has it pretty much been, just as you mentioned Lou, the Indians and Chinese of late?
Yeah, probably since around the 2000s.

(25:18):
In particular, yeah.
We have a lot of international students in New Zealand.
Auckland, Wellington, especially a lot of Chinese students.
Is that because it's education for them?
Cheaper education and was deemed a lot safer as well.
think that they were coming here for their lifestyle.
Safer than where though?

(25:39):
anywhere for that matter?
Korea that we get in Christchurch.
yeah.
I think again probably just that New Zealand lifestyle you know that's sort of morerelaxed that it's a lot cheaper, used to be a lot cheaper to live.
Nothing's cheaper anymore yeah.
But yeah you know we've got some pretty world -class universities in New Zealand that arevery well known for a lot of their degrees so yeah the international students are huge in

(26:07):
our main centres.
stand by TMU.
and we rent that out to students and a lot of students come to Canada because it's deemedas one of the safer choices.
And you mentioned some of the Chinese and Indian or otherwise international students whothere may be.

(26:31):
come to New Zealand for that as well.
So overall, it without saying, I guess it's a safe country in New Zealand, like safer thanthe norm.
That's the thing you've got to have your wits about you no matter where you are.
But traveling, we travel quite a lot.
And I do think in certain places, I mean, I used to live in the country and you couldleave, you know, door unlocked and your car keys in your car and walk back and it'd still

(26:54):
be fine.
In the cities you wouldn't do that.
it's just the similarities.
But in New Zealand I do feel safe.
do feel safe.
But also you know how to adapt to your own country or the country that you're travellingto, right?
So I think, as Lou said, zip your bag, but still go out and have a good yarn to us becauseyeah, it's all there.
Because one of the most popular options for people, at least with Go Away, travelling toNew Zealand is self -drive.

(27:20):
And again, when I say self -drive, talking camper vans or RVs.
So you're driving around the areas we're discussing here.
Any type of travel when you do that, and that's what I used to do as a living, you have tofeel comfortable in the country to be sort of just stopping wherever, maybe even camping
off the side of the road.
You have to feel comfortable that the surroundings are safe.
So that being one of the most popular options for New Zealand by extension leads to thefact that it is a very safe and more important, guess, welcoming, well, equally, equally

(27:49):
important, welcoming country.
obviously.
English, albeit with a different funny accent, is the main language down there.
So getting around is very, very easy.
And it's a question I ask about anyone representing their respective country.
If someone has an issue on a self -drive, say, in middle of nowhere or a country town,knocking on someone's door, you're going to find a welcoming, generally response.

(28:11):
Yes, I would say so.
general, if you're broken down, people do tend to stop.
I've broken down back in my youth a couple of times and been quite happy that someone'sactually stopped to help me fix a tyre or
check, you know, or give me a, know, whatever you need.
We do try and assist where we can.
Yeah, but just, yeah, keep safe and I think New Zealand is a safe place to be.

(28:33):
Okay.
Now, hearing Kristy speak, to me, you have a heavier accent, Hyundai and Lou.
Interesting.
And Linda, like your accent seems to me, least, a bit heavier.
Would that be because of where you're from or is it just, it is just what it is?
That's what it is I think.

(28:54):
I lived overseas for many years and actually funny you say that because I always said Ihad a very strong accent when I was overseas in London.
But coming home I feel like in Christchurch I sound pretty similar to everyone else.
Maybe I stand out here.
Again, maybe again you've heard Christy talk all the time so probably it's just her voiceversus her accent.
But just as I'm speaking to you, I can hear all your accents without a doubt but yoursjust seems a bit heavier than your.

(29:19):
There's definitely different accents even throughout the country I Further south you go,you sort of roll your eyes.
I do that a little bit, even though I've been out for a while I still do that.
in the world of New Zealand, is going south, in general, is going more rural?
Yes.

(29:40):
So your yes is very heavy.
I did that.
Yeah, that.
Yeah, I know.
Now you bring it up.
So again, the reason I bring that up is because there are two different accents,Australian and again, there are different accents within Australia.
There's a city accent.
There's definitely a rural accent as there is in New Zealand, course.
But when we were setting today's podcast up, was emailing Lou and she responded in heremail, thank you, uncle.

(30:06):
okay, uncle.
And I assumed it was some slang, because we're not related.
And I did confirm with Lou when she got here that it is an affectionate term used in NewZealand.
So just on that note, Australia's no one in famous for its slang and know, shrimp on thebarbie.
But let's hear some or what some of the more common bits of slang that a traveler may hearor should be aware of to understand.

(30:31):
So one is uncle, which is what, Lou?
Just a term of endearment, so it's not our first date, right?
Right.
And it's a term of respect and a term of endearment, like you're quite a good, we'd sayquite a good egg in New Zealand.
That's what I was expressing, yeah.
So good egg, so you'll automatically be uncle, but it's quite common for us to call eachother bro, even though we're all girls.

(30:52):
Yeah, that's quite a, I've noticed that's a very often used expression in New Zealand,bro.
More so in the north than the south, reckon too.
We probably don't use it the south as much as the north, so that would probably be whereit is.
And I think going back to the uncle, when we were children, every parent, every friend ofour mothers and fathers were aunties and And you always listen to the aunties.
That's an unwritten rule.

(31:13):
Yes, and that's interesting because that's something that you pick up in the Cook Islandsas well, Tahiti, Fiji.
the aunties.
that's a Polynesian extension.
So any other...
Okay, so...
What do you call, again, some of this will be similar to Australia if not the same, butflip -flops?

(31:34):
Janels.
Janels.
Jan, okay, now that is different to Australia.
Because, okay, for listeners, flip -flops, everyone knows what they are, in Australia.
they were called flongs.
Which again, which I think has a different connotation to you as it does for NorthAmericans.
there you go.
But the Kiwis are calling them jandals.

(31:56):
Jandals, yeah.
And we say ye nah.
So ye nah.
So it's generally means no, but we're going yeah, we understand but nah, that's not right.
But it's ye nah.
So everyone gets thrown by that because it's kind of the lingo that we use in that sort ofspace.
Other what?
Look, it's not slang, but we throw a lot of, particularly me coming from Rotorua, so we're40 % Maori population, we're a bilingual city.

(32:20):
I'm throwing a bit of Te Reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand aroundeverywhere.
And you've heard me say that I've got English parents.
And remember when you came up to visit Rotorua and you were like, this is just phenomenalhow much Māori is used up here.
And so that's another dimension.
So if you don't speak, again, be it a local or a visit, again, if you're a visitor, it'svery unlikely you speak any Māori.

(32:42):
But if you're a local and a Māori's being used, is it something that it's being usedbecause most people would know it or it's just, right, okay.
Yes, it's taught in schools and it's part of our culture going forward.
It's part of our program.
And in tourism, we are very much part of our culture to ensure that we're Well, isn't itlike, isn't New Zealand, I don't...

(33:07):
I'll get Lou pronounce it so I get it.
Aotearoa New Zealand.
Now that's the official name of New Zealand now isn't it?
and the again?
So Aotearoa which means land of the long white cloud.
that's what it means.
Yeah.
Okay.
Which is obviously people have, you I always knew again the country is always referred toas the land of the long white cloud.
So that's what that means.

(33:28):
Yes.
Okay.
And that's the official name now.
Yes.
I don't know if it's official but we typically would say Aotearoa New Zealand.
And most people refer to it that way.
Yeah.
It's the preferred naming of.
like Ōtotahi Christchurch is what Chrissie would say in one sentence.
So she'd say the Māori name first.
Our passports, here you go, here's a fun fact.
And our passports, everything is in Māori first and then in English second.

(33:51):
Really?
Okay.
So again, we won't get into the Māori because that's a, well, I'd love to, but that's adifferent topic altogether.
But I think it's key to know that it's not a separate avenue.
It is New Zealand.
It is, be it Māori, be it white, be it European.
It's all one and the same.
So are there any other, like in Australia, we call bears, schooners and middies?

(34:15):
Are they the same expression?
No.
Again, that might be, like, I'm old, haven't been home for a while.
I've got a good one, which is really topical for Rotorua, because we're the spa andwellness capital of New Zealand.
you like how I slid that in?
And Gawai's getting into wellness.
So there you go.
So in New Zealand, girls, what do we call the swimsuit or the bathers?
Togs.
Togs.
Undies, undies, togs, togs.

(34:36):
Yeah, so if you're wearing speedos on, there is a certain point where speedos at the beachare okay.
So while you're on the beach, you've got your speedos on, they're togs, togs, togs.
But when you walk a certain point towards town, they go from togs, togs to undies.
So, but yeah, if you go to New Zealand, like...
Just everyone listening, undies is underwear.

(34:56):
sorry.
It might be, Hosting so many international visitors, I give myself the right pickle.
because I'll be talking and I'll be like, they're Americans.
Shit, what are they called?
Excuse my language.
What do we call them?
Are they bathers?
it a swimming costume?
And I'm like, right, everyone, they're togs.
See, is, people don't really, at least in North America, don't wear speedos.
That's a rarity here.
That's great.

(35:17):
Like, again, growing up, that's what we, I spent so much time on the beach, but that sortof faded out.
think now speedos are more for Olympians.
Olympians, life's service, that type of thing.
It's nearly what we would term board shorts, I guess, would be the same.
board shorts.
We used to, was, togs was an expression, it's swimmers.
I use that, my wife laughs, swimmers.

(35:38):
That's a bathing suit.
Swimmers.
Togs I haven't heard for a while.
But Don, I would just like to add in there that often in Australia you will call speedosbudgie smugglers.
Budgie smugglers, yes.
I'll put up a photo for those watching to understand what that means.
You probably want look at it very quickly.
Another aspect of travel is food.

(36:01):
I know from past conversations with many of the Kiwis who've come through the Gobi Office,the food is exceptional in New Zealand.
Again, there's a heavy colonial influence, but what would be some typical food or types ofmeals that people may not be aware of?
Pies.
Pies.
We've got to have a New Zealand pie.

(36:22):
So we get the good old puff pastry and it's really buttery made with great New Zealandmilk, Sorry, butter, obviously.
And then we put fillings in it, which seem really strange in North America.
So we do things like steak and cheese.
We might do bacon and egg.
We might do a fish pie.
We might do venison pie, chicken brie and cranberry.

(36:44):
So anything, any combination you can think of.
We like to put it in a pastry and have a pie.
Now, I know that in Australia pies are a thing, but they're way better in New Zealand.
I can't argue with A little bit more gourmet.
A little bit more pushing the boundary than just being, you just the mince pie.
Yeah, Australia's obviously just the meat pie, which is a good sort of sports.

(37:08):
You're at a sports game, you have that.
I've not had a decent pie since I've been in North America, I tell you, I really miss thataspect of
Anything else?
Yeah, I think our coffee is extremely a part of our life, I'm going say that, because wedo, we're quite a coffee snob in New Zealand that you do want a good coffee and you can
generally find a good coffee wherever you are.

(37:29):
yes, yes, we have got a lot of, especially in Christchurch, we do support locals as muchas we can and you'll see in the regions, they'll change into who's in what region to
support the local, you know, coffee roaster.
This is going sound like really noob question, you have Starbucks that...
Wow, Christchurch.
don't think in the South Island.
We've got a Starbucks.

(37:51):
So if you're referring to coffee, you're talking more traditional cafe coffee shops versusthe chains.
Yeah, absolutely.
So family owned coffee shops that are popped up and their baristas are generally trainedexceptionally well.
And I'll segue into that because I know it's not quite food, but our wine is part of...
what New Zealand is well known for as well.

(38:13):
Our wine regions in different areas have got varieties that are just exceptional for thegrapes that are grown in that area as well.
So I think they're probably two touch points on the overall food part, but does anyonehave anything else for food?
Yeah, well, I was going to jump in for Wellington for the coffee culture.
We're really known in the capital that, you you literally can't turn around, can't go morethan 50 metres and you'll see it.

(38:37):
coffee shop or a cafe.
And a lot of our foodie tours will actually take you into those coffee shops and you canroast your own coffee beans and they'll teach you the secrets of a good coffee sort of
thing.
But also chocolate, New Zealand's pretty famous for Whittaker's chocolate.
So again, this is all locally produced?
All locally produced, yeah.
Whittaker's factory is in Wellington.
We've got the Wellington Chocolate Factory as well.

(38:57):
you're never going to be short of anything sort of sweet and delicious in Wellington.
fun fact, New Zealand is the
New Zealand and I think nearly Australia, we do not have cabries as our market leader.
fact, cabries is a bit of a dirty word in New Zealand.
so we're a Whittaker's nation first and foremost.

(39:18):
sometimes you to the supermarket and you know that there's been a tourist bus that'spulled up.
It's all wrong.
Okay, I not heard of, I sort of knew that coffee had made a big, because apparently inAustralia too, coffee is a big thing now, again.
compared to when I was growing up.
But I didn't know chocolate was a thing of New Zealand.

(39:40):
Wine, yes, for sure.
I guess one of more traditional would be a hangi.
Yeah, so hangi is a traditional way of cooking.
It's a little bit, I think they call it a luau in Hawaii, where you the food undergroundor in umu and other parts of the world.
So yeah, that's a big part of Rotorua actually.

(40:00):
So where 40 % Maori, a lot of people will come and one of their things on their NewZealand bucket list.
is eating hangi, so that's delicious.
And actually, lot of the hangi in Rotorua isn't actually cooked in the ground, it's cookedon top of the ground, because we're utilizing the geothermal steam to steam it.
It's a lot quicker.

(40:21):
Yeah, I found it fascinating, because I grew up hearing about hungis in New Zealand.
And then when I was traveling, particularly in Latin America, that style of cooking,burying in the hot stones is...
was used by the Incas as well.
I just find it amazing that that sort of technology or method crossed oceans.
We have something that is our New Zealand New Year called Matariki, which is the weekendthat we celebrate the very new year.

(40:48):
And that's when you'll see a lot more of our cultural food, I think, has come across itand the hungies are definitely put down and the bonfires on the beaches, et cetera.
So it's quite a cool time as well.
nice.
So we've spoken about
the culture of New Zealand welcoming, safe, course, and not all of them, but many thingsyou can do.
Are there any cultural etiquettes that people should be aware of or should partake in?

(41:13):
And the reason I bring that up is I saw, I think it was the end of a recent rugby test,the All Blacks, maybe against South Africa.
But I saw the plays at the, I'm pretty sure it was a rugby thing, at the end of the game,doing the, like touching each other's head and the nose rub and that.
I've expressed that very badly.
It's called the hongi, with the pressing of noses, and it's very typical in Māori culture.

(41:38):
It's a way to greet instead of shaking hands.
And what they're doing when they press the noses together is they are exchanging thebreath of life.
So once you do that, you are connected.
And what was that called again?
The hongi.
So H -O -N -G -I.
Hongi.
And hongi is H -A -N -G -I.
That's correct.
So it's just one...
Do not get those mixed up.
No, don't get them mixed up.

(41:59):
not at all.
And I knew it happened, but I just saw it, I think, in public, so to speak, and I'm prettysure it was a sporting event.
I thought, OK, that's becoming, well, to me as an outsider, it's becoming more accepted oraway.
It's still very much a cultural thing.
You wouldn't walk down the street and probably honk at someone.
randomly.

(42:19):
That's how you express it, wouldn't honky something?
Probably not, I'd probably say that wrong.
Like a reverence and high regard of just that transaction, well not sorry, thetransaction, but just the personal nature of connection.
Right, so that would be something that, so back to cultural etiquette, a tourist wouldn'tbe expected to do it or to do it.
No.
It's much more of a like a close personal...

(42:42):
connection or an event or...
in the Māori community.
We have a walking culture food tour in Christchurch where Rewai asks if anyone would liketo Hongi so they can experience it.
You don't have to, you can opt out but it gives you that if you do want to experience aHongi then that's the opportunity to be able to understand why and what that looks like as
well.
So you'd never get directly given one, you'd always be asked.

(43:04):
okay fine.
Don't ever sit on a table in New Zealand because tables are for eating and in Māoriculture in particular.
I just would never sit on a table.
shoes on the table.
Don't wear a hat on at dinner.
I'm not sure if that's so across the world.
Yeah, that's, well, again, I grew up that.
was sort of, to me, by grandmother's very Victorian.

(43:25):
No elbows, no hats.
Smack.
Back in the day when that happened.
Now you ladies introduce yourselves with kia ora.
Now that's a common expression and it means.
It actually means good health.
So when someone says kia ora, it also means hello, it means goodbye.
So it's a really handy couple of words tonight.

(43:47):
So again, a traveller saying kia ora would be cool.
Any other little tips, I guess, on cultural etiquette?
Be it something that you wouldn't do but it's interesting or that would be a good tip?
Probably smile a lot.
you're in New Zealand, how could you not?
No, no, no, okay.
It doesn't have to be a long list of things, Okay, so just simple things.

(44:09):
know, shaking hands, kia ora.
I think when you do it every day, you kind of forget what the interesting parts are.
Apologise.
But I think if you do come across, ask us because we're more than happy to share why orwhat that was.
And especially if you don't understand, let us know because we, as I say, we are theeffort to have conversations.
Yeah, okay.
So if, again, we've covered a lot of ground here.

(44:31):
So if a travel agent
out there is speaking to a client about traveling to New Zealand outside of the culturalstuff, which is something we've discussed.
What tips or pointers should they be presenting to their clients about New Zealand?
Like what's a good way of selling it, I guess?
I hate using that term, that's what we're trying to do here, trying to sell destinations.

(44:51):
So if an agent wants to sell New Zealand quickly, that's what they call it.
in one word.
What's the word?
Elevator pitch.
Yeah, yeah, diversity.
Yep.
Top of the north to the bottom of the south and the contrast of everything in between.
Is that?
It's completely different.
culture?
Everything.
Landscape.
Geography.
Just, Yeah.

(45:13):
I think something I would also throw in there that a lot can be done in a very small area,i .e.
you could do a lot in a short period of time.
get around easily, like getting around New Zealand I know is easy by road, by air, by boatcrossing from north to south, south to north, or even circumnavigating the islands,
plural.
I probably would say as a flip side to that is we talk about balance in New Zealand a lot,like Lou mentioned about the lifestyle and we do have that, that we do enjoy our life and

(45:42):
how we live.
Slow down.
We're not in a rush.
So slow down and enjoy while you're there.
If you're coming through, don't come through fast.
Come through and really get to know what we're about and where we are within New Zealand.
We've got a lot of different things, as Linda said, to offer different for diversitythroughout the whole of New Zealand.
So one tip I'd give is slow down.

(46:03):
Take your time.
And I think going back to you, you talking a lot about self -drive, the self -drivemarket.
Now New Zealand, whilst we're a small country, people may look at driving distances andgo, that's nothing.
It's only three hours from A to B, for example.
We do that easily, that's what we do in the morning to get to work.
Our landscapes are so completely different and we have very, very windy roads.

(46:23):
We don't have big long straight highways like that's overseas.
So you've really got to be cautious of that.
It's windy, it's narrow, it's forever changing our roads.
They're safe.
You know, I'm not saying it's not safe, but it's just very different.
And so a three hour travel on a long straight state highway is very different to whatyou'll experience on New Zealand roads.
And following on from that too, Dai, a good tip for your travel agents is, whatever portthey come into in New Zealand, whether that be Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch, stay

(46:53):
there for the night.
Orientate yourself, don't get in a car and drive because we're on the different side ofthe road.
It takes some time for you to get over your jet lag.
Stay the night, get orientated, then get your rental car keys and then you can take yourYeah, and I think that's good advice for any country in the world, whether you're doing a
self -drive or not, on arrival, just take a day in a bit.
It might seem a lot within an itinerary, but...

(47:13):
particularly the other side of the world, get over the jet lag, get acclimatised, justfeel comfortable before you go off exploring, be it on an organised tour or on a self
-drive.
There's a couple of other things we must mention to get your prepared.
We love layers in New Zealand, bring lots of little moreno layers, lots of layers that youcan take on and off because Crowded House, which is a very well -known New Zealand band,

(47:37):
they sang a song called Four Seasons in One Day.
And no matter where you are in New Zealand, you're likely to experience all of those.
So you need a raincoat on your person, not far away, and then you need to be able to stripdown to a T -shirt.
And that's really any time of the year?
Absolutely.
And sunblock all time of year as well.
Yeah, sun is I think sunblock anywhere in the world, least.

(47:57):
Anything else, Lou, or anyone else, ladies, that you want to bring up for our travelprofessional partners?
know lot of North Americans will turn up with a big water cash.
A lot of places are going cashless.
So we've got a number of tourism experiences in Rotorua that will not experience cash, butof course they're going to be booking them through their travel agent, those experiences,
aren't they?
Through GoWay.

(48:17):
So yeah, I would absolutely be prepared, particularly with a Visa WISE card, for example.
I don't know if we're allowed to give a plug for that, but I use my WISE card in NewZealand.
I it internationally.
So it's run by Visa.
It's called WISE.
I've got a referral code if anyone wants one.
And basically you can just load up your currency onto there through an app on your phone.
and you're going to get pinged a lot less banking transaction fees.

(48:39):
So every time I travel, if I'm paying with my tap and go card, and so a lot less bankfees.
But generally in New Zealand, everywhere will just be tapped to pay.
Yeah, that's pretty much it.
end up with a lot of bank fees.
But my point would be don't bring a huge amount of cash with you, so I don't think you'regoing to need it.
In some cases you can't use it.

(49:00):
Yeah, that's just a fault.
If someone brings cash.
US dollars wouldn't be accepted?
No.
No, you'd have to exchange it, which would be easy to do.
You your exchanges at the airports, but I actually found it really hard in the city toexchange cash.
just as a way to...
don't even do it anymore.
there's lot less Sorry, though.
Sorry, yeah, I was just saying there's a lot less places than there used to be to exchangeforeign currency.

(49:23):
Right, so even if you're up in the morning early, you want to pop into the local coffeeshop, the tap and go is for Absolutely.
You don't need small...
$5, $10 bucks to get you I never have cash now, know, just being in country, everything'son my phone or on my car.
I barely even carry my card sometimes, it's all just through my phone.
So it's perfectly acceptable, Okay, anything else ladies about?

(49:46):
Just keep it simple with the coffee, don't be going in and ordering a skinny, tall, long,matcha latte because you'll get looked at sideways.
Get in there and actually this comes from Australia, you can have that because we've gotcrowded house.
go for a flat white or a latte and you'll want another one straight away.
And actually on that, having traveled to North America, but all of our coffees arestandard double shot.

(50:10):
So if you want a single shot coffee, you'll have to ask for it.
Absolutely, it's ingrained in us.
Go hard or go home.
You're running around high on caffeine, are you?
Totally.
We're used to it.
I think you guys need it now after your flight's in.
Okay, just a few other little points too.
Talked about food we didn't touch on this particular delicacy, pavlova.

(50:32):
Can one of you girls describe pavlova?
It's like a meringue.
very large meringue.
It's light, fluffy.
Yeah, it's egg whites beaten to a, with the hell beaten out of them, with a ton of sugarwhipped in and then baked slow and long.

(50:53):
You do not open the oven, your mother will tell you off.
and then it's got this hard outer casing and inside it's almost a little bit marshmallow-y.
of course, you want to top it with fresh New Zealand cream and kiwi fruit and strawberriesand maybe a little bit grated chocolate on top.
What a good start.
think he's finding something.

(51:13):
Yeah I know.
Because there has been a long argument over who owns Pavlova and look at straight away thegirls are going, it's New Zealand.
There's been a fight between Australia and New Zealand.
I think if the two countries ever went to war it be over Pavlova.
few other things that are not Australian.
Russell Crowe.
Crowded House.

(51:34):
Born in New Zealand.
Keith Urban was born Keith Urban is a Kiwi.
Born in Whangarei.
can't remember his name but if people watch the series here called The Boys it's a comicthing the lead actor there he's a Kiwi.
You said Keith Urban?
Keith Urban is the country music star.
There's another guy called Keith whatever anyway if you watch The Boys he's quite a well-known actor now he's another Kiwi as well.

(52:03):
Australian.
else?
Take away Edie.
Well he's definitely a Kiwi.
Yeah that's pretty, that's a given that one.
He's very Kiwi.
But there's a few other, I can't remember now, I had a list but I didn't bring it with me,of Aussies who claim Kiwis.
Sam Neill, Lofton gets called Australian.
He's a Kiwi as well.

(52:24):
So I guess what I'm pointing out there is the culture of New Zealand is in your face, youmight even know it because Australians claim it.
But the culture runs deep, be it colonial, be it European, be it Maori.
In New Zealand, the opportunities to do things abound.
Again, we've just really touched on all the things you can do in four of the regions.

(52:46):
There are many, many other regions in New Zealand, again, small country with lots to do,easy to get around to see and do it.
The local Kiwis will look after you.
support you, they'll help you out there as we've discovered.
They're as interested in you as you are probably in them and their culture.
So it's a perfect meeting of cultures should you find yourself down in New Zealand.

(53:11):
If you do have any questions about New Zealand, please speak to one of our destinationspecialists here at Go Way.
The way it works here at Go Way, if you don't know, our company's broken down intoregions.
So anyone who's selling New Zealand or Australia,
or the South Pacific for that matter, because a lot of options combined as well.
That's all they sell.
That's all they do.
Many of them are Kiwi and or Australian.

(53:33):
And if not, they've been trained extensively on those areas.
So they know what they're talking about.
And we have the backup and support of the ladies here.
New Zealand Tourism itself have been partners with GoA for many, many years.
And GoA is the largest mover of people from North America to the South Pacific.
That is a fact, not just a boast.
Well, it's a bit of both, both actually, but it's a fact.

(53:54):
So if you do have any questions about getting to New Zealand, can come to GoAve course.
The girls in their respective representations, you can also reach out directly to them.
We have no problems with that as well.
They're more than happy to work with travel partners on information, sending anycollateral, be it photos, videos, et cetera.

(54:17):
And we work in partnership with them on webinars, specifically on Road to Rural.
Christchurch or Wellington.
So if you need anything like that, please reach out to Go Away.
We'll put you in touch with Lou, Linda, Chrissie and or Dai and they'll be more than happyto assist you.
So on that note, I'd to thank everyone for their time.
Thank you for visiting us today on what is a whirlwind trip.

(54:39):
And we've just discovered the girls now need to go and train our staff here.
So they're going to head upstairs to do that.
So again, thank you, Lou, Linda, Chrissie.
And Di, for your time, appreciate it.
Thank you everyone out there for listening in and we will talk to you soon.