Holidays from Home: Explore the magic of New Zealand

There’s more to New Zealand than mountains and Middle Earth. In the third instalment of our new weekly series, we bring the sights, sounds, flavours and colours of Aotearoa to your doorstep. Let’s liven up your lockdown.

What’s one of the most special things about going on holiday? We think that a big part of the fun is getting to immerse yourself in a different culture. And just because we can’t leave the country right now, it doesn’t mean other countries can’t come to you! Each week we will be helping you to enjoy the quintessential culture of some of our best-loved countries – all from the comfort of your own abode. From food and drink to music and art, it’s ideal for bringing some fresh sights, sounds and flavours to your home.

This week we swap hemispheres for the lush green valleys and crystal blue waters of New Zealand. Kia-ora!

Pacific Rim cuisine

The ocean-swaddled shores of New Zealand provide the country with an almost inexhaustible supply of diverse seafoods. From crayfish oysters and green lipped mussels to plain old fish and chips (pronounced ‘fush and chups’ locally), there’s not a square metre of its two seas that can’t provide some sort of fresh culinary speciality.

A traditional maori feast or Hangi.

Of course, if you want to try a traditional delicacy, there’s nothing more indigenous to Aotearoa (that’s the Māori name for New Zealand) than a hāngī. A pit-buried feast that cooks in the ground, it might not sound appetising, but the dish is an ingenious combination of the country’s geothermal properties combined with its local produce. Steamed smoky lamb or fish, with plenty of homegrown vegetables (kumara is non-negotiable), it’s a savoury flavour burst that warms your body and hugs your heart. With the long warm summer nights laid out in front of us, why not have a go at your own?

Vineyard in Marlborough New Zealand

Something to drink?

Let’s uncork the fact that New Zealand is one of the top ten wine producers in the entire world. That’s incredible for a country with a population below 5 million. Numerous wineries are dotted across the country’s north and south islands, the geographical conditioning of each region providing the country with a variety of grapes and flavours. Best known is Marlborough, which produces a popular Sauvignon Blanc, famous for its refreshing sparkly punch. Grab a bottle for under a tenner.

The country’s not shy of breweries either, with a multitude of beers concurrently bubbling away across the country. From more established firms such as DB’s Tui, to smaller craft outfits such as Tuatara (named after the indigenous reptile), there’s always a light ale at hand to satisfy the most demanding of taste buds.

A guided tour at Bilbo Baggins’ house.

Horror, hobbits and hilarity: New Zealand on the silver screen

New Zealand will always have the distinction of being the first big screen Middle Earth, and it’s largely down to the vision of one man, multi Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson. Sure, you’ve seen Lord of the Rings, but for a broader career overview seek out his earlier, more homegrown work: splatter comedies such as Bad Taste and Braindead, set on his very own doorstep in the windy capital of Wellington.

If your stomach’s not up to gut-munching atrocities, perhaps Taika Waititi’s brand of quirky deadpan comedy will soften your soul. The much-lauded director of Thor: Ragnarok and JoJo Rabbit cut his filmmaking teeth in his homeland. Check out heart-felt, delightful fare such as Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows, the latter very much the Spinal Tap of vampire comedies.

For more poignant immersion into Kiwi culture, Niki Caro’s Whale Rider is a beautiful, tender portrayal of Māori family life. At the other end of the scale is the hard-hitting Once Were Warriors from Bond director Lee Tamahori. It’s a brutal portrayal of pride, patriarchy, and poverty that’s every bit as effective as it is unflinching.

Call of the Kiwis – the sounds of New Zealand

A small country with a big sound, New Zealand is fiercely proud of its musical heritage. Arguably their most well-known act, Flight of the Conchords, is more commonly associated with the comedy programme of the same name. Comprising Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, the duo’s deadpan humour captures the dry wit and laconic nature of their home country. Catch their spot-on musical parodies in the HBO sitcom.

Another duo whose pipes have provided New Zealand with scores of bangers are the Brothers Finn, the songwriting backbone of Crowded House and Split Enz. However, if you’re after something more cosmopolitan, try the lackadaisical funk of Fat Freddy’s Drop. A cultural melting pot of influences and styles, their acid jazz pop fusion has defied pigeonholing and delighted fans for over two decades now.

If all that’s too populist for your sensibilities, then both Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s mellow soprano and classical singer Hayley Westernra add a touch of class to the land of the long white cloud.

The written word

New Zealand’s literary scene is small, but dedicated. Just a handful of well-known authors have broken through internationally. Among them is Keri Hulme, whose Māori love story The Bone People won the Booker Prize. On similar themes, Witi Ihimaera’s Whale Rider managed to transcend its cultural roots, despite being tied inextricably to its country’s heritage.

Of which, if you’re after a reliable historical account of the last country in the world to be settled by humankind, you’ll read none better than The Penguin History of New Zealand. Though its prosaic title undersells it somewhat, it’s a meticulously researched and fascinating insight into how this young country came to be, written by leading New Zealand historian Michael King.

Haere rā!