Prizes for September!

by Stephanie - 27/08/2009 14:16:00

 

One blog entry for the month of September will win these prizes!

Three days campervan hire

Explore New Zealand with three days campervan hire from Escape Rentals! Escape Campers is not your average motor home hire company, because each of their campers are uniquely painted and fully fitted out with everything you need.
Visit: www.escaperentals.co.nz

Three nights’ accommodation at BASE

Chill out with three nights’ accommodation to be redeemed at any BASE hostel located in the North Island. Choose between BASE Auckland, BASE Rotorua, BASE Bay of Islands, BASE Taupo, or BASE Wellington. BASE Backpacker Hostels are a revolution in beds, bars and entertainment.

BASE hostels are located throughout Australia and New Zealand and are specially designed for you, the modern day global travellers, with state of the art facilities, superior comfort and friendly services all at an affordable price. What are you waiting for? Visit: www.stayatbase.com.

See how to enter and send us in your blog entry.

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Speak New Zealand

by Stephanie - 17/08/2009 17:17:00

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Before the arrival of Europeans the Maori people used to call the North Island as Te Ika a Māui (the fish of Māui) and the South Island as Te Wai Pounamu (the waters of greenstone) or Te Waka o Aoraki (the canoe of Aoraki).

Until the early 20th century, the North Island was also referred to as Aotearoa (colloquially translated "land of the long white cloud") and nowadays this name refers to the whole country.

There are a few quite common Maori words that are used in regular conversations in New Zealand. For example, kia ora (Maori greating, hello), hangi (underground barbecue feast done with hot stones), Haka (war dance), and hongi (pressing noses together as a greeting).

There is also a very distinct New Zealand slang to get your head around. Try these for starters.

Bach: small holiday home, pronounced "batch"
Bun-fight: social gathering with food
Capsicum: pepper
Chilly bin: sealable cold box for beer, picnics etc
Choice: excellent, fabulous. As in "this blog is really choice"
Chuddy: chewing gum
Full tit: going very fast, as in "he was running full tit"
Gummies: wellingtons
Hokey pokey: type of ice cream with butterscotch bits
Jandal: thongs, flip flops
Judder bar: speed bump
Kumara: sweet potato
Lay-by: Where you can put goods aside in a shop, to pay them off slowly
Pack a sad: become moody, also meaning broken or died
Rellies: family, relatives
Somewhere near Taupo: like "just round the corner" it's a vague term
Tiki tour: scenic tour, the long route

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Tunnel Beach

by Tom - 10/08/2009 15:12:00

Road trip on the Dunedin to Brighton coastal road: sea-washed sandstone cliffts, rock arches, and exploring caves.

 

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

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