New Zealand

Nanon said:
New Zealander's are called 'kiwis' (after the native bird)?
Click to expand...

Do New Zealanders have a song about the kiwi?

I know Australians have a (actually still copyrighted and became part of a copyright row with Men at Work's Down - A Land Down Under - it was ruled the latter stole a few notes and had to pay) song about the Kookaburra - even I learned that one in UK childhood - Kookaburra Sits in an old Gum Tree - but I don't know what NZ has.

A song I know that has been liked by people I've encountered (online) from NZ is a modern shanty style song Mollymuak/MollyMawk/Southern Ocean but that refers to Cape Horn and I don't think originated from NZ. (For those who may not know, a mollymawk is an albatross).

 
Yes nzers are called kiwis but we dont seem to have a song about the flightless birds!
Not like the aussies and their kookaburras.

We do have a singer called Bic Runga however who is well known and IMHO sings like an angel, and one of her albums was called BIRDS.

On national radio each morning they have birdsong.
But kiwis are a very quiet bird and nocturnal. They dont really sing like tuis for example. Or hoot like moreporks. Nz is a land of birds, there are no native mammals except for bats. Every other animal was introduced by humans.
 
Lanolin said:
Nz is a land of birds, there are no native mammals except for bats. Every other animal was introduced by humans.
Click to expand...

Wow. I knew NZ was quite different to say my UK but I never knew that!

Just looked at Wikipedia. That lists seals that I guess must come on land there and dolphins and whales in the sea.
 
In the south island, in a place called Kaikoura, you can go whale watching as he whales come reeally close to the land.

Dolphins sometimes swim in the many harbours around the coastal parts of nz. There ws one dolphin that made a small town called Opononi really famous called Opo. he had a song named after him called 'opo the crazy dolphin'
 
Ha. I was on xena once as an extra. Lol.
It was filmed around my town.

Yea its a small world.
I must say that...the countryside is beautiful...but where I live in the city...is not so clean and green anymore. My town got taken over, by the world class city makers, which I am sad about. I think the downhill slide started when they built the casino.
 
And I've just learned on another thread that NZers don't all play rugby.

I had Lanolin down as a Grant Fox style fly half. At least when she's not playing cricket...

More seriously, these are the two sports I would think of an NZ national games. Are there other "big" games over there?

(eg. I know oz has Aussie Rules football - I found that quite exciting the once or twice I saw it on tv but we hear or see practically nothing of it in the UK)
 
Netball. I used to play netball..all the girls did. I was center.

The majors sports are rugby, rugby league and cricket. If you female, you play touch rugby (you dont tackle, you just touch) . I never liked rugby much cos of too much running around and passing backwards. Soccer seemed to me a much more straight forward game. Actually nowadays more children play soccer than rugby. We call it soccer, not football.

Theres golf, hockey, cycling, car rallies, horse racing, bowls, rowing...nz is sports mad. Mostly cos, like in england, you can bet on sports teams, who will win etc.

I am too unco for sports though. I cant even do a handstand...when people start playing competitively, i lose interest. Although, i think Im ok at table tennis.
 
Lanolin said:
Netball. I used to play netball..all the girls did. I was center.
Click to expand...

I had to ask my mother about the positions in netball - she played that and hockey in school. She too liked playing center. She suggests its like a sort of hub for distributing the ball?
 
Hockey was never any good for me btw. I'm left handed. I can do some things as good right handed (and play guitar right handed - I can't even do that left handed) but holding a bat/stick that was round isn't one of them.
 
All the rich retired men play golf.
I never really cared for it although mini golf is fun. The japanese apparently love it and im sure wanted to turn nz into one giant golf course at some stage.

After all, nz is known for its hobbits.
 
Another curiosity question:

Does NZ have any "folk heros"? In the UK, maybe I'd give Robin Hood. Oz has their Ned Kelly. NZ?
 
Folk heroes.. Perhaps ...barry crump
Sir edmund Hillary

Hmm have to think about that one bit more. NZ does have a history of peaceful protest until it turned riotous eg 1981 springbok tour. Rainbow warrior, in the 1980s.

kate sheppard, nz was the first country in the world to give women the vote. Feminism was big here....pioneer women and 'stroppy women' could hold their own, its often women wearing the pants lol. Sometimes i think the men just want to go off and hide. But generally theres more egalitarianism as an ideal.
 
Drifting here but my mother can have it that Eric Shipton (its not my area of interest but google for "Upon That Mountain if you like reading) was probably the main Everest man even though he wasn't on that crew. But, yes, Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing was the achievement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top