Do the Hokey Pokey

Hokey Pokey ice cream is a Kiwi institution and I embrace it whole heartedly! This yummy treat consists of vanilla ice cream with bits of Hokey Pokey (sponge toffee candy) mixed in. The toffee is made by mixing sugar and golden syrup (a baking staple in the Kiwi kitchen) with baking soda to create a frothy mixture, which sets like a crunchy toffee. It tastes sorta like caramel or butterscotch with a bit of crunch. Delicious!

Hokey Pokey ice cream has recently become popular in Japan and the South Pacific. Although, sadly, it's not available in the U.S. Guess I'll have to make my own!

Tuatara

No, Tuatara isn't another Japanese monster who battles Godzilla in some really bad B movie. The Tuatara is a lizard-like reptile that is found only in New Zealand. They are the only living members of the Order Sphenodontia, which lived during the age of the dinosaurs, over 200 million years ago!

My favorite part about the Tuatara is that it has a third eye on the top of its head! The eye has its own lens, cornea, retina and degenerated nerve connection to the brain, suggesting it evolved from a real eye. The eye is only visible in hatchlings, which have a translucent patch at the top center of the skull. After four to six months the eye becomes covered with opaque scales and pigment. Its purpose is unknown, but it may be useful in absorbing ultraviolet light to manufacture vitamin D or to help regulate body temperature.

Today the Tuatara only lives on a few islands around New Zealand, although there are many captive breeding colonies on the mainland. There is a large Tuatara colony at the Southland Museum in Invercargill where the public can see these amazing reptiles up close. Unfortunately when we visited, it was too cold for the lizards so they were all comatose in their burrows. Although we did get to see 11 hatchlings, along with their third "eye".

Maybe Godzilla vs The Three-Eyed Tuatara will be coming to a theater near you....

Villa Maria

I've found my favorite New Zealand winery: Villa Maria Estate

Founded in 1961, Villa Maria is one of New Zealand's leading winemakers. Villa Maria wine's have won numerous awards and the estate was named one of the world’s 50 great wine producers by Wine Spectator magazine.

My favorite is the 2006 Reserve Syrah, but the Private Bin Riesling and Gewurztraminer are excellent too!

Check out Villa Maria Estate
http://www.villamaria.co.nz/home.php

Cheers!

Watching Grass Grow: The Sport of Cricket

Call me crazy, but I just don't get Cricket, and probably never will. I think you have to be born into the sport to understand it. I've watched a bit of it on TV here in New Zealand and heard the scores on the radio, but it all looks and sounds so complicated!

Here are some excerpts of recent scores:

"play was halted by rain 15 minutes after the lunch break with New Zealand struggling at 48 for three in their second innings, after being forced to follow on 326 runs behind Australia's first innings."

"stumps were drawn early on the fourth and final day with England A 158 for one in their second innings, with captain Robert Key and Jonathan Trott adding an unbroken 140 for the second wicket."

"McCullum's demise after he and Ryder crunched an opening stand worth 166 triggered an implosion that saw five wickets lost for 37 in the space of 53 balls."

"Harbhajan's first two overs cost 29 but the spinner atoned when Ryder chipped to long-off to leave New Zealand in dire straits at 188 for four."

"After leg-spinner Shahid Afridi took 6-38 to dismiss Australia for 168, Pakistan needed just 44.1 overs to cruise to 6-171."

"Afridi's heroics with the ball were capped by causing Australia more pain with the bat, belting 24 from 16 balls, including five boundaries, in the middle order."

"Indian opening batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir made a revised target of 54 in six overs look easy, with Sehwag finishing the match with his fourth six in an innings of 38 not out off 16 balls."

Huh?

The BBC offers a nice glossary of some of the more creative cricketing slang.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/skills/6100344.stm

My favorite Cricket term is Googly.

If you’re interested in learning more about Cricket, or you’re bored, or just plain crazy, check out the Bollywood film Lagaan. It’s 4 hour Indian musical about Cricket! It just might approximate the thrilling, edge-of-your-seat, experience that is a Cricket match.

New Music

I've discovered some great new music here in New Zealand and thought you might be interested. There should be something for everyone....

Bic Runga
http://www.bicrunga.com/
A young singer/songwriter from Christchurch. Her voice is beautiful and soothing. At different times her music reminds me of Jewell, Sheryl Crow, Beth Orton and Norah Jones. Her song "Sway" was on the American Pie Soundtrack and received lots of airplay in the States.

Moana Maniapoto
http://www.moananz.com/
A Maori singer/songwriter that blends traditional Maori song and chant with soul, reggae and hip hop. Her music is a wonderful crossroads of the past and present.

Black Seeds
http://theblackseeds.com/
A Wellington band that fuses reggae, funk and dub. Fun, easy, mellow music. Former band member Bret McKenzie is also a member of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords. Favorite songs are "Cool Me Down" and"Good People."

Gurumuul
http://www.gurrumul.com/
My personal favorite: A blind Aboriginal singer from an island in Arnhemland, in northern Australia. He sings in Yolngu Matha, his native language. His voice is incredibly beautiful, you will melt! Reminds me a lot of Aaron Neville. I got his self-titled album on iTunes.

Scribe
http://www.myspace.com/scribedirtyrecords
A very popular rap/hip hop artist of Samoan descent. You can also check out his songs on iTunes. He's collaborated with Wyclef Jean and Talib Kwali. Top hits include "Stand Up," "Not Many" and "Dreaming."

Kommikal
http://www.myspace.com/conjurur
A bi-lingual (Maori/English) rap/hip hop artist. His music often includes traditional Maori chants, such as Haka war-cries. The Maori language seems to suit this music genre nicely.

Happy listening!

FYI

So there has been a change of plans and I am moving back to California on Sunday. Big surprise, I know. I am unable to find a job in my field and I need some sunshine in my life, literally and figuratively.

I will continue to Blog about New Zealand this week and about settling back into American life for as long I have something to say. After that.....we'll see where I am.

Thank you all for continuing to read my silly ramblings on my life in New Zealand!

The Letter R

The letter "R" has a strange status in New Zealand. Kiwis add an "er" to the end of words that end in "a" (called an Intrusive R in linguistics) but they don't always pronounce the "r" in words that already have one at the end.

For example:

I'm from AmericeR and our president is Barack ObameR

The ca I drive is a Subaru Justy

The koaleR bear lives in AustralieR

Many cheap products in New Zealand come from ChineR, in AsieR

I ordered a vodkeR martini at the ba last night

I have a great ideaR

I need to buy a ja of pasta sauce for the lasagne