Railways Reborn

Railways were once the heart of a country. Both socially and commercially they were vital links, often the only links. In 19th century New Zealand thousands of settlers laboured for years, even decades on a single route, chiseling through horribly uneven terrain and dense native bush with picks, shovels, and an occasional blast of TNT. […]

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Waikato War Driving Tour

   On the afternoon of 2 April 1864, 300 Maori men, women and children under the command of Chief Rewi Maniapoto, were holed up in the unfinished Orakau pa (fort). They had kept over 1400 British soldiers at bay for three days, but their supplies of water, food and ammunition were running perilously low.  Facing the

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Remembering Paddy the Wanderer

Against one wall of the NZ Academy of Fine Arts in Wellington is a memorial for Paddy the Wanderer.  It consists of a bronze plaque and image, and a drinking fountain for both human and canine passers-by.  But who was Paddy, and how did he earn himself a memorial on the Wellington waterfront?    Paddy

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Millers Crossing

Not being a frequent visitor to the Manawatu region, I was rather astounded to discover this relic.  Just a few minutes south-east of Palmerston North alongside SH56, these are the remains of the longest suspension bridge in New Zealand, the Opiki Toll Bridge.     One hundred years ago and more, the soggy swamplands around

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Exhibiting Ourselves

At the dawn of the 20th century, a pubescent British colony named New Zealand was struggling to establish a global identity, even perhaps a national one. That’s when someone had the idea of staging a gigantic International Exhibition, a showcase for everything we had become and hoped to be. A grand expression of nationalism, colonialism,

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Rediscovering Port Chalmers

   Once upon a time Port Chalmers was the third largest port in Australasia, and the birthplace of New Zealand’s modern export trade. Bypassed for nearly a century, it has benefited from (or suffered from, depending on your viewpoint) commercial rediscovery and reinvestment, but in a sense it is bypassed still, by thousands of cruise

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The Butcher of Wadestown

The above photo was taken in 1910, on Wadestown Road near Pitt Street, in Wellington.  A local butcher’s proudly displays its stock, its four staff and two horses.  The carcasses on display seem to be wrapped in some decorative cloths, and for some reason don’t hold much interest for the napping neighbourhood dogs.  The picket-fenced

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Contact

If you have any questions or need help or advice about rental cars or your New Zealand travel plans we’re here to help you. Please contact us

New Zealand Free Phone: 0800 800 956

Australian Free Phone: 1800 771 302

Other international enquiries. Find your nearest New Zealand rental cars branch.

Contact

If you have any questions or need help or advice about rental cars or your New Zealand travel plans we’re here to help you. Please contact us

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New Zealand Free Phone: 0800 800 956

Australian Free Phone: 1800 771 302

Other international enquiries. Find your nearest New Zealand rental cars branch.