Best drinking water in New Zealand

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It’s official. Palmerston North has the best drinking water in New Zealand

Palmerston North City Council has been acknowledged as the City with the best tasting drinking water following the 2016 Water Industry Operations Group of New Zealand Conference.

Water samples from 12 councils around New Zealand were submitted under strict guidelines. The competition consisted of two heats, with the best two samples from each heat going on to the final round of judging.

The water was judged on taste, odour and appearance.

Treatment Plants Manager Mike Monaghan said he was confident Palmerston North had great tasting water of very high quality. “When it was announced that we had made it into the final I was thrilled.”

The judging panel for the final round consisted of John Clemens, Executive Officer of WIOG, Sarah Croswell, national water educator with Opus, Phil Eccles, Business Unit Manager with IXOM (chemical supplier to the water industry) and water taste expert Udo Van Deventer, who is a brewer with Lion breweries.

Ray McIndoe, General Manager for City Enterprises, said operators were dedicated to ensuring that our water is always delivered to the very highest of standards and it’s understandable that the title “Best in NZ” is keenly contested by operators from all Councils.

“All our operators and Palmerston North can be immensely proud that our water is of such a high standard. The water we took to Auckland was from the Kelvin Grove zone sourced from the Roberts Line bore.”

Source: Palmerston North City Council, 2016.

30 top Kiwi sayings that keep it real, mate

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Here’s our at-a-glance guide to 30 popular Kiwi words and sayings. Like many English-speaking countries, New Zealand has its own special Kiwi words and phrases which are frequently used in daily conversation.

Kiwi words to describe how you feel

Good as (gold) – excellent

Boomer – excellent

Choice – fantastic

Stoked – very pleased

Slutted – greatly annoyed

Sweet as – cool, awesome

Right as rain – perfect

Kiwi words for common objects or items

Jandals – flip flops (if you are British); thongs (if you are Aussie)

Togs – swimming costume

Arvo – afternoon

Anklebiter – small child

Bach – pronounced ‘batch’. Holiday home

Chilly bin – insulated bag for keeping food or beer cool

Chook – chicken

Chuddy – chewing gum

Handle – large glass of beer

Tramp – a hike, trek, long walk usually lasting several days

Greasies – fish and chips

Hard case – joker, comedian

Sunnies – sunglasses

Dag – amusing person or situation

Kiwi sayings

Gorse in your pocket – slow to pay

Give it a burl – try it

Rattle your dags – hurry up

She’ll be right – everything will work out fine

Pack a sad – to become moody, to break

Source: New Zealand Holiday Travel

How to speak Instant Maori – buy this fantastic ebook here

The 5 great train journeys of New Zealand

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Trains provide a relaxing and absorbing way to see New Zealand.

Compared to other countries, New Zealand is a relatively light user of rail for city commuting but it provides some stunning opportunities for passengers who want to see the country by rail.

Five great train journeys

Cross the Southern Alps on The TranzAlpine

From the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman sea across the Southern Alps – one of the great railway journeys of the world, it is claimed. From the coastal plains of Canterbury, through spectacular gorges and river valleys, to the peaks at Arthur’s Pass, and then down through beech forest to Lake Brunner and finally the coast at Greymouth. Numerous bridges, viaducts and tunnels feature in this 4.5-hour journey. The trip is especially scenic when the peaks are covered in snow in winter.

Stunning scenery on The TranzCoastal

With the sea on one side and the Kaikoura mountain range on the other, when it comes to views The Tranzcoastal has it all. Running along the east coast of the South Island between Christchurch and Picton (with connections to ferries) the landscape takes in rolling farmland and vineyards together with rugged coast with glimpses of dolphins, seals and penguins along the way. Stop in Kaikoura for whale watching or Blenheim for wine. Journey time 5.5 hours, 6 stops.

Auckland to Wellington on The Northern Explorer (formerly the Overlander)

The only rail service between the two principal cities of the North island. Travelling through the volcanic plateau of the central North Island it affords great views of the many unique landscapes of the area. The Overlander runs daily in each direction during peak season, less often during winter months. On occasions, the coaches are pulled by a steam locomotive. Film director Sir Peter Jackson was said to be inspired to film Lord of the Rings in New Zealand whilst travelling on The Northern Explorer.

Taieri Gorge Railway

Once part of the line connecting Central Otago to the coast at Dunedin, the railway runs for 78km through the spectacular and rugged Taieri River gorge. The journey offers options for onward connections to Queenstown (by bus) and access to cycle routes for some or all of the return journey. Travel to Pukerangi or Middlemarch, 4 or 6-hour return journeys respectively.

The Seasider

Dunedin’s scenic coastal railway service to Palmerston. It’s worth the trip just to admire the spectacular architecture of Dunedin’s famous railway station, including the huge mosaic floor of the booking office. The railway journey offers plenty of great views along its cliff-hugging route.

Source: New Zealand Holiday Travel

Our favourite types of pie

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New Zealanders love their pies – about 70 million pies a year, in fact.

That’s how many pies the Heart Foundation estimates are consumed by Kiwis. It works out at about 16 pies per person, or a pie every three or so weeks.

But which pies tickle our taste buds the most?

Research firm Canstar Blue asked about 1,600 New Zealanders for their pie choices and discovered cheese features as much as the beef.

New Zealanders’ favourite types of pie

Steak and cheese (27%)

Mince and cheese (19%)

Potato top (10%)

Bacon and egg (8%)

Butter chicken (7%)

Chicken and mushroom (7%)

Smoked fish (3%)

Other (19%)

Random pie facts

More men (30%) prefer steak and cheese than women (24%).

Tomato sauce is a must-add accompaniment for 16% of pie-loving Kiwis.

Cantabrians are the biggest fans of tomato sauce with one in five insisting it is added to pies.

Most New Zealanders (53%) see pies as a treat, while only 3% say they eat pies for lunch most days of the week.

Source: Canstar Blue New Zealand

OUR PIE GUIDE: The best pies in New Zealand  Ι   Where to find the best pies in Auckland  Ι  The best pies in Tauranga  Ι  Where to find the best fruit pies in New Zealand  Ι  The best vegetarian pies in New Zealand  Ι   The best Christmas mince pies in New Zealand 
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