Kiwiana – “big” things to see in New Zealand.
While I was researching information for my previous blog it dawned on me that we as a country do seem to honour our Kiwiana and things which make us kiwis’ by making “big things” to pay them homage.
New Zealand may be a small country but we compensate with a whole bunch of very BIG things!
New Zealand is about 2.5 times smaller than the state of Texas (USA) alone, however, our huge volcanoes, mountain chains and love for the outdoors inspires us to create big things. Huge things even! If it was ever on your bucket list to see a giant trout or even a humongous soda bottle, then New Zealand is the place to do it. Artists have created enormous sculptures all around the country to promote movies or a local beverage to attract tourists or simply for the love of art. Here are just a few of them to give you an idea of what I mean.
OTOROHONGA’S KIWI
Near Waitomo in the North Island of New Zealand is a town called Otorohonga, and they pride themselves on Kiwiana (all things kiwi; kiwi icons). At both entrances to this King Country town are corrugated iron kiwis who have become somewhat of a mascot for Otorohonga, but only after the town adopted the Kiwiana Capital status in the late 1990s.
The Kiwi’s really come from the fact that Otorohonga has a fantastic Kiwi House, pulling in tourists and school trips alike.
The Kiwi house was the first place in the world to have a live kiwi on display, and that’s partly why it’s so famous.
While the kiwis in Otorohonga aren’t as large as the building corrugated iron sheep and dog in Tirau, they have their own quirkiness about them, and they are definitely something special to see.
