The music of New Zealand is a vibrant expression of the culture of New Zealand. As the largest nation in Polynesia, New Zealand's music is influenced by the indigenous Māori and immigrants from the Pacific region, though New Zealand's musical origins lie predominantly in British colonial history, with contributions from Europe and America. As the nation has grown and established its own culture, local artists have mixed these styles with local influences to create music that is uniquely New Zealand in style.

The most popular styles of the late twentieth century were rock and hip hop, both genres garnished with New Zealand's unique Pacific influences. By the twenty-first century, roots, reggae, dub and electronica were all popular with local artists. New Zealand has maintained a thriving alternative scene for several decades.

Māori have also developed a popular music scene, and incorporated reggae, rock and roll and other influences: New Zealand reggae bands like Herbs, Katchafire and Fat Freddy's Drop are highly popular. The 1990s saw the rise of hip hop groups like Moana & the Moahunters and the Upper Hutt Posse, primarily based out of South Auckland.


In the traditional styles, New Zealand's geographic isolation and cultural milieu perhaps contributed to the slow growth of formal traditions based on European classical music, however these styles have also gained broad recognition.

The music of New Zealand is a vibrant expression of the culture of New Zealand. As the largest nation in Polynesia, New Zealand's music is influenced by the indigenous Māori and immigrants from the Pacific region, though New Zealand's musical origins lie predominantly in British colonial history, with contributions from Europe and America. As the nation has grown and established its own culture, local artists have mixed these styles with local influences to create music that is uniquely New Zealand in style.

The most popular styles of the late twentieth century were rock and hip hop, both genres garnished with New Zealand's unique Pacific influences. By the twenty-first century, roots, reggae, dub and electronica were all popular with local artists. New Zealand has maintained a thriving alternative scene for several decades.

Māori have also developed a popular music scene, and incorporated reggae, rock and roll and other influences: New Zealand reggae bands like Herbs, Katchafire and Fat Freddy's Drop are highly popular. The 1990s saw the rise of hip hop groups like Moana & the Moahunters and the Upper Hutt Posse, primarily based out of South Auckland (see below).

In the traditional styles, New Zealand's geographic isolation and cultural milieu perhaps contributed to the slow growth of formal traditions based on European classical music, however these styles have also gained broad recognition.

Auckland /New Zealands.... Dance,Urban

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New Zealand's Gold Coast
Westland's Second Spring
The Greatest Digger

(By Geo. G. Stewart )



The Kanieri dredge, that great land cruiser recently anchored in its little lake a few miles from Hokitika, is now turning over the earth's surface at a speed equivalent to that of ten thousand gold diggers—skilled diggers of those palmy days when the West Coast was in its first golden flush, the 60's and 70's of last century.

There is a Scriptural saying: “The stone that the builders refused is become the head stone… .” So the gravel the early miners rejected is become the backbone of the modern gold dredging industry. The Kanieri dredge is actually working over the same surface as that in which pioneers of the pick, the shovel and the pan have already toiled and moiled—but how different are its methods! Forty men man this ship, which is manipulated entirely by a few levers on the control deck—the captain's bridge, if the nautical idea is to be maintained.


These levers raise or lower the two 65 ton “spuds” or anchors, swing the dredge on its moorings as it eats its way around the half-moon of the bight upon which it is working, elevate or lower the ladder, the elevator and the chain of 2 1/2-ton buckets, and turn on or off the electric power and light on the various decks of the vessel. They also control the pumps and sluicing as the raised gravel is worked and washed down through the grids and over the riffles.

The action here resembles a great obstacle race in which only “light-weights” can make the distance. The “heavy-weights” are all trapped somewhere on the journey—if they get past the swings they are caught on the round-a bouts—and they are later given “the woiks” that rob them of the very gold that gave them weight.

The virtue of the big dredge is that it can both dig much lower than the old-time miners could, and also raise the spoil much higher, so that on its tortuous downward journey through the dredge so many are the traps set for it that the gold gets no chance of final escape.

The dredge is licensed to work in any direction over the company's territory, the only navigating endorsement on the ship's papers being that it must not travel more than a hundred miles from its present anchorage!

The surface of the pond in which the pontoon floats is 25-ft. below the general surface of the flat where the dredge is working, and the buckets dig below water level to a depth of 85 feet, turning this gravelly land into lake as they do so.

But with dredging, as with most other matters subject to the law of gravity, “what goes up must come down,” so the boulders, gravel and earth lifted at one end of the dredge are dropped with resounding thunder at the other, only the residual gold being kept as a souvenir to mark their passage. Thus the pond in which the dredge plays gets no bigger for all the digging, but it keeps on moving along in the desired direction.

The Kanieri, the largest dredge in the Southern Hemisphere, was built by the Railway Workshops at Eddington and erected by the Railway staff at the site where the dredge is now operating.
This was a great achievement, not only for the Railways but for New Zealand, as the dredge would not have been built here had the Railways not made their great resources in men and machinery and mechanical skill available for the purpose. So the Railways, as when the Otira Tunnel was built, are again associated with the romance of West Coast development.


New Zealanders are by nature and historical background essentially adventurous. No job looks too big for them, and no potential danger daunts them. “Give it a go” is the average New Zealander's attitude to anything that is new and looks hard to do. The early gold diggers, the early settlers and home-seekers, are responsible for this present adventurous spirit, this confidence in capacity to achieve. So the busy Railways took on the job of building the biggest dredge, and they made so good a job of it that it has worked without a hitch from the day of opening.

And what a typically West Coast opening that was! Crowds and speeches, and cheers and inspection in the morning, and then a “Luncheon” that lasted from noon to dewy eve. And then a West Coast ball that saw the sun rise on the following morning. Never was such a launching!

But science and invention have almost eliminated the risks associated with gold winning in these days, compared with the older times of the West Coast diggings. The only “gamble” is in regard to the price of gold. How much can be got from a given area is worked out very accurately before the first rough draft of a specification for the dredge is drawn. When the plans are completed it is then known how much gold can be obtained in a given time, in just the same way as a flour-miller knows what the output capacity of his new mill will be.

These modern gold adventurers—of whom such men as J. M. Newman, Geo. Watson and J. W. Ellis, of Kanieri Gold Dredging Ltd., are outstanding examples—have as much confidence in the general gold content of the land they are working as a man cutting into a loaf of bread has in its general food content. And just as it is known that every loaf of bread will have so much vitamin B (or whatever the analyst calls it), so careful prospecting has shown that there are so many pennyweights of gold in every ton the dredge will turn over. That assurance is, of course, necessary before the huge capital expenditure required for a modern dredge can even be contemplated.
How different from the old “hit or miss” methods of the early alluvial diggings, or from the world's first gold dredge—the invention of a Chinaman working on the Otago goldfields sixty years ago!
How various people view this great enterprise—the re-working of the great alluvial flats of the West Coast with modern dredges—is as interesting as the actual operations.
To the Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) the enterprise is a further sign of faith in New Zealand, its accomplishments and resources, and the faithful building of the dredge is just an additional opportunity taken by the men of the Railways to do the best they could for the people of New Zealand.
To the General Manager of Railways, Mr. G. H. Mackley, there is satisfaction in the fact that the great Railway organisation could with equal facility turn from the manufacture of rolling-stock to the manufacture of dredges that would bear favourable comparison with the best in the gold-dredging industry.
To Mr. J. M. Newman, a Director of the Company, it is just one among a number of gold dredging enterprises with which he is connected in various countries, now brought satisfactorily to the production stage.
To the Minister of Mines (the Hon. P. C. Webb) it is a further step in the development of the mining industry, a source of revenue, and a chance to turn some rough and ugly country on his beloved Coast into level, well-forested land.
But to the average person it is an impressive and exciting spectacle of tremendous power devoted to a purposeful exploitation of the West Coast's potential riches. Here one thrills to the sight of the majesty of machinery in action, where boulders are the playthings of an octopus which reaches down with one huge arm to pluck out the bowels of the earth for its own consumption, and then after shaking them and sifting them and sluicing them and nibbling them—searching ceaselessly for the gold among the dross—throws the whole lot into the air with another monstrous arm and drops them crashing and barren back to the earth from which they were reft. And all the while it mutters menacingly, to the gold that glitters and the gold that hides—the Spanish “No Pasaran”—it shall not pass.
And to the eye of the man of vision, of whom Mr. James A. Murdoch (Chairman of the District's County Council) is an eloquent example, it is the dream ship of M'Andrews’ Hymn come to life:

Production from modern dredges, like those at Kanieri, or Rimu Flat, or Barrytown are bringing a second spring to the West Coast; but unlike the earlier unorganised wild rush of the gold fever days, this promises a steadier industry, with years of work ahead. And in place of the desolation left from the former workings—the abandoned townships and waste areas of boulder dumps—there will grow levelled and smiling areas of forest and farm land.

Henderson Bay, New Zealand

It's been a strange two weeks. We've been doing a lot of hours for Cath & John; cleaning the cabin (a living area that was a garage) which hasn't been occupied for a long time so that Dawn (John's mum) could move in; the water system in the hostel failed and took a few days to sort out, generally cleaning and spring cleaning the hostel, cleaning the hen house out, cutting back the growth from the track to the cliff tops etc.
We managed to have a couple days off a week. The first week as I've already written we went to the Cape etc.
Friday 23rd Nov was our next day off we went diving (woo hoo!) We hired tanks and weights from A-Z diving at Karikari who gave us advice on some shore dives. We went to the Sponge gardens at Rangiputa and did two dives there, it was really pretty although we got in a little late and got the tide which made it a bit harder going and difficult to remain in one spot whist taking photo's. It was great to finally get to test the new camera and underwater housing out that I got in Panama. We still need some practice but most of the pictures came out really well. We were absolutely knackered when we got back, but really pleased with ourselves.
Saturday 24th After a really bad storm Robert found a tiny baby duck on the back deck, investigations revealed him to be a paradise duck and only about a day old, he still had his egg tooth on the end of his beak. Robert immediately became mother. I think the attachment was mutual. We looked after him during the day and all night, when we were up every few hours feeding him. Cath thought about keeping him but it wouldn't have been practical, Rob & I would be leaving soon and who would look after him when they went back to Canada? We decided to take him to a bird sanctuary where he'd be properly looked after and hopefully released to the wild when old enough.
Last Wednesday (28th Nov) we took D-Fer to a bird rescue place about an hours drive away, we were both very sad to see him go but knew it was for the best. Robert was so attached and D-Fer followed him everywhere, but we knew we couldn't take him with us when we left and we knew that Cath would find it hard to look after him properly on top of everything else that she has to deal with. The place is owned by Alex and his wife, he's Scottish but lived in NZ for 50 years. His place is huge and after a swift handing over of D-Fer, that prevented us getting emotional about it, and Alex telling us that D-Fer is actually a girl! We were given a tour. We had a lovely time with him, he's a really interesting guy and has so much going on with various animals, he showed us another paradise duck that he has. This is a boy about 8 weeks old, Alex hopes that he and D-Fer will pair up and stay together when she's old enough to be released.... Bless!
After dragging ourselves away we headed back up the Karikari Peninsular to the Karikari Winery. It's situated just below Matai Bay and the house is set on top of a hill that has the most amazing vista. It did help that the sun was blazing and the sea and sky were clear blue, there were just a few wispy clouds to soften the effect, perfect. How could this perfection be improved upon? Steak pie and a wine tasting I say, marvellous! This was such a relaxing lunch, I didn't want to move on, but move on we did.
Just passed Taipa (on highway 10) is Matthews Vintage Collection. Outside is an ostrich (which laid on egg in front of us!) and inside a huge shed is Matthews lifelong collection of everything old. Cars, tractors, engines, farm equipment, domestic items and musical instruments. Oh, and Chico the very noisy parrot. This place was great, Robert loved it and Matthew was really excited to show everything off to us and tell us the stories behind them. He had a pianola which he demonstrated, we could've had a sing -a-long, but we didn't! although Chico the parrot did, and an old engine which he cracked up for us. Big smiles!
Then back to the hostel where Rob was enlisted to fit the temporary replacement water pump. (some day off!)

The plumber was called to fix the water problem, and everything was back on track.
Last Sunday (2nd Dec) We had a coffee in our fav. coffee shop in Awanui and had a chat about how much work we were doing and decided to ring Cath & John and ask if we could talk to them that night about it, all worked out fine as they felt we'd worked a lot too, good thing was we firmed up how many hours we're to do a day so now we know when we can stop and go to the beach or for a walk etc.
We then had a drive through Kaitaia (which was closed as it was Sunday) and onto Ahipara. This is a little town but has a great shop where you can rent surf boards, quad bikes and other "cool" stuff! Of course we didn't partake as we are saving our pennies for scuba. This is also one of the access roads onto 90 mile beach. This had really nice views of the coastline.
We next drove to Shipwreck bay, the access road is a dark red gravel track and is very steep and bendy, a bit scary! But sooooo worth it, the bay here is great. The hills curve right round in a big sweeping arc which looks over a clean tidy beach with rocks and rock pools framing the outer edges. There were folk whizzing around on quads, fishing, body-boarding, swimming and a few had driving their 4x4's onto the beach and around the far peninsular to fish. The sun was really hot but there was a lovely breeze coming of the sea (don't worry we wore plenty factor 45!)
On our way out of Ahipara, we picked up Anna, Julika and Andrea, hitch-hikers from Germany. The were making their way to Whangarei. We were able to take them as far as a place called Mangamuka. This was in actual fact a junction near a church and a couple houses in the distance, we were a little worried about leaving them here, but they were happy to have been brought this far and it was still early so they should get a next ride quickly enough. We turned left, on a map it looked like a British B-road... it was one the famous gravel roads that are around the area and it went on for miles, we were glad it was daylight and we had a full tank of fuel, we kept an eye out for mad-axe men and talking dogs. However, as dodgy as the road was, so the scenery was beautiful, it actually look English in some places, including dairy cows!
We passed a place called Otangaroa and eventually hit the main highway 10 just before Kahoe, turned left and headed to Mangonui . This town was a great surprise, it has a small fuel station and several bar / restaurants, a couple of estate agents, several shops and Mangonui's famous fish & chip shop. We had a little drive around and saw some really nice houses (I bet they cost a mint) we found our favourite. Then after all the daydreaming we went for the famous fish & chips. They were great, skinned & boned and fried fresh whilst you wait and they had a bar too! Although I must admit I prefer a cuppa tea with f&c I managed to force a glass of red wine and Robert a glass of beer down.
We then did a quick stop at Cable Bay, which is right on the road side, and watched some kids body-boarding, before heading back.
Knotty
Huddersfield,
United Kingdom
www.travelpod.com

The music of Fiji represents the indigenous traditions of Fiji along with those of India, China, Europe and other Pacific Islands. Fijian music styles and structures include and combine Polynesian and Melanesian music.

Fijians play both indigenous instruments as well as the guitar, ukulele and mandolin. Several kinds of drums are the main indigenous instruments. They were formerly a means of communication, announcing events of social significance such as wars, victories, births and deaths, each of which was announced by their own, distinctive rhythmic patterns.

Today, these drums are made of hardwood, shaped and hollowed out to produce a deep resonance, which can be heard at a distance of eight kilometers. Usually a pair of drums is used, one larger than the other, played by one or two players using wooden beaters.
The Pacific Islands

The islands of the Pacific, with their beauty and romance, have always gripped man's imagination. Raised above the sea, in wondrous and spectacular splendour, they shimmer like an oasis. For those of us in need of solitude and adventure, these beautiful tropical islands also offer an escape - a place of refuge, serenity and excitement. In their greenness and freshness, the islands conjure up visions of unending youth and a heavenly paradise - crystal sea, sparkling white sand and surf, golden yellow rays of sunshine - a dawn to night sky of many colours - from vivid sapphire blue to topaz and turquoise, garnet and ruby to amethyst, citrine, peridot and emerald to the unique mystique of a theatrical curtain of exquisite Tahitian black pearl and onyx, gloriously enhanced by a galaxy of brilliant starlight diamonds - illuminated and moonlit by a majestic mother-of-pearl - encapsulated by the jubilant embrace of delightfully cool prevailing trade winds. Of these wonderful dream-worlds, it is Oceania that offers the most beautiful, enchanting and magnificent chains of pure and natural multicolored gem-clustered islands.




OCEANIA

The term Oceania is normally used to designate all the islands of the Central and the South Pacific including Australia (continent), New Zealand, and sometimes the Malay Archipelago. On this Web site, the focus is primarily directed towards the Pacific Islands of Melanesia (including Papua - formerly Irian Jaya), Micronesia and Polynesia (including the Polynesian nation of Hawai'i), as well as both Australia and New Zealand.