Navigating the ‘City of Sails’ in New Zealand

“Touring New Zealand” (Questar Video, 70 minutes, 1989) is best suited for the armchair traveler, although it’s helpful for early travel planning.

Russell, in the Bay of Islands on the northern tip of North Island, was the first capital of New Zealand. Here the film visits the Treaty House in Waitangi, where the 1840 treaty between the British and Maoris was signed; the shipwreck museum, Kemp House, Rewa’s Maori Village and the Cape Reinga Lighthouse. Side trips are to the Waipoua Kauri Forest and a drive along 90-Mile Beach.

New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, is known as the “city of sails” because one in every four households owns a yacht. Shown are views of the city skyline, the aquarium and activities along New Zealand’s longest river, the Waikato.

In the central area of North Island, the camera shows Cambridge, a town that mirrors the British influence, and the Waitomo Caves, with their glowworm grotto.

Viewers also are shown the thermal area of Rotorua, with its spewing geysers and boiling mud pools, the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute and the buried village, which was destroyed by lava from the Tarawera volcano in 1886.

Sheep shearing and trout fishing in the Lake Taupo area are part of the film, as are Tongariro National Park; Gisborne, where Capt. Cook landed; Napier, which was destroyed by a 1931 earthquake; Hawke’s Bay wineries, and Mt. Egmont.

Wellington, which is similar to San Francisco with its charming old buildings, hills and harbor, lies at the southern tip of North Island and is the country’s capital. From Wellington, the ferry travels across Cook Strait to Picton on South Island.

Between Picton and Christchurch, there’s a visit to the old mining towns of Shantytown and Mitchell’s Gully; Hikitika, a small town noted for its jade, and Kaikoura, an old whaling center.

A Christchurch tour includes Cathedral Square, many of the beautiful gardens and the Canterbury Museum. Brief visits to Akaroa, an early French settlement, Mt. Cook National Park and the Tasman Glacier, and Westland National Park, with its unusual ice sculptures, also are included.

A visit to Queenstown includes 54-mile Lake Wakatipu, the ghost town of Arrowtown and Lake Hayes, in addition to Haast Pass, Mt. Aspiring National Park and Lake Wanaka.

Magnificent fiordland and the spectacular scenery of Lake Te Anau, the Milford Track, Milford Sound and Sutherland Falls is shown at the end.

A tape is available from Questar Travel Network, P.O. Box 11345, Chicago, Ill. 60611, (800) 544-8422. Price: $29.95.

“Australia” (Rand McNally VideoTrips, Best Films and Video Corp., 50 minutes, 1988) is a well-photographed whirlwind tour of five Australian cities, along with brief scenes of the Outback and Tasmania.

In Sydney, the camera hits such landmarks as the harbor bridge and opera house and also visits St. James Church, the Australian Museum of Aboriginal Art, Hyde Park, the Argyle Arts Center and the Queen Victoria Building mall.

Stops are made at shops in the restored Rocks area; in the King’s Cross district with its restaurants, discos and strip joints, and in Paddington, an upscale neighborhood for Sydney yuppies.

Circular Quay and the Taronga Park Zoo, plus views of the Bondi and Manly beaches, also are included.

The British influence is apparent in Melbourne, a center of finance, fashion and theater. Stops include the city’s Golden Mile, stock exchange, jail museum and railroad station.

Chinatown, the Victoria outdoor market and the cultural complex at the Victoria Arts Center on the Yarra River are shown, as are the Royal Botanic, Queen Victoria and Fitzroy gardens.

In Adelaide, the film covers the Barossa Valley wineries, as well as a tour of the city center, the South Australian Museum of Aboriginal Art, the botanical gardens and festival center.

A visit to Perth includes scenes of its skyline, the Swan River, the commercial center along St. George’s Terrace, the London Court shopping arcade and King’s Park. In Fremantle, the video pauses at the Fremantle and Maritime museums. Resorts on Rottnest Island are seen from the air.

In the Queensland area, the video visits Cairns for game fishing, the Great Barrier Reef, and the resort facilities on Hamilton Island.

The video concludes with scenes of the Outback and Ayers Rock, plus a brief look at Tasmania, and a roundup of travel information on car rentals, weather, visas, currency and some hotel hints.

The tape is available from Best Films and Video Corp., P.O. Box 1179, Gillette, Wyo. 82716, (800) 248-7477. Price: $19.95.