List of New Zealand's big things explained

The big things of New Zealand are large novelty statues located in many small towns across the country which typically relate to the town and its identity.[1] Examples include the Taihape gumboot, in a town which has an annual gumboot-throwing contest; the large L&P bottle in Paeroa, the town where the drink originated, and the Big Sheep Shearer in Te Kūiti, where the national sheep-shearing competitions are held. A similar tradition is found in Australia.[2]

List of big things

North Island

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Big AppleWaitomo Caves7.5m (24.6feet)The logo of the Big Apple Cafe.
Big BicycleTaupō20123m (10feet)A 3m high bicycle erected in September 2012 to encourage road safety to cyclists
Big BullBulls4m (13feet)A large Bull, signifying the importance of bulls to Bulls.[3]
Big CarrotOhakune19847.5m (24.6feet)This big carrot is at the entrance to the town Ohakune, recognising the importance of market gardening to the local economy.[4] The carrot was originally a fibreglass prop used in an ANZ Bank commercial that was acquired by the town and officially unveiled by the Prime Minister in 1984.
Big Dairy WhipTatuanuiA giant can of Tatua Dairy Whip at the site of the Tatua Dairy Company factory.
Big GumbootTaihape2000A giant metal gumboot made from corrugated iron. Represents Taihape as the "Gumboot Capital of the World".[5]
Big KiwifruitTe Puke, Bay of PlentyPart of the Kiwi360 complex.[6]
Big KiwiEketāhunaBig Kiwi; relocated in 2016.
Big KiwisŌtorohangaSeveral corrugated-iron kiwis are located around the town, the self-proclaimed capital of Kiwiana.
Big KowhaiNapier20144 m (13 ft)"The Gold of the Kowhai" is a bronze gilded sculpture by artist Paul Dibble[7]
Big Lemon & Paeroa bottlePaeroa, Thames Valley19677m (23feet)A large soft drink bottle; L&P or Lemon & Paeroa.[8]
Big LoafManaiaThe town is 'New Zealand's Bread Capital' - Yarrows Family Bakers, one of the last and largest remaining independently owned bakeries, is in Manaia.
Big Parsnip, also known as Panorama ParsnipOhakune2017[9] The sixth vegetable added to the Ohakune Carrot Adventure Park.
Big Sheep and SheepdogTīrau1994Made from corrugated iron, the town's information centre is shaped like a giant dog, with 'the big sheep' housing a large wool outlet.[10]
Big Sheep ShearerTe KūitiThe town promotes itself as the sheep shearing capital of the world and is host to the annual New Zealand National Shearing Championships.
Big TroutTaupōA giant metal trout
Big PrawnTaupōA giant prawn, part of Huka Prawn Park
Jandal On The Mandel [11] Between Kopu and Thames.A giant jandal, alongside the Hauraki Rail Trail, on the Coromandel Peninsula. By artist Ricks Terstappen.
Giant OystercatcherKaiaua23 January 2005[12] 3.5 mA large oystercatcher, to represent the shorebirds of the Seabird Coast.
Mega CowMorrinsville20176.5 mA large cow, to acknowledge the area's thriving dairy farming industry.

South Island

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Big CrayfishKaikōuraThe logo of the Lobster Inn Motel.
Big DoughnutSpringfield20073.5m (11.5feet)A doughnut set up to promote The Simpsons Movie.[13]
The Five ClydesdalesClinton[14] A group of (slightly) larger-than-life-sized Clydesdale horses.
Big Fruit[15] Cromwell198913m (43feet)An apricot, apple, pear and nectarine.
Big MosgielMosgielBig letters spelling the name of the town.
Big Pāua [16] Rivertonearly 1990sGiant pāua (abalone) shell just past eastern bridge into the town on State Highway 99. Featured in 1998 in a series of postage stamps celebrating New Zealand town icons.[17]
Big Salmon[18] Rakaia199112 m (39 ft)A larger than usual salmon, commonly found in the Rakaia River.
Big SandflyPukekura[19] A sandfly mounted outside The Bushmans Centre.
Big SausageTuatapere3 m (10 ft)A big sausage atop a fork, awarded to the town in September 2015 by the ZM radio show Fletch, Vaughan and Megan.[20]
Surfer Riding a WaveColac BayBig statue of surfer riding a wave
Big TakaheTe Anau~ 2.2 m (7.2 ft)Big statue of the takahē, an endangered, flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand's South Island.
Harbour Mouth MolarsDunedinSculpture of several molars, sometimes called the Harbour Mouth Molars, in Kitchener Street Reserve.
Big Trout and Big GuitarGore1998 (Trout)A brown trout.[21] Central Gore also has a giant guitar, honouring the town's status as the unofficial capital of country and western music in New Zealand.
Big WheelbarrowHokitikaHolds a giant inflatable wild pig during Hokitika's annual Wildfoods Festival.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cunningham . Matthew . Small towns have big things . Salient . 17 May 2010 . 16 November 2012 . 19 February 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130219073105/http://salient.org.nz/features/small-towns-have-big-things . live .
  2. Web site: Jock . Phillips . Country towns - New developments, 1990 onward . . 14 November 2012 . 31 January 2015 . Jock Phillips . 26 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150526052241/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/19431/country-town-icons . live .
  3. Web site: Bulls puns – Country towns – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Teara.govt.nz. 16 February 2015. 26 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150526161258/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/19428/bulls-puns. live.
  4. News: Ohakune's big carrot turns twenty next month . Wanganui Chronicle . 21 September 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120511051039/http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/news/ohakunes-big-carrot-turns-twenty-next-month/934385/ . 11 May 2012 . live .
  5. Web site: World's Biggest Carrot and Gumboot are in New Zealand . Vagabond Quest . 24 August 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120707072457/http://www.vagabondquest.com/oceania/new-zealand/worlds-biggest-carrot-and-gumboot-are-in-new-zealand/ . 7 July 2012 . live .
  6. News: Another big reason to visit NZ . The Dominion Post . 1 November 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203030321/http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/archive/national-news/54678 . 3 December 2013 . live .
  7. Web site: The Gold of the Kowhai Sculpture in Napier, New Zealand . 2022-04-21 . Encircle Photos . en-US . 22 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220422234246/https://www.encirclephotos.com/image/the-gold-of-the-kowhai-sculpture-in-napier-new-zealand/ . live .
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20110724200818/http://www.paeroa.org.nz/History/The%2BL%2Band%2BP%2BBottle.html "The L and P Bottle"
  9. Web site: 2017-12-04. Parsnip joins iconic veges at Carrot Park. 2021-07-23. Stuff. en. 23 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210723072706/https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/ruapehu-press/99489584/parsnip-joins-iconic-veges-at-carrot-park. live.
  10. News: Signs of ingenuity . The Sydney Morning Herald . 12 November 2005 . 16 November 2012 . 11 January 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140111105042/http://www.smh.com.au/news/new-zealand/signs-of-ingenuity/2005/11/10/1131578144946.html . live .
  11. Web site: #JandalOnTheMandel . Inlet Technologies - Your Technology Partner . 5 July 2023 . en-gb.
  12. Keith . Woodley . Torea mangu . Miranda News . February 2005 . 56 . 9 . 29 March 2020 . 29 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200329093015/http://www.miranda-shorebird.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/february-05-5.pdf . live .
  13. News: D'oh! Springfield's giant Simpsons doughnut gets toasted . . Beck . Eleven . 2009-09-28 . 22 November 2009 . 25 November 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091125013720/http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/doh-springfields-giant-simpsons-doughnut-gets-toasted-20090928-g8oh.html . live .
  14. Web site: Clydesdale statue – Horses – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Teara.govt.nz. 16 February 2015. 3 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141003202922/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/19260/clydesdale-statue. live.
  15. Web site: State Highway 6 . Cromwell District Promotion Group . 3 September 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130728030406/http://cromwell.org.nz/getting-here/queenstown-to-cromwell.aspx . 28 July 2013 .
  16. Web site: Big Paua : Image. Images.travelpod.com. 16 February 2015. 2 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235058/http://images.travelpod.com/users/pia-ascherl2010/1.1285932451.paua-shell.jpg. live.
  17. Web site: Matthew. Rosenberg. 2021-10-22. Historic pāua shell to remain in Riverton. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211022062218/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/126769129/historic-pua-shell-to-remain-in-riverton. 2021-10-22. 2021-10-22. Stuff. en.
  18. News: Town builds on its fishy reputation . One News . 27 June 2010 . 16 November 2012 . 25 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120325095008/http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/town-builds-its-fishy-reputation-3613384 . live .
  19. https://www.panoramio.com/photo/81614366
  20. News: Nichol . Tess . 18 September 2015 . Radio hosts unveil big sausage in Tuatapere . New Zealand Herald . 18 September 2015 . 18 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150918080618/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11515227 . live .
  21. Web site: Gore Town Trout Sculpture With Welcome Sign Southland New Zealand . New Zealand Pictures . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130505151803/http://www.new-zealand-pictures.co.nz/photo/gore-town-trout-sculpture-with-welcome-sign-southland-new-zealand-2182.htm . 2013-05-05 .