Haven't been to New Zealand myself, but there is a longtime family friend connection. During WWII, my father, who was a U.S. Navy SeaBee in the South Pacific, befriended a New Zealander named Bruce Mason. Bruce went on to become a successful playwright, and the Mason family and ours kept up a friendship for many years. My parents visited NZ about two years before Bruce tragically succumbed to cancer.

-chanteyranger