Travel to New Zealand from Home {Travel the World from home series}
We have had such a great time on our travel to New Zealand from home! We learned tons about the indigenous people of New Zealand, their culture, and their traditions. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
A little bit about New Zealand
- New Zealand is an island in the Southern Hemisphere so summer there is winter for us in the United States! That means that they celebrate Christmas with barbecues and swimming.
- New Zealand is famous for its green valleys, beautiful beaches and for having more sheep than people.
- The native people to New Zealand are the Maori. They were in New Zealand for hundreds of years before Europeans arrived.
- People in New Zealand eat a lot of lamb, meat and potatoes.
- Rugby is the most popular sport in New Zealand.
- The movie The Hobbit was filmed in New Zealand and has created a lot of tourism.
What to make for your New Zealand food
I thought we would take a little break from making dinners (especially if your kids are not adventurous eaters) and make something they can’t help but love…ice cream!
We are making Hokey Pokey ice cream also known as vanilla ice cream with honeycomb in it.
Equipment needed for Hokey Pokey
If you don’t have an ice cream maker at home don’t run out and buy one. You can make some decent ice cream without an ice cream maker and I will give you a slightly different recipe.
If you have been thinking of buying one anyway, this one is fabulous and inexpensive.
A few years ago, my husband bought me this ridiculously expensive ice cream maker that has its own cooling system. It is so convenient but we don’t make ice cream enough with it. Although this quarantine may quickly change that.
If you are big ice cream making fans, I can’t recommend it enough. It works quickly and there is no need to chill a bowl before hand. Plus it makes the most delicious gelato ever!
- SUPERIOR FUNCTION: The Cuisinart fully automatic ice cream maker with commercial compressor makes lusciously rich gelato and ice cream-batch after batch- the...
- CAPACITY: Makes 1.5-quarts of your favorite ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato or sorbet
- CONTROL: 60-minute countdown timer with touchpad controls and blue LCD readout for accuracy
Recipe for Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
I found one of the only recipes online for Hokey Pokey ice cream and thought this would be super easy. I have made honeycomb a number of times and ice cream even more. The recipe I used was this one.
I made my first batch of honeycomb just as I have before and it foamed like I have never seen before and burned within seconds after adding in the baking soda. I thought, ok I must have let the mixture get a little too brown. So I tried it again….
Still burnt but no where nearly as bad, but when we tasted it all you could taste was baking soda.
At that point, I thought, this is dumb, I have a great recipe for honeycomb that I have used before.
Most delicious honeycomb recipe
It came out perfectly the first time! I’m sure the other recipe must work for some people but it didn’t for me and I am cook and bake quite a lot, so don’t waste your time on that one. I think this one works because it adds much less baking soda and uses a candy thermometer instead of guess work.
Instead make the 2nd recipe for honeycomb. Plus it contains honey in the recipe which tastes and smells amazing.
While your honeycomb is cooling start your ice cream base. If you are making one without an ice cream maker follow this recipe.
I have used this recipe a few times and it is really good. It won’t be quite the same texture as a churned ice cream, but you will be pleasantly surprised.
If you have and ice cream maker use this recipe
Jeni’s Splendid Vanilla Ice Cream
It is my favorite of all vanilla ice creams. I love the silky texture and the even melting. It’s a little different with the addition of corn starch and cream cheese, but all you will taste is delicious vanilla ice cream.
After your ice cream is out of the churner or has been in the freezer for an hour (if you aren’t churning it) mix through some crushed honeycomb and return to the freezer. Wait 2-3 hours and you are ready to eat it. Take some of the remaining honeycomb and crush it in a bag and sprinkle it on top.
I hope you take the time to make this. It was a huge hit at our house and if you don’t make my earlier mistakes, it doesn’t take too long.
What to watch for your New Zealand movie
Unlike the last few countries, there are plenty of movies to choose from when it comes to New Zealand! Here are our favorites (we watched a lot of them this week!)
“Whale Rider”
I loved this movie and it is highly acclaimed. My kids and husband were bored until 30 minutes into it, but in the end they really enjoyed it. If you can push through the first part (30-40 minutes) the movie is lovely and tender. It features the chief of the Maori’s whose unwanted granddaughter believes she should be the next chief. She continues to learn despite her grandfather’s best efforts.
The movie was shot on location in New Zealand and gives a great look at the culture of the Maori people. My kids were excited to see the masks that looked like the ones we made out of clay.
Watch it for free here on Amazon Prime
“The Hobbit”
If you haven’t watched “The Hobbit” you are in for a treat. It is a fantastical story with strange creatures, magic and spectacular scenery. The special effects are pretty incredible too. I loved “The Hobbit” my boys who are big Tolkien fans don’t love that it was split into 3 movies, but if you don’t know any better you will really enjoy it!
Rent it here on Amazon Prime
What to read about New Zealand
- Publishing, Dinobibi (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 59 Pages - 07/05/2019 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)
This book is a fun book for kids 6-12. It has facts about New Zealand, quizzes and lots of information that will teach your kids what a wonderful country New Zealand is.
If you want a great read about New Zealand for adults and teenagers, this thrilling tale will make you read it one sitting!
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Druett, Joan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
What to craft from New Zealand
Maori clay masks
The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand and they have a strong presence in New Zealand. We made Maori masks out of Fimo clay! We all chose different methods to make them, but it was a lot of fun no matter how you did it.
To make the orange mask, you need to take the clay and make a long thin snake by rolling it between your hands and the table. Pick you pattern and begin twisting into the shape of the mask. Try to keep the snake as even as possible.
If you are going to bake this make it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. (We left it out to dry over night and then pulled it off.)
If you want to do the sculpted mask, roll a ball and turn it into a slight oval. Press it down with your hands to flatten it a bit. Use a sculpting tool (or whatever you can find in the house) to indent the eyes and mouth.
Rolls a small oval for the nose and a thin snake for the lips. Flatten a snake and make indents for the teeth. Place it in the mouth.
Make tiny ball and cut it in two then shape each one into a small ear.
Bake in a 230 degree oven for only 30 minutes. I put the masks in a glass pyrex container.
The masks will still be soft when you take them out but will harden over the next hour.
You can paint your hardened masks with craft pain to simulate the Maori warriors.
Music from New Zealand
This is a YouTube playlist with very traditional Maori music and chants. The kids tried to learn a haka from this video as well.
If you visit New Zealand in person there are quite a few places to go learn about the traditional Maori culture. The always teach the Haka and it is a great time for everyone! Challenge your whole family to learn!
How else can you explore New Zealand from home?
National Geographic has a fabulous series called “Are we there yet?” and the one for New Zealand is so amazing for kids.
Here is another one about the Kiwi
Also check out this video with facts about New Zealand.
(If you buy the activity bundle below, your kids will want to refer to the video for the crossword.)
Print out and play your own Heads Up game with these cards!
When it is your turn, take the top 5 cards from the deck without looking at them.
Take one and hold it or stick it to your forehead for other players to see. Everyone else in the group will use words to describe the word on the card without actually saying the word!
When the first card is guessed lay it down and move on to the next one!
You can add time limits to add to the complexity of the game, play in teams, or just one on one. It is lots of fun but also a great way to reinforce what you have learned.
More of Travel the World from Home
I am starting a Travel the World from Home Facebook group where we can swap ideas and stay connected during this time where we are all physically disconnected. It is an invitation only group and you must be subscribed to this blog series to join.
If you haven’t joined or you aren’t sure, please add your email in the subscription box below and I’ll get you into the group asap.
Please invite your friends! We have a long time ahead of us and we need all the community we can get!
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Last update on 2024-11-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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