An A-Z of  New Zealand traditions & Folklore by Gordon Ell 

(Published  by New Holland)

Hokey Pokey

The nicest ice cream in the world - and you cannot get it anywhere else. Vanilla ice cream has added to it lumps of hokey pokey made from golden syrup, sugar and baking soda.

Paul Smith

• George Wilder escapes from prison
• NZ nurses detained on way to Spanish Civil War
• Attempted hijacking in Fiji foiled
• NZ's first sheep released
• First NZ Rugby team in action
• Parliament's first sitting in Auckland
• Bastion Point protestors evicted
• Fingerprints help convict murderer
• Auckland harbour bridge opened

• TEAL becomes Air New Zealand
• State-Owned Enterprises are born
• Silvia Cartwright becomes Governor General
• Death of Phar Lap
• First state secondary school opens in Nelson
• Julius Vogel becomes Premier
• Unemployed disturbances in Dunedin
• The Wahine disaster
• Soldiers' votes derail prohibition campaign
• Unemployed riots rock Queen Street

Chris Horan

...impatient to become proud riders of mechanical vehicles, we assembled bikes with the dedication that only children possess. Being too small to cock a leg over the cross-bar was a hurdle we confronted with aplomb, one leg through the frame, upper body twisted around the cross-bar to allow us to steer.

Needless to say there was a price to pay for this hard-won skill, bumps, bruises, blood and tears until we were able to distort our bodies to the required shape while pedalling. That we looked like large insects dragging bundles of scrap metal sideways was the least of our concerns. We were much too proud of our new-found mastery to worry about trivialities...

• NZ forces at Cassino
• Jockey Y-fronts hit NZ shops
• Honey bees brought to NZ
• NZ's first flag chosen
• Kiwis win Oscars for 'The piano'
• Ngati Kahu kidnap victim dies at sea on French ship
• John A. Lee expelled from Labour Party
• Brunner mine disaster kills 65
• The 'Sallies' come to New Zealand
• NZ cricketers skittled for 26
• Fred Ladd flies plane under Auckland Harbour Bridge
• Funeral of Labour PM Savage

• Anti-Vietnam War protestors
• NZ Constitution Act
• 19 killed in Strongman mine explosion
• Hone Heke cuts down the flagstaff
• Scott Base opened
• First European settlers arrive in Wellington
• Massive earthquake hits Wellington
• Peter Snell breaks world mile record
• D'Urville sails through French Pass
• Auckland's first Anniversary Day Regatta
• Bookies banned from NZ racecourses
• NZ’s first regular airmail service begins