This page is a list of New Zealand words and phrases. Most of these are
related to tramping but I will throw in a random selection of Kiwi slang and
Maori (in red) words. Remember that many Maori
names are made up of shorter words. For example, Wainuiomata translates as the
big water of the headland (or the big water of Mata) from wai=water; nui=big;
o=of; mata=either headland or the name Mata
| bach |
small holiday house, usually at the beach |
| bench |
kitchen counter |
| benched |
where a track has been cut into a hillside |
| billy |
a pot used for cooking |
| billy tea |
tea (the drink not the meal) made in a billy |
| biscuit |
cookie |
| biv or bivvy |
short for bivouac: a primitive shelter, usually sleeping 2 or
3 |
| blaze |
an old and outdated technique of marking tracks by cutting bark
from a tree |
| bloke |
man |
| bonk |
sexual intercourse |
| bonnet |
car hood |
| boot |
car trunk |
| buggered |
exhausted |
| burn |
an area cleared of vegetation by fire |
| bush |
general term for the outdoors |
| bush shirt |
a kind of woollen outdoors shirt |
| dag |
humorous person |
| dairy |
a small shop that sells dairy products and other incidentals |
| disc |
or disk: a trail marker - the modern trend is to plastic triangles
(you also may see older metal discs or venetian blind offcuts). A column of
three discs marks a track junction. |
| DOC |
Department of
Conservation - the custodians of our wilderness areas. This government
department is charged with administration of national, maritime and forest
parks, other reserves and protected areas covering almost one third of New
Zealand. It maintains amenities in these public lands, such as tracks, bridges
and huts. DOC is also active in conservation programmes for native wildlife.
Field Centres are scattered throughout the country and provide maps, leaflets
and information |
| docking |
removing the tails of lambs |
| doughnut |
a kind of cake filled with cream and jam, not an American
donut |
| dunny |
toilet |
| gidday |
hello (good day), also spelt as g'day. |
| gidday cobber |
hello friend |
| give it heaps |
try hard |
| glacier |
A large, deep volume of ice fed by snowfalls on an alpine ridge or
basin and descending in a gradual flow down a valley. Aside from the famous Fox
and Franz Josef Glaciers, which are easily accessible to tourists, there are a
multitude of glaciers in alpine areas. Take care near them - only experienced
parties should venture onto them. |
| Godzone |
New Zealand as in "God's Own" |
| gorge |
a narrowing of the watercourse - associated with steep rock walls,
pools which require swimming or falls to be sidled |
| graded |
where a track has a fairly uniform gradient |
| Great Walks |
A number of tracks that need booking in advance (Milford,
Routeburn, etc.) due to high demand. You have to keep to the schedule (no
side-trips!) but to compensate, the huts and tracks are of a high quality. |
| grotty |
run-down/worn-out/dirty (the unfortunate condition of a few
huts) |
| gut |
a narrow and steep watercourse or dry gully |
| kai |
food |
| kainga |
village |
| karakai |
prayer |
| karanga |
call for visitors to come onto a marae |
| karst |
A limestone landscape that has been eroded by slight acidity in
water. This acidity is produced by decaying forest matter and creates dramatic
natural caves, tunnels, arches, overhangs, underground rivers and falls, and a
dangerous, potholed landscape. |
| kaumatua |
Maori elders |
| kete |
traditional basket made of plaited flax |
| kia ora |
hi or hello |
| kip |
to sleep, especially a nap |
| Kiwi |
New Zealander or flightless bird native to New Zealand |
| knackered |
exhausted |
| kumara |
sweet potato |
| mana |
status, esteem, prestige or authority |
| manaia |
bird or lizard form used in Maori carvings |
| manga |
branch, stream or tributary |
| manu |
bird |
| Maori |
the indigenous people of New Zealand |
| marae |
sacred grounds around a meeting house |
| mata |
headland |
| mate |
friend |
| maunga |
mountain |
| mere |
greenstone war club |
| metal road |
gravel road |
| Milo |
a hot chocolate drink |
| moana |
sea |
| moko |
a tattoo (actually incised with a chisel rather than pricked with a
needle) |
| morning tea |
a short break from work in the morning |
| motu |
island |
| mountain oysters |
testicles from castrated lambs |
| muri |
end |
| mutu |
end, finished |
| pa |
a fortified village |
| pad |
the ground print of a trail - thus a track may be well or lightly
'padded' |
| pae |
ridge or resting place |
| paddock |
farm field |
| Pakeha |
a person of non-Maori (usually European) descent |
| patu |
a small fighting club |
| paua |
abalone |
| pavlova |
kind of dessert |
| pikelet |
small pancake |
| pissed |
drunk |
| pissed off |
annoyed |
| pissing down |
raining hard |
| pit |
a sleeping bag |
| poi |
balls on string used by women in dance |
| point |
a location on the map marked with a height rather than a name, e.g.
"at point 800m the track turns to the north". |
| Pom |
Englishman |
| possie |
position as in "there is a good possie for camping just at the bush
line" |
| pounamu |
greenstone (jade) |
| powhiri |
welcome ceremony on a marae |
| pub |
bar (short for public house) |
| puffed |
tired or out of breath - "I was puffed by the top of Shoulder
Knob" |
| puke |
hill |
| puku |
stomach |
| puna |
spring or water |
| punga |
tree fern |
| saddle |
a low section in a ridge or spur often giving easier access from
one catchment to another |
| scroggin |
or scrogum: a mixture of peanuts, raisins, broken chocolate,
pumpkin seeds, beef jerky and other goodies eaten to keep energy levels up
during tramping. Also known as gorp by Americans. |
| scrub |
bush composed of small trees |
| shanks' pony |
walking |
| sheila |
woman |
| sidle |
to traverse across a hillside or navigate around an obstacle |
| silver fern |
an national sporting emblem taken from the tree fern |
| singlet |
sleeveless undershirt |
| skivvy |
kind of shirt |
| slip |
the remains of a landslide |
| smoko |
a short break from work, e.g., 5-15 minutes |
| spaniard |
a sub-alpine plant with sharp bayonet-like leaves (thankfully not
common). Its Maori name is taramea. |
| spot on |
okay |
| spur |
an offshoot of a ridge running down to a valley |
| standard |
a metal fence post used to mark a trail |
| stuffed |
exhausted |
| supper |
late evening meal/snack |
| survival bag |
large, tough orange plastic bags available from visitor centres and
outdoor equipment stores. These can be used as pack liners, or climbed inside
as emergency shelter. |
| sussed |
understood |
| swanny |
a warm and wind-resistant shirt made of compressed wool yarn by
Swandri |
| tahi |
single, one |
| taiaha |
long wooden spear |
| talus |
scree or loose rubble |
| tane |
man |
| taonga |
highly treasured or sacred objects |
| tapu |
sacred or forbidden |
| taramea |
spaniard |
| tataramoa |
bush lawyer |
| Tararuas |
a common name for the Tararua Ranges. This is Maori for twin peaked
or cleft. The most likely derivation is a horny Maori explorer who saw the
Tararua Peaks and named the range after his wives genitals. |
| tarn |
a small alpine lake, often unnamed and located in the heads of
valleys or level sections of ridges. |
| te |
the |
| terrace |
a raised flat area usually with a well-defined edge |
| tiki |
a Maori figurine often worn on a necklace |
| tomo |
cave |
| tops |
used to refer to terrain above the bushline (this may be
alpine) |
| tor |
an isolated natural column of rock |
| torch |
flashlight |
| track or trail |
a well padded route commonly kept clear with good marking and
bridges over major streams. |
| tram-line |
a bush-logging tramway or the remains of its trackbed and
rails. |
| tramper |
a mad bloke or blokes (including sheilas) who likes wandering into
the bush. |
| tree fern |
a large fern - up to 3 metres (12 feet) - with a silver back to its
fronds. The Maori name is punga. |
| true left |
left when facing downstream or down a ridge, eg. "the track follows
the true left of the river" |
| true right |
right when facing downstream or down a ridge, eg. "the track is
sheltered from southerlies on the true right of the ridge" |
| tucker |
food |
