New Zealand--Culture Smart! by Ljiljana Ortolja-Baird

Author:Ljiljana Ortolja-Baird
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kuperard
Published: 2017-04-14T04:00:00+00:00

The “Bach”

Many New Zealanders have a vacation home, commonly called a “bach” in most of the country and a “crib” in Otago and Southland. Its character has changed from a basic shelter to a home on an altogether grander scale. It was usually made of cheap materials, such as recycled timber, or corrugated iron, and the now-banned asbestos. The name derives from “bachelor,” and probably dates from the early days of men-only fishing trips when only essentials were required and any furniture was practical rather than aesthetic. Many early baches were erected illegally on beach property, which is owned by the government, and while those built before a certain date have been permitted to remain, new buildings or modifications to existing ones have not been allowed. Baches mostly came on the scene after the Second World War, when Kiwis became more prosperous. The original ones had rainwater tanks and primitive lavatories known as “dunnies” or “long drops.” Nowadays, however, Kiwi baches are architect-designed and have become much more sophisticated. Consequently, they have lost a lot of their original character and heritage to become just another vacation or second home.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.