New Zealand:

Christmas in New Zealand is often celebrated with beach parties and outdoor barbecues, along with caroling and other religious observances. Christmas marks the beginning of summer holidays at the end of the school year, so students have an additional reason to celebrate. The Christmas tree in New Zealand is the Pohutukawa, which has brilliant red flowers prior to Christmas.

One of their holiday traditions is to have a " Hangi.” This is a traditional Maori way of cooking food under the ground. They first need to heat rocks with a large bonfire, then push the hot rocks into a hole they have dug in the ground. They then cover those rocks with wet clothes, put the food on top in baskets, cover the food with wet clothes again, and then cover the whole lot with dirt. The dirt traps the steam in and cooks the food very slowly. This process normally takes about 3-4 hours to cook the food and leaves it extremely moist and it has a unique taste. Most tourists who have been to New Zealand, have probably experienced Hangi.