No Ordinary Living Room

Fred and Myrtle's Paua ShellHouse, Canterbury Museum. Sept. 2008. Ajr

The late Fred and Myrtle Flutey of Bluff, near Invercargill well and truly established the paua shell as the penultimate piece of kitsch Kiwiana. Their crazy shell-lined living room has been recreated at Canterbury Museum and if you weren’t among the million people who visited their home in the 37 years Fred and Myrtle opened it to the public, you’ve now got your chance. I personally find the whole thing frighteningly ugly but you have to admire Fred and Myrtle for what turned out to be an ingenious and compelling twist in the tourism stakes.

Poverty Tourism

Bored with Paris? Sick of perfect tropical islands? Had enough of shopping in New York? Then how about slumming it? Literally! Take your pick between the slums of Mumbai in India; Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Mazatian in Mexico or Cape Town in South Africa. Call it Poverty Tourism, Reality Tours, or just plain unsavoury voyeurism – you can now take guided tours into all these areas. Organisers will argue that it “raises awareness about poverty, fights stereotypes and brings money into destitute areas that wouldn’t otherwise benefit from tourism;” but as others argue, if you’re so concerned about helping these people, then just write them a cheque. True, ignoring poverty won’t make it go away but does ogling the destitute really constitute aid? You decide – and if you want to know more, I have the websites, the prices, the press releases.