Since our income is completely dependent on my pottery, my wife and I have to make our trips affordable. When we decided to travel to New Zealand, for instance, we made arrangements to work our way through the country.

Through the weaving guilds that my wife, Christine, belongs to, we had the opportunity to host sheep farmers from New Zealand and Australia. These farmers were in the United States to meet with spinning groups and to promote the sale of their wool. Because of this experience, we decided to contact potters’ groups in New Zealand with the prospect of sponsorship.

After obtaining a list published in New Zealand Potter magazine, I wrote to 85 potters’ groups, expressing my desire to meet with them. I offered to give a slide presentation about my work as a ceramist in the U.S. in exchange for bed and breakfast. I also enclosed information about myself, a brochure about our pottery and a list of workshops I was prepared to give.

Letters may take two weeks to travel each way, so advance planning was important. From the initial mailing, I received replies from 12 clubs. A few declined, some referred me to other groups, and a few extended invitations to visit or present workshops. A second and third round of letters was needed to finalize dates with the various groups.

In New Zealand, professional potters are busy with the summer tourist trade from December until March. (It’s summer down there when it’s winter here in the northern hemisphere.)

Therefore, we scheduled workshops for March and April. Most were held on weekends, since the majority of group members are part-time potters. Many full-time professional potters, however, received their early training while members of these groups.

After six months of correspondence, I had arranged to give eight workshops. Topics ranged from throwing functional pots and mold making to making "Aquasculptures", which has been the focus of my work for the past 20 years (see Lee Steedle’s article "Fountains: Sweet Music" in the June/July/August 1992 issue of Ceramics Monthly).

New Zealand has a fairly standard tutor fee of NZ$250 per day, and most of the pottery groups receive funding through the Queen Elizabeth II Arts grant program. This is another reason to plan early, as clubs need time to apply and receive grants before they can confirm a workshop date with the instructor. One contact worth noting is Julie Warren, Box 1110, Nelson, New Zealand. She acts as a workshop organizer for the New Zealand Society of Potters, and will help with many details.

Potters are held in great esteem in New Zealand. There seems to be a potter around every corner (see John Glick’s two-part article "New Zealand Impressions" in the April and May 1985 issues of CM). The greatest concentration of working ceramists, however, can be found in the vicinity of Nelson on the South Island. The New Zealand government supports potters by providing grant money for anything from building a kiln and fixing the workshop roof to traveling abroad. Functional as well as one-off (one-of-a-kind) pottery is considered an art form there, and this has a major impact on how ceramists are able to make a living. Anyone who reads Ceramics Monthly is aware of the "Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award", one of the largest cash prizes given for international ceramics competitions.

New Zealand potters are generally rather modest, which is in keeping with the society as a whole. Most individuals who have been to that country would agree that it operates at a slower pace, with less emphasis on acquisition of material wealth. It sometimes feels like time has moved back 30 years. I say that with admiration, since personal egos do not seem to dominate the clay scene to the degree found in the United States.

While giving a presentation at a potter’s group, I was approached by a ceramist from a neighboring community. Her club had not replied to my initial inquiry and she was honest enough to tell me why. Prior to our arrival, there had been some American potters giving workshops who had very large egos--- that attitude did not go over well. It goes without saying that a bit of humility goes a long way in making friends and smoothing the way for those who travel in your wake.

New Zealand potters tend to be very practical and quite low tech. Few have computers. They have the advantage of universal health care, so ceramists don’t have to buy personal health insurance. New Zealanders do not sue each other at the drop of a hat, thus there is no need for product or personal liability insurance. In essence, New Zealand potters are able to keep their overhead lower than is feasible in the U.S., which influences how many pots they need to make and sell.

We tried to allow a flexible time schedule when traveling in order to fully appreciate the country. These scenic islands offer some of the best fly-fishing in the world, as well as wonderful opportunities for hiking and camping. Basic costs as a traveler are comparable to or slightly less than in the United States. Although we were hosted by potters for the most part, we occasionally stayed in "tourist flats" (motel-like rooms with full kitchens). Since there are few restaurants outside the cities, travelers often carry food in a "chilly bin" (cooler), and the tourist flats provide the kitchen, plates, utensils and cooking implements needed.

New Zealand is a rural country, where having a car to get around is invaluable. Public transport does exist, but it requires a lot of time and energy. Hitchhiking is common and safe. For short stays, though, rental cars are one answer. We purchased a used car through a buy-back plan, which gave us mobility and ensured that we could sell the car at the end of our trip.