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Love NZ: Celebrate Your Kiwi Adventure!
Introducing Love NZ, a vibrant and joyful new installation capturing the essence of New Zealand! At its heart is the iconic Buzzy Bee, a beloved symbol of Kiwi culture. This bright, interactive display invites visitors to celebrate their unique NZ experiences with a playful and nostalgic twist. Perfect for photos and creating cherished memories. Whether you're reliving childhood fun or discovering the charm of the Buzzy Bee for the first time, this installation is a buzzing tribute to everything we love about Aotearoa.
Fun Facts about The Buzzy Bee
- Invented in 1940 by John Schlesinger, a wood turner in St Benedicts Street, Auckland who wished to make children’s toys during wartime rationing.
- Regarded as New Zealand’s favourite toy and the same toy is often handed down from one generation to the next.
- Recognised as one of New Zealand’s most iconic symbols, a unique and fun toy brand of colour, movement and sound.
- The Buzzy Bee is one of 12 other wooden toys made by the inventor. Most famously the wooden teether dolls of Mary Lou and Oscar Ostrich continue to sell today.
- Is frequently depicted in art, sculpture, murals, stamps and is often the centrepiece of Christmas parades.
- Buzzy Bee has an extraordinary association with the British Royal Family, being gifted by New Zealand to Prince William in 1983 which started a tradition of Buzzy Bee related gifts to new Royal Family members ever since.
- Every year thousands of Buzzy Bee toys are sent by Kiwi’s as gifts to the babies of friends and family living in countries all around the world as a truly unique gift of New Zealand love.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the specially created Airport Buzzy Bees’s hidden within.
- Queen Bee
- Rugby Bee
- Pilot Bee
- Pink Bee
- Blue Bee
- Glitter Bee
- Pāua Shell Bee
- Golden Bee
- Daisy Bee
- Rainbow Bee