New Zealand has it's linguistic oddities, mostly born out of ignorance. There is an area in central Southland where until comparatively recently you could hear the Southland drawl (which is still common) mixed with unusual expressions. It was in this area (the Hokonui Hills) that moonshine was made at a time when prohibition reigned, from about 1920 to about 1950. Unfortunately I can't really remember any of the language quirks with one exception which would, of course, impress the bejaysus out of a city boy.
A discussion in the late 1960s about the use of fertilisers came around to DDT and the overuse of superphosphate fertilisers and organic farming, a new expression at the time. One woman, a friend of my aunt who came from an area north of Spring Hills in the southern Hokonuis was talking about growing crops "orgasmically". It might have just been her, but no one else either smiled nor corrected her.
Incidentally, my wife comes from the Spring Hills area. But she has neither the drawl nor the ignorance!
