The Half-Gallon Quarter-Acre Pavlova Paradise

The Half-Gallon Quarter-Acre Pavlova Paradise^[1] was a popular book by Austin Mitchell, published by Whitcombe and Tombs (Christchurch, 1972), with illustrations by Les Gibbard. It provided a witty, satirical description of life in 1960s New Zealand,^[2] and Kiwi culture.

The Half-Gallon Quarter-Acre Pavlova Paradise

Author	Austin Mitchell
Publisher	Whitcombe and Tombs
Publication date	1972
Publication place	New Zealand
ISBN	978-0-7233-0349-7
OCLC	714880
Dewey Decimal	919.31/03/3027
LC Class	DU427 .M53

Described as "a celebrated vision of New Zealand as heaven on earth",^[3] the book was a great success in New Zealand. The phrase "Half-Gallon Quarter-Acre Pavlova Paradise" soon became part of the New Zealand vernacular, with the term "quarter-acre pavlova paradise" being included in the Dictionary of New Zealand English.^[4] Mitchell revisited New Zealand 30 years after writing his original volume, and motivated by the social changes he observed, he penned a sequel entitled Pavlova Paradise Revisited.^[5]

Terminology

• "Half Gallon", popularly called the "Half G", was the standard size of a flagon of beer then sold in New Zealand pubs
• "Quarter Acre" referred to the ubiquitous suburban section of land on which most Kiwis built their homes
• "Pavlova", a popular New Zealand dessert

See also

• New Zealand English