HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: hamish@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: New Zealand vacations
Date: 9 Sep 92 23:17:19 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <1992Sep8.115736.10676@waikato.ac.nz>, amorgan@waikato.ac.nz writes:
> In article <1992Sep7.091815.2663@cs.aukuni.ac.nz>, mnor1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (Mark Hiro           Norman         ) writes:

>> in the South Island. Christchurch is quite a pleasant town.
>

Pleasant town? Its actually a piece of transplanted Church of England. Hence
its style and grace. :) (Can you tell where I was born?)
 
> C'mon Mark - use your imagination ;-)
> 
> Fun to do: Bungy-Jumping (I suppose that depends on your definition of 'fun')
> 	   White-water rafting
> 	   Tramping in the Wakararas

Or tararuas, Or over the central Mountains (NI. that is. Ruapaheu (Still has
snow on top in mid-summer), Tongarario, and Ngaurahaue, 2 (Or 3) active
volcanoes in the central NI).

> 	   Yachting
> 	   Cruising the East Coast beaches with a surfboard/windsurfer
> 	   The Ferry crossing between North and South Islands (on a fine day!)

In the holidays? But thats when they go on strike...

> 	   Dining out at some of our top restaurants or little brasseries
> 	   Deer hunting (is December the season for it???)
> 	   Rabbit hunting (it's ALWAYS the season for it)

Specially in Otago... Damn rabbits. Possums are quite numerous too. And to
think the Aussies protect them. Always said they were weird..


> 	   Art galleries and museums 

Lots of them..

> 	   Whale spotting (if they're still doing it down south)
> 	   Wine Trails
> 	   Caving (and on the same note visit the Glow Worms at Waitomo)
> 	The list is endless...
> 
> Cultural:  Go on a pub crawl (I'm bound to get flamed for this one but it really
> 	   _is_ an intrinsic part of NZ culture)

Massey Students do this best! (Especially the Dip. Ags.)

> 	   Attend a Hangi (Maori equivalent of an underground bar-b-que)
> 	   Visit a marae (credits to Mark for that one)
> 	   Play rugby, netball, cricket, etc
> 	   Get sunburnt (a fairly unavoidable effect of living in NZ)
> 	   Art galleries and museums (again)
> 	   Stay on a farm
> 	And much, much more (I ought to be in advertising :-)
> 
> 
>>>3. What else should I know.
> 	
> 	DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT wear speedos on the beach!!!

Why? 

> 
> 
> Morgy.
> 	[This is sig-less territory]
-- 
==============================================================================
|  Hamish Marson   <h.marson@waikato.ac.nz>                             OS/2 |
|  Programmer (n/5), School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences           | 
|  University of Waikato,                                                    |
|  Hamilton, New Zealand.                                                    |
|Disclaimer:  Anything said in this message is the personal opinion of the   |
|             finger hitting the keyboard & doesn't represent my employers   |
|             opinion in any way. (ie we probably don't agree)               |
==============================================================================
  Q. If Nuclear Tests are so safe, why don't the French do them under Paris?
From: amorgan@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: New Zealand vacations
Date: 9 Sep 92 10:00:43 +1200
Distribution: world
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <4256251@zl2tnm.gen.nz>, don@zl2tnm.gen.nz (Don Stokes) writes:
> amorgan@waikato.ac.nz writes:
>> None of that oppressive mugginess experienced north of the
>> Bombay Hills all the time :-)
> 
> Having lived both in Auckland (and extremely unlikely to again) and Hamilton,
> I can safely report that Dorkland doesn't suffer anywhere near the kind of
> mugginess that the Waikato suffers from.
> I never found Auckland's heat or humidity even nearly
> as unbearable as Hamilton's.  Of course the nearly constant rain is a bit
> of a pest....

Haven't lived in Hamilton long enough to testify to that - only been here for
winter and that's pretty bad :-( . The comparison was just between Auckland and
Hawkes Bay - the paradise of NZ! (apart from the crime rate).
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: NZ news to 29 August
From: cctr123@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Alan Murray, CSC Operations, Uni of Canty)
Date: 7 Sep 92 11:32:38 +1200
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

In article <QedYXGu00j_HEIOCFg@cs.cmu.edu>, Michael.Witbrock@cs.cmu.edu writes:
>> Excerpts from netnews.soc.culture.new-zealand: 4-Sep-92 NZ news to 29
>> August Alan C. Operations@csc.c (7625)
> 
>>  The storm, billed as the worst natural disaster for decades, caused
>> havoc throughout the region. 
> ....
>> Christchurch residents awoke to 10-30cm of snow in the city with deeper
>> drifts in the suburbs. 
> 
> Look, I don't like to sound mean or anything, but that's hilarious.  If
> 10cm of snow is the worst natural disaster in decades, then ChCh must
> indeed be the idyll I remember,

My editing of the newspaper reports is probably to blame here. The disaster is
not in Christchurch but amongst the farming community of the plains and Banks
Peninsular. It is estimated that up to 1 million stock died in the two serious
snowstorms in July and August which for a place like little 'ol NZ is a pretty
serious event.

Alan
From: hamish@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Questions, please read
Date: 9 Sep 92 23:05:51 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <ow2RqB3w165w@sideways.welly.gen.nz>, Bill Bennett <billy@sideways.welly.gen.nz> writes:
> Well I reckon Bluff Oysters and Nelson Scallops were so good I emigrated 

Well the oysters are dying last I heard...

> here. The beer is awful, but the wines -- oh the wines -- are like the 

Awful Beer? You have no taste!


> nectar of the gods.

Add Steinlager to the list... 

-- 
==============================================================================
|  Hamish Marson   <h.marson@waikato.ac.nz>                             OS/2 |
|  Programmer (n/5), School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences           | 
|  University of Waikato,                                                    |
|  Hamilton, New Zealand.                                                    |
|Disclaimer:  Anything said in this message is the personal opinion of the   |
|             finger hitting the keyboard & doesn't represent my employers   |
|             opinion in any way. (ie we probably don't agree)               |
==============================================================================
  Q. If Nuclear Tests are so safe, why don't the French do them under Paris?
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Japanese Imports
From: hugh@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Hugh Grierson)
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 04:35:59 GMT
Organization: Fujitsu New Zealand

In article <N8gFqB10w165w@sideways.welly.gen.nz> Bill Bennett <billy@sideways.welly.gen.nz> writes:
>davidnz@leland.Stanford.EDU (David Richard Bell) writes:
>
>> Surely newer cars are "better", safer, and more
>> fuel efficient than the wrecks that used to populate our roads.
> 
>Why should newer cars be safer? Take a look at a new japanese car and an 
>older American or European car. Which has the stronger body? Which is 
>less likely to crumble in a pile up?

Which is less likely to crash in the first place?  Defective steering or
brakes (or poor driving) are more likely to kill you than poorly designed
crumple zones.  Not that European or American (or Australian) cars are
inherently mechanically unsound, just that without continued maintenance
older cars of any origin tend to be.

-- 
Hugh Grierson          Fujitsu/ICL New Zealand - Software Development Centre
hugh@nezsdc.icl.co.nz                Speaking for myself only.  See figure 1.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Why does spring start so early?
From: phys218@csc.canterbury.ac.nz
Date: 7 Sep 92 15:50:07 +1200
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

Bruce Waldman asked, "Why does spring start on 1 September in N.Z. while
it is still summer in the Northern Hemisphere?  Canterbury snow aside,
isn't this a bit jumping the gun?"

I don't know where you got the idea that it starts that late here!
Usually spring is well and truly here (daffodils, buds, lambs, birds,
weeds growing like crazy: all those springy things) by about the third
week of August.

As to why - consider
(a) our latitude - antipodal to Spain and Morocco;
(b) our maritime location.

Factor (a) would suggest a balmy, even subtropical, climate, but factor
(b) spoils that rosy prospect by bringing constant sea breezes to our
islands.  Maritime climates tend to have long springs and autumns that
begin early and end late.  In these parts, the real heat of summer and
cold of winter really only last about two months (mid-December to mid-
February, and mid-June to mid-August respectively); the rest is some-
thing in between.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lyndon Watson                              L.Watson@csc.canterbury.ac.nz
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: hgork@iesd.auc.dk (Birgitte Krogh)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: New Zealand vacations
Date: 10 Sep 92 11:39:32 GMT
	<1992Sep7.091815.2663@cs.aukuni.ac.nz>
	<1992Sep8.115736.10676@waikato.ac.nz>
	<1992Sep9.231719.10723@waikato.ac.nz>
	<HOSKING.92Sep9111226@kiwi.cs.umass.edu>
Organization: Mathematics and Computer Science, Aalborg University

>>>>> On 9 Sep 92 15:12:26 GMT, hosking@cs.umass.edu (Tony Hosking) said:

:
:

>snow on top in mid-summer), Tongarario, and Ngaurahaue, 2 (Or 3) active
Tony> 			     ^^^^^^^^^^	     ^^^^^^^^^^
Tony> 			     Tongariro	     Ngaruahoe (I think)
					     ~~~~~~~~~
					     Ngauruhoe (*I* think)

'gork
--

	   Shift to the left
	      Shift to the right
	         Pop up, push down, BYTE BYTE BYTE!
From: Geoff@equinox.gen.nz (Geoff Mccaughan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: car prices and need advice
Date: 3 Sep 92 06:27:11 GMT
Organization: Equinox Networks
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

meachen@med.wcc.govt.nz wrote:

>As a restorer of a classic car I disagree that newer cars are safer,
>accident wise I feel much safer in my '63 Ford Fairlane, or my
>80 Aust. assembled Cortina, or the other cars I have owned a 65 Meceredes
>and a 59 Dodge Hearse, (all these cars have seatbelts) than in any Japanese

>or modern car, which I feel are death traps. Another point is that
seatbelts 
>dont necessarily save lives and neglect by the car's owner is more the
case.

So what was the classic? The Merc has a certain style, but there's nothing
'classic' about any of the '65 models. Now if it was an SLR...

--
Geoff "only trade drive Ford" Sysop Equinox (equinox.gen.nz) +64 (3) 3854406
                                                      Voice: +64 (3) 3852101
       "Hi. You have just entered the fourth dimension. Small isn't it?"
From: paul@taniwha.UUCP (Paul Campbell)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Clinton/Gore in '92
Date: 4 Sep 92 22:23:39 GMT
Organization: Taniwha Systems Design, Oakland CA

Has anyone else noticed that the Democratic ticket for the '92 US presidential
election actually consists of two small South Island towns?

Of course as we all know (at least those that have visited them) Gore is
actually much bigger than Clinton - which makes one wonder why it has been
relagated to the VP slot ....

	Paul  ... :-)
-- 
Paul Campbell    UUCP: ..!mtxinu!taniwha!paul     AppleLink: CAMPBELL.P

       "Most American's day to day experience of 'Family Values' is found in
	brightly colored fliers from such organisations as Target and K-Mart."
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Date: Mon,  7 Sep 92 12:01:13 -0400 
From: Michael.Witbrock@cs.cmu.edu
Subject: Re: new zealand vacations
	<1992Sep7.091815.2663@cs.aukuni.ac.nz>

> Excerpts from netnews.soc.culture.new-zealand: 7-Sep-92 Re: new zealand
> vacations Mark Hiro Norman @cs.auk (1166)

> >You all have spoken so highly of new zealand I think it's time for me
> >to play tourist (providing income for local economies). I have 10 days
> >during christmas.  So here's some probably ignorant questions:
> >1. What's the weather like during december?

> Sometimes, we get endless rainy periods during the Christmas hols.
> Worth checking out what the weather's likely to be.


December weather in all but the top half of the North Island is likely
to be lovely.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Pavlova origins (was Re: Questions, please read)
From: Aaron.Roydhouse@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Aaron Roydhouse)
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 04:33:19 GMT
 <846@pyrmania.pyramid.com.au> <1992Sep11.090906.10743@waikato.ac.nz>
Organization: NewZnet Support Group, VUW, New Zealand.
Originator: aaron@downstage.comp.vuw.ac.nz


>john@pyrmania.pyramid.com.au (John Sims) writes:
> The Pavlova was created here in Perth, by Bert Sachse, at the
> Esplanade Hotel, in 1935, a story I will stick to unless someone can
> provide specific details to the contrary (ie not just "it was created
> by Mrs Pavlova, a migrant to NZ").

amorgan@waikato.ac.nz writes:
>Well always thought the story was thus:
>The pavlova was named after the famous ballet dancer Anna (I think that's her
>first name) Pavlova, and created in her honour when on a tour of New Zealand.
>If I have my facts right that would have been sometime in the _very_ early
>1900's. So why did Bert call it a pavlova then huh??? :-)

It is possible you are both right. The OED, which quotes the first
known usage of words, claims that the first known reference to the
"pavlova" was in an Auckland (New Zealand) newspaper (The "Auckland
Star"?).  I think the date was in 1906, but I could be quite wrong.
It apparantly also agrees that it was named in honour of the ballet
dancer Anna Pavlova who was touring NZ. It does not state where the
first one was _made_.

If some person lucky enough to own an OED (I hate you :-) will check
the reference for us and post it, we can add a few facts to this
important matter of national security.

Aaron.
-- 
Aaron Roydhouse            /  Tel: +64 4 471-5328  Fax: +64 4 495-5232 
Victoria University, NZ.  /  Mail: P.O. Box 11-704, Wellington, N.Z.
aaron@comp.vuw.ac.nz     /  Quote: "Death: To stop sinning suddenly"
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: new zealand vacations
From: mdh@gaya.gp.co.nz (Martin D. Hunt)
Date: 7 Sep 92 22:36:54 +1200
Organization: Wellington, New Zealand

In article <1992Sep7.091815.2663@cs.aukuni.ac.nz>, mnor1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (Mark Hiro           Norman         ) writes:
> Christchurch is quite a pleasant town.

Christchurch is a city, thank you. You are right in saying it is pleasant, 
and the people are a lot more friendly than the Aucklanders :-) I was in 
Christchurch a few weeks ago, and found the buses abuzz with conversation -
public transport in Wellington is like a morgue in comparison. 

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin D. Hunt	The opinions expressed above are mine, and mine alone, and
Wellington	do not imply any endorsement by anyone I work for or know.
New Zealand	USEnet at home : martinh@gaya.gp.co.nz
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: 19 September referendum
From: Steve.Withers@bbs.actrix.gen.nz
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1992 10:53:14 GMT
Organization: Actrix Information Exchange

In article <1992Sep5.043438.17271@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz> graeme@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz ( Graeme Moffat) writes:
> Steve.Withers@bbs.actrix.gen.nz writes:
> 
> >National is trying to paint a picture of aloof and arrogant list MPs swanning
> >about ignoring the public.......well.....they would do so at thier electoral
> 
> Don't they do that now?
> 
> -- 
> Graeme Moffat                g.moffat@aukuni.ac.nz \ Time wastes us all, 
> Computer Aided Design Centre,  Fax: +64-9-366-0702 /  our bodies & our wits
> School of Engineering,    Ph: +64-9-737-999 x8384 /  But we waste time,
> University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland, NZ \   so time & we are quits


You're quite right....:-) 
 
The like-it-or-lump-it approach is a viable one for Labour and National under
the present system as - in the fullness of time - they are certain to be
returned to power. 
 
Under MMP, they would not be assured of an eventual return. Some one else
might suplant them in voters estimations.
 
Steve
-- 
Steve Withers - Wellington, New Zealand | End the two-party duopoly. Vote 
Steve.Withers@bbs.actrix.gen.nz         | for the Mixed-Member Proportional 
withers_s@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz            | (MMP) voting system on Sept. 19th. 
**** Happy user of OS/2 v2!! ****       | Give yourself a vote that *counts*!
From: fielding@simplon.ics.uci.edu (Roy T. Fielding)
Subject: Re: New Zealand vacations
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Organization: UC Irvine Department of ICS
Date: 10 Sep 92 07:28:51 GMT

Fly fishing around Lake Taupo could be the best in the world for trout!
I haven't fished enough to be sure but, on the other hand,
I have yet to meet a fisherman who didn't think the same.
Where else can you regularly catch 3 kg (6 lb) rainbows and explore
beautiful rivers at the same time?

The lake fishing is equally good (especially for kids) and there are
plenty of guides for the beginners.

New Zealand has done a terrific job in maintaining the inland fisheries.
I only wish they would do the same for their ocean fishing.

.....Roy Fielding     ICS Grad Student   University of California, Irvine
From: amorgan@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: New Zealand vacations
Date: 9 Sep 92 10:09:03 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <Mef=84W00j_HQifGta@cs.cmu.edu>, Michael.Witbrock@cs.cmu.edu writes:
>> Excerpts from netnews.soc.culture.new-zealand: 8-Sep-92 Re: New Zealand
>> vacations amorgan@waikato.ac.nz (2406)
> 
>> >>3. What else should I know.
>> 	
>> 	DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT wear speedos on the beach!!!
> 
> Why not?

They are not hip.
They are not cool.
They are *gross*.
Only fat old white men and arrogant gits who think they've got bodies women 
can't resist wear speedos on the beach.

Unless of course you _want_ to be a social outcast :-)

Morgy.
	[This is sig-less territory]
From: v068mwnn@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (THE VISION)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: REAL NEWS!
Date: 10 Sep 92 01:17:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Sep10.113507.757@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>, kulp@cantua.canterbury.ac.nz (David Kulp) writes...
>In article <BuBC0w.JxL@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v068mwnn@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (THE VISION) writes:
>> Is there anyone out in NZ "net-land" who can post real news from NZ to all
>> of us around the world?  The Earth anxiously awaits...
>> 
>> Living without boundaries,
>> The Vision
> 
>uh, is this a subtle flame?  alan murray from canterbury posts news regularly,
>and i think he does a great job.

Sorry guy!  I've only been on this thing for a week.  I hope I didn't offend
any of my Kiwi brothers and sisters.

Still living without boundaries,
Jesse
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
From: anorris@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Andrew Norris)
Subject: Re: Japanese Imports
Organization: Cornell Theory Center
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 14:50:37 GMT

In article <5TgqqB2w165w@sideways.welly.gen.nz> Bill Bennett <billy@sideways.welly.gen.nz> writes:
>kilroy@acme.gen.nz (earthbound misfit, I) writes:
>> 
Stuff deleted

>Having said that, I'd never afford a German car and I wouldn't buy a 
>Volvo on principle.

Sweden has highest suicide rate in world, due to their boring cars?
>
>> 
>> Did you actually research the respective safety laws of the countries
>> mentioned here, or are you merely going from "what some senior MOT official
>> told you at a party."? (not a direct quote)
>> 
>Guilty as charged. However, I have interviewed someone from a major 
>Japanese owned local manufacturer who says that locally built cars are 
>made to more stringent safty requirements than Japanese models. Is he 
>telling the truth? I don't know. But it IS interesting.

Do they still make cars locally? My impression was that any construction
done in NZ was in the form of "put together the pieces", those pieces
comming from japan. And considering the cost of retooling to make thicker
body panels for the NZ market, my guess is they ship the same pieces that
they use in japan. 

		Andrew N.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: new zealand vacations
From: Bill Bennett <billy@sideways.welly.gen.nz>
Date: Tue, 08 Sep 92 11:16:09 +1200
Organization: Sideways Bulletin Board, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

mdh@gaya.gp.co.nz (Martin D. Hunt) writes:

> In article <1992Sep7.091815.2663@cs.aukuni.ac.nz>, mnor1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (Mar
> > Christchurch is quite a pleasant town.
> 
> Christchurch is a city, thank you. You are right in saying it is pleasant, 
> and the people are a lot more friendly than the Aucklanders :-) I was in 
> Christchurch a few weeks ago, and found the buses abuzz with conversation -
> public transport in Wellington is like a morgue in comparison. 
> 
> -- 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Martin D. Hunt	The opinions expressed above are mine, and mine alone, and
> Wellington	do not imply any endorsement by anyone I work for or know.
> New Zealand	USEnet at home : martinh@gaya.gp.co.nz
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------


City? Phoohey. It might call itself a city but it feels like a little 
town.
 
BTW: I love it either way.
From: roger@quantime.co.uk (Roger Phillips)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Questions, please read
Date: 7 Sep 92 09:11:12 GMT
Reply-To: roger@quantime.co.uk (Roger Phillips)
Distribution: soc
Organization: Quantime Ltd, London (software for market research)

In article <1992Sep7.043131.2671@peponi.wcc.govt.nz>,
meachen@med.wcc.govt.nz writes:
> In article <1992Sep4.150343.29258@news.columbia.edu>,
> pmc5@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Paul M Corballis) writes:
> >
> >Actors: Sam Neill.  (can't think of any others)
> 
> Actors: Jenny Lealand
> Director: Peter Jackson

Director: Vincent Ward (also wrote Alien^3).

Can anyone confirm/refute the idea that these people are NZers? ...
Joh Bjelke-Peterson (sp?),
Bob Hawke,
Richard O'Brien (wrote Rocky Horror Show).

> ... New Zealand Saviougn Blanc, Chardonnary

Ahem.
If you're looking for these in an alphabetically arranged bottle store,
try Sauvignon and Chardonnay. :-)

-- 
Roger Phillips                            roger@quantime.co.uk
"To my surprise I find out I have a great imagination." -- Ivana Trump
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: Japanese Imports
From: Bill Bennett <billy@sideways.welly.gen.nz>
Date: Tue, 08 Sep 92 11:18:17 +1200
Organization: Sideways Bulletin Board, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

anorris@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Andrew Norris) writes:

> Stuff deleted
> 
> >Having said that, I'd never afford a German car and I wouldn't buy a 
> >Volvo on principle.
> 
> Sweden has highest suicide rate in world, due to their boring cars?
> >
In London we called them Pratmobiles.  ;-)

> 
> Do they still make cars locally? My impression was that any construction
> done in NZ was in the form of "put together the pieces", those pieces
> comming from japan. And considering the cost of retooling to make thicker
> body panels for the NZ market, my guess is they ship the same pieces that
> they use in japan. 
> 
> 		Andrew N.
> 

Yes, but they a) do make modifications for local conditions. I think 
these are largely technical but nevertheless real.
and b)   They only support a limited range of models based on what they 
think best suit local conditions. This is pretty common. Think of car 
transplants in the US, they don't make every model avaiable in Japan.