Sightseers make their way onto the frozen shores of Lake Erie to view ice caves in Crystal Beach, Ontario February 17, 2014. A cool autumn and early winter combined with polar vortexes helped lake ice build up weeks earlier than normal, said George Leshke
Sightseers make their way onto the frozen shores of Lake Erie to view ice caves in Crystal Beach, Ontario February 17, 2014. A cool autumn and early winter combined with polar vortexes helped lake ice build up weeks earlier than normal, said George Leshkevich, a researcher for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. The Great Lakes in the last week reached its broadest ice coverage in 20 years at 88 percent, with Lake Erie at about 93 percent, according to the research laboratory. REUTERS/Chris Helgren REUTERS/Chris Helgren

New Zealanders are known to relax at will, but they only take 17 holiday days out of the 20 allotted to them every year. It shows a slight growing phenomenon of holiday deprivation among New Zealanders, according to an online survey. The findings have come from Expedia, which, along with a survey company, Northstar, complied an annual holiday deprivation report. It found 47 percent of Kiwis are deprived of a holiday despite a 5 percent decrease compared to 2013, reported Stuff.Co.Nz.

Germans Least Deprived

When compared with other countries, New Zealand comes in the middle of the road in terms of holiday deprivation, with the United Arab Emirates being the most vacation-deprived at 73 percent and Germans least deprived at 38 percent. Expedia's New Zealand Managing Director Georg Ruebensalsaid said Kiwis need to take ownership of their annual leave and live a happier, well-balanced lifestyle.

"Whilst we have seen a 58 percent increase in short breaks by Kiwis in the last two years, the report shows that New Zealanders see huge personal value in regular holidays but are hamstrung by pressures of everyday life when it comes to scheduling time off, " the Expedia official explained.

Thus, New Zealand can be seen lagging behind countries like Germany and Brazil, which see a bigger value in rest and recuperation and are happily utilising all of their entitled leave. Interestingly, the report said Kiwis are more likely to take a holiday soon after starting out on a job than the rest of the world. Generally, more than half of Kiwis would wait six months to take a holiday, with 30 percent waiting one year or more before taking a break. This is lower than the international average, with 71 percent of people waiting for more than six months to take a holiday.

Global Rich

The online survey was conducted from Aug 25 to Sept 17, 2014, with 7,855 employed adults aged 18 years and above, from 24 countries. Meanwhile, 3 News reported that the super rich had been mixing with locals at holiday spots in New Zealand, especially in this summer. It specially mentioned the case of Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, who spends five months in New Zealand, and following his son Lance, who is competing in the Toyota Racing series.

Stroll owns fashion labels Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors. He was seen hanging out casually in jeans and sneakers. In Central Otago, a U.S. businessman, credited for pioneering desktop publishing in the 1980s opened a general store. Paul Brainerd and his wife Debbi from Seattle had been visiting New Zealand for the last 18 years and were spending the summer there. They are also mulling plans to redevelop the Glenorchy Holiday Park as a model in environmental sustainability.

(The writer can be reached with feedback at kalyanaussie@gmail.com)