What about the sun visors that the 'middle aged' American women wear?

If you hadn't noticed, NZ is a country of diversity in climate and landscapes. Khakis probably work well across all of these. They also pack down well and dry easily meaning they work for travel pretty well. Finally, being group tourists, its likely they were given a 'suggested dress' list and khakis are probably in there, and floppy hats.

Practical.

Hope this helps :-)

So it seems that Moata was the Proto-Bauer.

Tourists are a universal plague. You go anywhere, even as a tourist yourself and find cringe inducing middle-aged American's doing cringe inducing things like standing in the Sistine Chapel and going, "George...Hey George... look up there George! Whodoyathink painted that ceiling George? It sure is prurdy."

Moata, you are getting off lightly. Here in Tauranga, we oftentimes get the huge cruiseships berthing at the Mount, and the city becomes unindated with strangely dressed (and VERY LOUD) Americans, complete with wheelie suitcases (honestly? - do you need luggage to walk around a small city?).

Having recently travelled to UK/Italy, I just wished we'd "kiwified" ourselves up a wee bit more. Italians loathe the English, but when they found our we were Koiwois, they got a whole lot friendlier. I must say, though, we just wore jeans, T.s and Chucks. No khakis or Crocs involved!

As someone who has only recently returned from 18 months travels round europe i can tell you that it is so easy to end up looking like a tourist. Clothes that dont need to be washed as often and can be worn to a variety of places and climates make looking like a local quite hard when carrying everything on your back.

'Tourist chic' - LMAO

I'm sure Kiwis have the best globetrotting attires - you guys dress as well as Aussies ;-)

I am an immgrant living in Christchurch, so that partially qualifies me as an eternal "tourist" in this town.

Khaki for men is simply a function of practicability, a romantic remnant from the various 20th century wars. Soldiers posted overseas wore them, as they are light, mighty comfortable, and doesn't show stains.

Jeans can be heavy, and rather cumbersome when it gets wet. They don't dry in hotel rooms particularly well either (Though I'm sure you can afford hotel laundry sevices). With saying that, people who wear jeans with tennis shoes ought to get shot.

No theories on the khaki, just wanted to say that as a recent visitor to Christchurch I was blown away by the number of tourists. I thought Auckland had tourists, but we have nothing on you guys! We too noticed the floppy hat, khaki, teva uniform, not nice.

When I see tourists like this I hope for their sake that they're just stopping in New Zealand for a few days before their 'real' destination - a trek in Borneo, for instance. However, I know in my heart that this optimism is unfounded.

Having been a tourist in America, I note however that Americans outside the major centres very often dress in this manner on their own soil. New Zealand tourists in America are often more well-dressed than the natives.

We were in Sydney a few months ago, at a restaurant in Potts Point at a table nearby were a group of German tourists. Not one was under 50, all were wearing khaki zip trousers, tan bush shirts (the ones that wick away any moisture), one had a hand-held gps unit, all had cameras and a couple were carrying the obligatory lonely planet guide. They all wore akubras to put the finishing touches on the ensemble. Having spent halloween in Kings Cross, we understand it's a jungle, but did the grockles have to dress for the jungle?