New Zealand, God's Own Country

It is hard to describe New Zealand in a couple of words; I could write a book about it. But I think that the beauty is unequaled by any country of the world. It consists of 2 islands, the North and the South Island. The North Island is sub-tropical and relatively warm, depending where you are, the South Island has warm summers, but can be cold in winter. It is a country of diversity, born out of this climate. Because of its isolation it has very unique animals, not found anywhere else in the world.The friendly Kiwi-bird is one of them. The people of New Zealand call themselves Kiwi's even, and are proud of it.

New Zealand is a relatively "new" country. But that is not to say nobody has ever lived here. The Maori-people came here,12 centuries ago, perhaps (is not established yet) from Hawaii. Nobody knows why they ended up in New Zealand, but it could have been a tribal war, famine, or overcrowding. They were (and still are) very good boat-builders and came in so-called "Waka's". Canoes carved out of tree trunks. These people must have been very strong, because they managed to row themselves untold sea-miles to the uninhibited shores of NZ. There are many Maori's left, and they have their own language, dialects, and culture.The English settlers came much later,some from farming families.The national language is English.

The total population is about 4.000.000, give or take. Originally this country's mainstay was farming, and although it is changing, a lot of folks around here still have a farming-back-ground. A region like the Waikato has green hills stretching out almost forever. This is fertile land, perhaps the best of NZ and many dairy-farms are here. If you decide to visit NZ, you'll find that the pace is slower, there's no hurry at all.It will take a bit to get use to, especially if you are visiting from a large city like NY! But the people are friendly and helpful. Auckland is a large city(for NZ standards anyway) and has over 1.000.000 inhabitants. Although there are high-rise buildings, the NZ'ers find it a bit unnatural living on top of each other, and most Kiwi's prefer a single-storied house with a garden.There are many trips you can take from Auckland, one of the most popular a boat-trip to Waiheke-Island. A large artist community lives here, so if that's your thing, this trip is a must.

The further north you go, the more sub-tropical it becomes. A nice place to visit would be Wangarei; with its white beaches.Beautiful fern-trees, wild growing other plants, is what you'll see when you travel from here to at least Hamilton! And for miles these forests go on. Traveling South you'll go through Auckland, then Hamilton, which is a town of 145.000 citizens, and smack in the middle of the Waikato-Region. When you look at the map, on the right you'll see the "wine-region" of NZ. If you ever see a bottle of NZ wine, I advise you to buy it. Here are places like Gisborne and Hastings and if you are a wine-connoisseur, there are special organized "wine and cheese" trips. If you are not, it doesn't matter and you'll see the trip in a pleasantly tipsy haze. Then there is Rotorua, which has natural thermal pools, ranging from some bubbling mud to fountains that go up in the sky! I understand that there are some Cultural Maori-shows as well in Rotorua.This place is about 2 hours drive from Hamilton.It has good hotels.To give you an idea of the distances: Wangarei is about 5 hours from Auckland and Hamilton 2.5 hours from Auckland. Right through this region is the "Mighty Waikato River" which supplies most of the drinking-water here.

The Kiwi's love sport, rugby, all water sports, fishing, boating,golf,sky-diving, flying a plane, sky-diving,rock-climbing name it and they do it. But it is all inexpensive to do so if you've ever wanted to try your hand at any of these things,then here's your chance!

The best way to see NZ is to hire a camper van, since the roads are very good. I can't give you prices, because it depends greatly when you want to visit. Here the seasons are the opposite from the Northern Hemisphere, so around X-Mas it is more expensive, but then it is summer. Another way is to hire a car and stay at Bed and Breakfasts. These are usually just bedrooms in someones home, but they are strictly regulated and clean, and for a small price you'll taste the NZ way of life, first hand. These are usually run by very friendly people and I can recommend it. Of course there are motels and hotels a plenty too, a top-notch hotel will cost you NZ$280 a night, breakfast included.If you decide to do the driving yourself, keep in mind that you'll have to drive on the left side of the road!

Before you get the impression that there is no luxury at all like shops,large supermarkets, shopping-malls selling brand-names, restaurants and MC Donald's, don't worry it is all here; the standard of living is the same as in Western Europe.

I have not (yet) visited the South Island, but people who have been there say it is like Switzerland. High snow-capped mountain caps, and in winter there is good skiing, although there is skiing in the middle of the North-Island as well during the winter months. Queens town would be the place to go for winter-sports, with great hotels and lots to do. Of course it is closer to Antarctica so colder than the just described North Island.And If you visit in summer you probably see whales!

I have only described a small part of this wonderful country, and I have the feeling that I'm not doing it justice. But in this case there are just no words to describe these absolutely Heaven-like islands! What about the white, deserted beaches, the sun, the woods, the green-ness, the people, the relaxed atmosphere, not to mention the very favorable ex-change rates? I think that you just have to hop on the plane and see for yourself! You might never want to leave, and if you don't I'm sure there's a place for you too! (Inquiries your local NZ-Consulate)

A bit of warning: NZ has strict laws bringing food,fibers and other "live" things into the country. You will be asked to deposit some things in the provided bags either in the plane and/or at the airport. It is advisable to do this, don't think "Oh it's just an apple or a sandwich". You will have to pay a hefty fine before Customs officers let you into the country! If you are not sure,don't be afraid to ask the Customs people and they will be very helpful to sort things out for you.

Happy traveling from me, and "Haere Mai" (welcome in Maori)