Aotearoa, as is the native word for the land of the long white cloud, is in opinion of many, the most beautiful part of our globe. It’s the land of beautiful nature and many contrasts. Most of its nature is still pristine and unspoiled. Tall mountains, green pastures, turquoise mountain lakes, deep fjords, geysers, active volcanoes, miles of sand beaches, oceans, dolphins, whales, seals and much more, are still very much the same as they were, when first humans set foot on the islands. Strictly protected nature and modern sophisticated cities are the supplementing contrasts of New Zealand.
The beauty of New Zealand’s nature cannot be described by words
As many describe this land it’s the most beautiful part of our planet. The endlessly tall hills, with tall mountains above them, usually with snow covered peaks, along with turquoise lakes surrounded by green pastures, are the main reason why many people compare New Zealand to Slovenia. An extremely green country is full of contrasts, with tall mountains, steep slopes and fjords underneath, stretching deep inland. With abundance of unspoiled nature all nature lovers will get an unforgettable experience travelling the islands. You can experience it best by traveling on your own, when you can stop at any point you feel like, when you think of a spot as beautiful and special and want to stop there while trekking. Since the country is extremely safe and nature is very accessible, it’s a true heaven for outdoor sporting activities.
Close encounters with wild animals
New Zealand can really boast about the fact it hasn’t got any dangerous animals, which means going to nature is even safer and easier. There are no such animals as bears, snakes or wolves. But you can get to see some animals, that are really special to us, really up close. The whales, with their great size give you the feeling of being so small, while the dolphins with their playfulness and the sizable group take your breath away. Parrot like birds will make you laugh while begging for food and the lazy seals, laying around the gravel, rocks, trails or cycling paths, give a really relaxed feel. Well if you get too near, they will show their teeth. But the most special animal of them all, the KIWI can only be seen indoors. This awkward looking bird is in reality quite fast and above all scared. It’s so special that it ecame the symbol of New Zealand. But it’s not the only special bird down there. There’s also the giant albatross, that will put you in awe with the size of his enormous wings.
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Close to the South Pole
The proximity of the South Pole left its mark on New Zealand. This is really obvious in Christchurch, which is the main base for starting expeditions to the pole. And to satisfy the curiosity of those, who cannot go, they prepared a really attractive Antarctica centre. Since we are talking about the coldest continent in the world, which is almost completely covered by ice, with no permanent settlers except for occasional teams of explorers, it’s really fascinating to get to know this place. A special chamber of the center really prepares you for the cold of the South Pole and every visitor is quickly convinced to leave the chamber. You can even try out the ride with a snowmobile that can negotiate even the thoughest of surfaces or even swim across the lake.
Natives
It is believed that the Maori, the native people of New Zealand, belong to the pacific peoples in their origin. When the white British settlers started moving into this, otherwise very isolated, land, the natives were not immune to the many diseases the white folks were carrying. The population of Maori was split by half, when the whites came to spread their religion and culture. Today the natives live free lives and are still very connected to their roots. For tourists they will still perform their dances, dress up in clothes made from plants, get tattoos, carry a spear and show their merchandise – usually masks. New Zealand is proud that the relationship between the natives and British settlers are fair and just, but research still show that the Maori are in the subordinate situation.
The land of extreme athletes
With all the nature, it would be really strange if extreme sports would not be the mainstream thing. The various offers by several organizers of extreme activities is really attractive. You can get everything from rock climbing to alpine skiing, tour skiing, caving, surfing, bungee jumping, zorbing, and much more, with a special attraction: the wild raft ride along the river. It’s a really strong raft on a really wild river, with a special way of traveling. There’s always the feeling of the raft tipping over upon hitting a rock, for it’s really hard to keep a person inside with all the twisting and turning. And since I’ve mentioned caving, there is really a special feeling to explore the glow worm caves. Those are worms that glow in the dark to attract their play. But there are also extreme adrenalin tours across the land, for all who just can’t get enough adrenalin.
When heaven becomes hell
The famous city of Christchurch on the south island was considered, like so many other places on New Zealand, as a paradise city. It had very sophisticated infrastructure, with a perfect location by the sea, with tall mountains in the back. The earthquakes that followed one another turned the city into a real hell. Even though everybody already knows about it, it’s still the wish of travellers to see the once glorious city. The suburbs still give the feeling of a neat and pretty city, but the downtown area is closed off by barbed wire with sign prohibiting access and warnings the area is dangerous. It’s only then that visitors really start looking around, what has happened, when they are faced by warnings and prohibitions. The people’s spirit was far from broken and by now a great deal of devastation is already taken care off. You might see some cracked skyscrapers or and occasional demolished house, with some debris left, and a cracked road. But all the local people would still stay they love to live there and are content to stay.
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Apart from the earthquakes, which really affected the life on the south island, the north island has a different threat. The people there are still frightened by an active volcano. The intimidating truth behind the volcano is, that many scientists in the field agree that it might erupt quite soon. It’s difficult to tell if that’s in a few years or a hundred years from now, but when the eruption occurs, the data shows that a large portion of what we now know as New Zealand would disappear of the face of the planet. There would be dust covering the other parts of New Zealand, that would spread around the half of our globe. The people are still convinced, that as long as the cataclysmic events don’t start, there is nothing to do, so tourist boats are taking tourists across the lake to see the active mound. Most simply enjoy the view of the volcano, but those a bit more adventurous can climb the ridge of volcano and take some great snapshots.
The land of the long white cloud is what many of us whish our home would be like. I’ve felt it myself, knowing I could easily stay and live there. The friendly people and the nice climate, the target feeling of being at home and the perfect unspoiled nature, great inter-human relationships and much more made this into one of the best trips I’ve ever made.
Data:
- New Zealand is an island state in the South-West Pacific
- It’s approximately 1.600km from the mainland Australia
- There are two main islands, divided by the 23km wide Cook’s Strait
- The capital is Wellington and the largest city is Auckland
- The language is English with Maori still being spoken
- It’s a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy
- There are around 4 million people
- Time zone is GTM +12
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