Sneak Preview

A country at the bottom of the world, the last place God made and he saved up the best for the last. 2500km away from the closest country, New Zealand lies hidden in misty solitude. Kupe - the first explorer to land on its shores named it ‘Aotearoa’- Land of the Long White Cloud. New Zealand is one of the most awe-inspiring places on earth. New Zealand has everything an exotic holiday destination should have - mist covered volcanoes, clear blue seas teeming with fish, snow capped mountains, geysers, virgin rain forests, glaciers, the indigenous (Maori) culture and lots and lots of adventure sports. Just when you think you've experienced it all, there's more.

We'd of course recommend a month's holiday in New Zealnd, but even if you stay for a day or two, you won't return disappointed, just hungry for more. Just get the hang of their delightful twang, and you'll have the best holiday of your lifetime in New Zealand.

The word Kiwi denotes a fruit, a bird and a New Zealander!

Contrary to popular belief the Kiwi fruit which most people think is from New Zealand, is actually a Chinese gooseberry that originated in China.

Interestingly, the Kiwi bird is a bird that does not fly! It hardly has any bird like qualities even in appearance – squat body, very short wings that are more hairy then feathery.

Did you know that world's smallest marine dolphin Hector's Dolphin and the world's rarest sea lion, the Hooker's, are only found in New Zealand?

The Frying Pan Lake near Rotorua in New Zealand is one of the world's largest hot water spring.

New Zealand is one of the countries that has more golf courses per capita of population.

Historically Speaking

The history of New Zealand begins in 800A.D. The original inhabitants of New Zealand were the Moriori and the Maoris of Polynesian origin. Historians can only guess the reason for large-scale migration from Polynesia, old legends and stories point to widespread devastation in Hawaiki, which forced the migration to New Zealand.

Maoris are fierce warriors who fought for land, revenge and whatever other reason they hit upon! Their famous war dance sent shivers down the opponent’s spine! Eating one's opponent was common practise - their strength passed onto you, and taking slaves was convenient. Farming came later as it was too cold for agriculture initially, but they had plenty of to eat and the poor Moa, a 3.7 metre tall flightless bird was hunted to extinction for its meat and feathers.

War Dance Alert! Now only seen and heard at the start of rugby matches!

The Maoris evolved a culture based on tribes and sub-tribes with a hereditary hierarchical structure. Their villages were centred round the sacred grounds of the ancestors’ houses; their religion was based on various gods and linked closely

with nature, and priests or tohunga were the only people who could communicate with the gods and also maintain the history of the tribes. They mastered woodcarving and made some of the most beautiful canoes, which are still preserved in museums. Jewellery made from jade was popular and the tribes wore fur cloaks, adorned with feathers.

The arrival of the Europeans in 1769 changed all that. Abel Tasman did sail along the west coast in 1642, but beat a hasty retreat when his crew was killed and devoured when they went ashore. Captain James Cook sailed around the island in 1769 and exploded the myth that New Zealand was the fabled vast southern land. He landed, made friendly contact with the Maoris with the help of a Tahitian interpreter, and claimed the entire island in the name of the British Crown. The Maoris didn’t know it but the colonization of New Zealand had begun.

The first settlers were predictably those who had most to gain from coming over. They were the sealers and whalers who nearly killed off all the seals and whales. Firearms, once introduced, resulted in large-scale tribal wars in which a large number of Maoris were killed. Next came the missionaries and soon the Maoris found themselves losing their culture and traditions. Though by the mid 1800s cannibalism, diseases and inter-tribe warfare had abated, the arrival of hordes of settlers (‘Parekha’ to the Maoris), created tensions over land holdings.

In 1938 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed once Captain William Hobson was sent to NZ as the British Resident. This treaty between Maori chiefs and the British government granted the Maoris the rights, privileges and duties enjoyed by citizens of England in exchange for ceding their sovereignty to the English Crown. The Maoris could keep their land but only sell it to the Crown, which in turn would give it to the settlers. But as more settlers came and demand grew, tensions arose again. The British Government’s inability to mediate or pay the right price for the land inevitably resulted in revolt.

Maori Chief Hone Heke led the Maori Wars. He kept chopping down the British flag at Kororareka and eventually burnt down the whole town. Infuriated the British put a price of a hundred pounds on his head. Hone Heke responded by putting a price of a hundred pounds on the British Governor's head! Firearms finally won the day; the government confiscated lots of prime Maori land, and sold it privately - a trend that was to continue till the 1900s. The right to vote and sit in Parliament gave Maoris a political voice, and they actually started to train their leaders to handle their own affairs. Many young leaders in the Young Maori Party went on to press for greater education, health and standard of living for the Maoris. One of the most popular Maori leaders was Apirana Ngata, later Minister of Native Affairs who much to improve the lot of Maoris. Maoris assimilated with the foreigners but lost much of their own culture. In the 1970s and 80s, when Maori culture or Maoritanga revived, the Maoris began highlighting their problems and demanding compensation for land lost to the settlers. Awareness of Maori culture, history and traditions grew. Maoris all over NZ raised their grievances and took to the streets to demand their due. The Maori language was given prominence in schools; discrimination was banned under law. The Parliament passed the Treaty of Waitangi Act, and appointed a Waitangi Tribunal to investigate Maori claims against the British Crown. The NZ government approved a package of $1 billion to pay huge reparations to Maori tribes. It must be said that the Maoris in NZ were never treated with the brutality and contempt as were native peoples of other colonies. They were given the right to vote quite early on and their own representation in Parliament. Today, apart from a minority Maori demand for a separate homeland and the odd racists here and there, the Maoris and the Parekhas enjoy a healthy relationship. By 1856 NZ had become a self-governing British colony; by 1907 a dominion and by 1947 had gained independence. Sheep farming, meat exports, wool, dairy products were all exported to England and NZ prospered. NZ gave its women the right to vote in 1893, years before the US and Britain did. By 1862 the Maoris were given the right to vote. NZ participated in both the world wars as did Australia. It had one of the world's highest per capita income and a highly successful social welfare system. In addition to that, their products fetched a good price in the world markets. By the late 60s, NZ had more trade with the countries in the Asia-Pacific region than with Britain. It joined various anti-Communist forums and the South Pacific Forum on regional issues. NZ became a champion against nuclear testing in the region and even recalled its Ambassador to France in protest against French nuclear testing in the Pacific Region. (The French sank the Greenpeace ship ‘Rainbow Warrior’ in Auckland Harbour). NZ refuses entry to US nuclear equipped warships into the NZ waters and despite many problems has continued to stick to its anti-nuclear stand.

more

hide

Habitat

New Zealand is located in the South Pacific Ocean between latitudes 34’S and 47’S and is made up of two major islands with lots of islands scattered around it (mostly uninhabited). The biggest island is the South Island, which is 151,000 sq. km followed by the North Island, which is 115,000 sq. km. Both are fairly mountainous. The North Island was once a centre of volcanic activity and has lots of large volcanoes and geysers worth a good look. Lake Taupo, NZ's biggest lake and a popular destination, was formed after a volcanic eruption about 2000 years ago. The island is covered with volcanoes of different sizes and Auckland has lots of hills that are actually volcanic cones.

The South Island on the other hand has a spine of mountains running right through the middle. Aptly named the Southern Alps, they are still growing at the rate of 10mm every year! The Canterbury Plains lie on the eastern side of the Alps.

The total land area of New Zealand is 268,000 sq. km. Virtually at the other end of the world, NZ is 2250 kms away from the nearest country, Australia. It has a massive coastline full of bays

and fjords. 70% of its 3,540,000 people live in five major cities, which leaves lots of sparsely populated, stunning landscape to be explored and enjoyed. There are amazing amounts of rivers crisscrossing both the islands, like the Whanganui and New Zealand's longest - the Waikato.

Flora & Fauna

New Zealand broke away from Gondwanaland (a huge continent comprising of all the major continents) about 100 million years ago, and was completely isolated till the Maoris arrived on the islands. For those 100 million years, indigenous species evolved into a unique set of flora and fauna not seen the world over.

NZ's fauna includes some of the most amazing birds, mammals and reptiles in the world. Thanks to its isolation and no natural predators, lots of flightless and ground dwelling birds thrived on the islands. The most fascinating was the Moa, a 4 metres tall ground dwelling bird. The Maoris hunted it to extinction long before the Europeans arrived - the fate of most ground dwelling birds including the Huia. Other popular birds still on the island, but under threat of extinction are the kiwis (New Zealand’s national symbol), the Kakapo and the Kokako (the world's largest flightless parrot), lots of penguins including the blue and the yellow-eyed penguin, parakeets, herons and ducks. The introduction of predator species by the Maoris and by the Parekhas (settlers) has seen the extinction and endangerment of many of the bird species. Eco Alert! Don’t miss the Kakapo- only 50 of them still survive.

Marine mammals are the pride of NZ. Nearly wiped out by sealers and whalers, they are now worshipped for their beauty as well as for the tourist revenue they bring in. NZ has 35 of the 76 species of whales and dolphins in the world, the Sperm whales, the Orca (killer whale), dolphins, fur seals, elephant seals and lots more. The most sought after are the Humpback whales, now thought to number only 2000.

Dinosaur Alert! The reptilian grandfather of the world, the Tuatara is a resident of NZ. Dating back to the age of the dinosaurs some 260 or so million years ago, this 60 cm long reptile is the undisputed king of all reptiles. Surviving on protected islands it can live up to a hundred years!

The flora of NZ is one of the most unique in the world. The Maoris named all their trees and flowers with a lot of love. From 70% to 10%-15%, the native forest cover has taken a nosedive since the Europeans arrived. However, the remaining native forests are well protected and in the North Island, one can get to see the giant kauri forests and rainforests covered with beeches, ferns and alpine and sub-alpine herb fields. Native trees like the tawa, matai and rata are in abundance.

The South Island, on the other hand, has a lot of ferns (over 80 species) and scrubs. NZ has some 72 species of orchids alone and of NZ's 2000 flowering plants an astounding 70% are only found in NZ. Ancient trees like the Kahikatea grow up to 60m and live for hundreds of years. The Kauri tree grows to 30m and lives on for about 2000 years and was cut down in huge amounts for its precious timber. NZ has now planted foreign species of trees for timber.

more

hide