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In the tongue of the Maori, native inhabitants of New Zealand, their country is called “Land of the long white cloud.” This is a poetical description for a country that offers a great variety of sites which can usually be found in different places of the world: bays and beaches as found in the Pacific Sea, fjords as found in Norway, mountain peaks covered with snow as found in South America, glaciers and lakes as found in the Alps, waterfalls as found in the Amazon regions, geysers as found in Iceland. New Zealand’s nature is certainly its most prominent feature.
To discover nature one will also have to pass through some towns. Auckland, New Zealand’s largest town displays several skyscrapers, but also a lot of green areas. And if you want to change your saddle on the bike with a seat in a boat, you can visit the islands in the beautiful Gulf of Hauraki. From Auckland you can also start your discovery tour to the north: e.g. Waipoua Kauri Forest with its large pine trees, the Bay of Islands or Cape Reinga, the tip in the far north of the country.
On the Northern Island Rotorua at Lake Rotorua is certainly worth a visit. Here the air always smells a bit of hydrogen sulfide, the earth bubbles and geyser jets of water squirt into the sky. At the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua one also learns some facts of New Zealand’s history.
In the east of the island one can visit the spectacular cliffs of Cape Kidnappers at the edge of a giant bay, which cuts deep into the land. Wellington, the capitol, should be one destination on the trip. Having been here one can claim to have visited the stormiest capitol in the world.
New Zealand’s Southern Island is an ideal destination for nature fans. In the northwest the Pancake Rocks attract visitors. These chalk rocks are about 30 meter high and look like a pile of pancakes. In the south one finds the Southern Alps and the Mount Cook, both about 3000 meters high. In the west the Westland National Park opens its gates. Here one finds extraordinary beautiful glaciers like the Fox Glacier and the Franz Josef Glacier.
To breathe some city air one should go to Queenstown. The city is located at a picturesque spot at Lake Wakatipu. Many outdoor-tours start from here, in case you like to abandon your bike for a while.
As guest in New Zealand you should certainly try its native meats: lamb, beef and pork. As side dish you can order Kumara, sweet potato. Fish like Snapper, Grouper and John Dory as well as poultry is also recommendable. Pavlova, dough filled with fruits and whipped cream, is a typical dessert.
Some geography:
New Zealand stretches over an area of 270,000 square kilometers and has just about 4 million inhabitants. About three quarters of them are of European origin; the “final” quarter descents from Maori, Pacific Islander, Chinese and Indians. Languages of the country are English and Maori.
A bit over half of the inhabitants belong to a Christian church. Many people of New Zealand are non-denominational. They celebrate their national holiday on February 6th. Travel guides also like to point out that about 60 million sheep settle on the islands. |
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