Related Links

Lonely Planet (New Zealand)
New Zealand Handbook
NZ On The Web
NZ Tourist Board
One NZ
Discover NZ
Access NZ Search
SODA Awards (cool NZ web sites)

New Zealand

I assume that most people following this project come from New Zealand – but just in case you're not, here's a little bit of information about the country where I live. I've also included links to other sources on the net where you can find out more.

New Zealand is a country in the South Pacific Ocean. We're easy to find, just locate Australia on a map and you'll see some beautiful looking islands hiding just below it. That's us!

In land area, New Zealand is about the same size as Great Britain – although there are only about 3.5 million people living here, with about a third of the population living in the largest city, Auckland. The country's capital is Wellington, where I live.

New Zealand is well known for is beautiful scenery and friendly people. The scenery ranges from golden sand beaches to high mountains which rival the best in Europe. Our climate isn't tropical, in winter it get cold, rains, and even snows in the South – but there are generally enough good days (and skiing) to make it all worthwhile. In summer, the winter is warm but not too humid.

Some interesting facts about New Zealand are:

  • Our national bird is the Kiwi, a small round bird with a very long beak that cannot fly and only comes out at night to waddle around the forest floor in search of insects. We used to have the world's largest bird (the Moa), and the world's largest eagle – although both are now extinct. Other native birds, though now endangered, include the Kea, Kakapo, and Yellow-Eyed Penguin. Our only native mammals are several species of bat. We have no snakes or any other dangerous animals, but we have several species of lizards including the unique tuatara.

  • New Zealanders are keen sports people – our national sport is rugby, and we have some of the world's finest yachts people (we are holders of the America's Cup and are or have been holders of a variety of other prestigious trophies). New Zealanders also like to do crazy things like bungy-jumping (but not me!).

  • New Zealand's first settlers were the Polynesian explorers, the Maori, who arrived in about 1300AD. The first European sight New Zealand was the Dutchman, Abel Tasman, who discovered New Zealand in 1642 and after who the Tasman Sea and the Australian island of Tasmania are named. The first European to land in New Zealand and spend time exploring the the country was the Englishman, Captain James Cook.

  • Our primary exports are agricultural – we export mutton, beef, dairy products, wool, and fruit all over the world. However, we are now also exporting high tech products, computer software, and other manufactured goods. A New Zealand scientist was the first to split the atom, and during World War II, New Zealand scientists helped with the development of items such as the radar and jet engine. In other words, we're lucky to have our share of clever people!

The Amazon Adventure is supported by: