 New Zealand
My New Zealand Travel Information: Panoramic view at Kaikoura
Author: Frando (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
New Zealand is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is also known in the Maori language as Aotearoa, which is commonly translated as "Land of the Long White Cloud". New Zealand comprises two main islands. They are given the prosaic, unromantic names of North Island and South Island. In addition, the entity that is New Zealand, known as the Realm of New Zealand, includes Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency in Antarctica.
Guide to New Zealand Hotels
Here's a list of hotels in New Zealand that you can book online, listed by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites.
Prince of Wales Spring, Rotorua
Author: Valley2city (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
More on New Zealand
New Zealand is quite isolated from the rest of the world. Its nearest neighbor, New Zealand, is 2,000 kilometers away, across the Tasman Sea. Its other neighbors includes New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Due to this isolation, New Zealand has many plants and animals endemic to the country and nowhere else.
New Zealand covers an area of 268,021 sq km (103,483 sq mi), slightly bigger than Britain. However, it is sparsely populated, with a population of just 4.3 million people. The capital and third largest city is Wellington, located on North Island but on the coast facing South Island. More than 1 in 4 New Zealander live in its biggest city, Auckland, which has a metropolitan population of 1.4 million people, and is located on the northwestern peninsula in North Island.
Maori male performer in Rotorua
Author: Andrew Turner (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Human habitation of New Zealand is quite recent compared to New Zealand. The earliest settlers were Eastern Polynesians who are believed to have arrived around the 13th or 14th centuries. Some scientists believe that an earlier wave of settlers came to New Zealand around AD 50-150, but have either died out or left shortly thereafter.
Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman and his crew were the first Europeans to have reached New Zealand, sighting it in 1642. The encounter with the native Maoris resulted in a confrontation that left four of the crew dead. There was no more contact between New Zealand and the outside world until the arrival of British explorer James Cook in 1769. The expedition yielded the first mapping of its coastline.
Mount Cook, Southern Alps
Author: B.muirhead (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
British sovereignty over New Zealand was established on 21 May, 1840. Initially it was placed under New South Wales, but became a separate Crown colony the following year. The original capital in 1840 was Okioto. It was relocated to Auckland in 1841, and then to Wellington in 1865, where it has remained since.
Visiting New Zealand
The stereotype images of New Zealand is a land of sheep, snow-capped mountains, Polynesian culture, and geothermal features. New Zealand is all of the above, and more. The Maori culture plays an important part in shaping the culture of New Zealand. The towns and villages of New Zealand is said to appear "more British" than anywhere else in the world outside Britain itself.
The low population density of New Zealand translates into wide expanse of scenic landscapes, of rugged mountain ranges, crystal-clear lakes, scenic beaches and jagged fjords. It is a country that takes recreation seriously, with activities such as bungy jumping, hiking and mountain climbing being popular sports.
Vineyards in Awatere Valley, Marlborough, in autumn
Author: Phillip Capper (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Most visitors to New Zealand arrives at Auckland International Airport, the biggest airport in the country. From here, you can connect to domestic destinations throughout the country. If you are going to South Island, you might want to consider flying to Christchurch, the second biggest city in New Zealand.
Apart from New Zealandn nationals, almost everybody else need a visa of some sort to enter New Zealand. British nationals are granted six months visa-free visit on arrival. Check list of Visa-free countries as provided by the New Zealand immigration here. As with New Zealand, New Zealand has very strict biosecurity laws. In other words, you are not allowed to bring food into the country, even in small quantities, to prevent the introduction and spread of diseases and pests.
Lake Tekapo, South Island
Author: Achim (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Exploring New Zealand
If you are planning to go between North and South Island, the most practical and cheapest way is to fly. Other than that, it is a great country to rent a vehicle and drive around. In addition, you can also take buses from city to city. Among the main bus companies in the country are Flying Kiwi Adventures, InterCity Coachlines, GreatSights New Zealand and the low-cost company, Naked Bus.
Cape Farewell, New Zealand
Author: Matthew Field (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
|
|
Tweet 
