Life in New Zealand

New Zealand, or Godzone, a term shortened from a title of a poem, 'God's Own Country', by Thomas Bracken in the 1880s, is used to refer to its many beautiful aspects -- landscape, climate and social equality.

Aotearoa, meaning 'Land of the Long White Cloud', is the Maori name for New Zealand. It is believed that more than a 1000 years ago, the Maori people arrived on canoes from a South Pacific homeland known as Hawaiki. They were the first settlers who developed a very successful soceity. European migration began in the 18th and 19th centuries.

New Zealand is located 1900 kilometres east of Australia in the South Pacific Ocean. It is similar in size to Britain and Japan and has two main islands – North and South, a thirds smaller island called Stewart Island, and a number of small islands. It is mostly farmland and more than a quarter is forest area. Hence, whichever way you turn, you encounter a beautiful scene with greenery everywhere. The people of New Zealand are called Kiwis and all things Kiwi come under the generic name of Kiwiana

Size

New Zealand is an independent nation and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Comparable in size to the United Kingdom, the Philippines and Colorado in the USA, it has a diverse multicultural population of 4 million people. New Zealand’s indigenous Maori, a Polynesian people, make up around 15% of the population. Extensive areas have been set aside as national parks, including Fiordland, Aoraki/Mt Cook and Tongariro.

Wildlife

Protected offshore islands and oceanic reserves ensure New Zealand’s unique plants and wildlife are preserved. Its wildlife includes the kiwi, a flightless bird, unique varieties of parrots, frogs and reptiles. New Zealand has no native land mammals other than bats. There are no snakes.

North Island

The North Island has New Zealand’s largest lake, Lake Taupo (606 sq km), longest river, Waikato (425 km), and most of the countries volcanoes – Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe an Tongariro – all of them usually quiet. Hot springs, geysers and mudpools also form part of the volcanic system centred around Rotorua.

South Island

Here one of the most striking features is the Southern Alps, these along with the fiords, glaciers and lakes, the coastal plains of Canterbury and Southland, add to the variety of the scenery. New Zealand’s deepest lake, Lake Hauroko (462m) and deepest cave (Nettlebed, 889m) are also located in the South Island.

Auckland

The first impression one has after flying from India and landing in Auckland is ‘Where are the people?!’ New Zealand has a population of around 4.2 million and Auckland has 1.3 million, so one can imagine how sparsely populated it must be compared to India which has a population of 1 Billion and more. One has to go to the main shopping area like Queen Street to see people.

Auckland is the gateway to New Zealand and is a harbour city with spectacular views and breathtaking scenery. It has an average of 245 days of sunshine per year, the average summer temperature being 20° C and in winter 13°C, which is quite pleasant. Summer is from December to March and is of course the best time to visit. It is New Zealand’s largest city and has volcanic hills dotted all over it maintained beautifully for people to climb up and explore leisurely both by car or just walking up. The city centre, around Queen Street is a shopper’s paradise with a fascinating mix of up market boutique shops and small specialist stores.