AOTEAROA

New Zealand is called Aoetearoa , "land of the long white cloud" by the Maori - is breathtakingly beautiful, a land of majestic snow-capped peaks and unexplored rainforests, or pristine lakes swarming with trout and turquoise ocean bays speckled with wooded isles, of glaciers and fiords, geysers and volcanoes. And you don’t have to travel enormous distances to experience the many aspects of its spectacular landscapes - an alpine peak can be just a short drive from a barren desert, a primeval beach minutes from a busy city. There are kauri forests and kiwi fruit plantations, modern cosmopolitan cities and back-country sheep stations, and a range of wildlife that is quite unique, including the flightless kiwi which is the symbol of New Zealand – and the prehistoric tuatara.

There are two main islands, North and South, plus little Stewart Island off the southern tip, and a number of uninhabited islands, some of which have been made into nature reserves. The North Island has the largest population, though there are still vast expanses of empty landscapes; the South Island is wilder and more spectacular – the ‘Middle Earth’ of the film version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is a combination of a land that time forgot, completely uninhabited until relatively recent times, and a land that is impossible to forget. But first, it was the land of the Maori.

Anthropologists tell of a remarkable migration as the Polynesian ancestors of the Maori moved through the Pacific, arriving on these islands by outrigger canoe from about AD 800. Maori legend tells a much more evocative story, about the birth of all life in the stillness of a long dark night, Te Po, from the primordial parents – Rangi, the sky father, and Papa, the earth mother. Tane, their eldest son and god of the forests, pulled himself free of his parents in the darkness and struggled to push them apart, but Rangi’s sorrow at parting from his mate caused his tears to flow, filling Papa’s (that is, the land’s) surface with oceans and lakes.

Its natural wonders have made New Zealand a recreational wonderland, and New Zealanders love the outdoors – from the rugby field to the ski field, from barbecues to bungy-jumping. While preserving their natural gifts, they have used them not only as a spectacular backdrop for thrilling adventures (and films), but also to produce some of the world’s finest food and wine, to create great art and to make leisure and recreational part of daily drive. They are an active people, but they are reflective too, taking pride in what they have and what they do. Above all, they are eager to share their marvelous country and its bounty with all visitors. Haere Mai. Welcome.

Articel From The 'Insight Guide New Zealand' Book
Written by Francis Dorai