New Zealand Travel Tips

Overview

Imagine a unique land of breathtaking scenery: craggy coastlines, sweeping golden beaches, verdant forests, snow-capped alpine mountains, gurgling volcanic pools, flashing fish-filled rivers and glacier-fed lakes, all beneath a brilliant blue sky. New Zealand is accessible, spread over three relatively small islands with modern and efficient transport, quiet roads, plenty of flights and two stunningly scenic rail journeys. Other pluses are friendly, English-speaking people, a low crime rate, and a trio of rich cultural influences – adventurous Polynesian navigators (Maori), pioneering European settlers who followed a thousand years later, and modern Pacific Rim immigrants.The plant and animal life are excellent offering opportunities to see the varied birdlife (including kiwis), seals, dolphins and whales. Enjoy the chance to explore two of the richest New-World wine regions on the planet, taste wonderful cuisine, stroll on moody beaches, tramp through the national parks or over alpine passes. Try bungee jumping, caving or whitewater rafting: you can ski or snowboard on world-class slopes, scuba dive in unique color-filled marine reserves, sail on exciting waters or play on tournament-class golf courses. If that is not your bag, immerse yourself in culture in the museums and galleries of New Zealand’s main cities – Auckland, Christchurch and the capital Wellington.New Zealand’s time as an original, fully fledged tourist haven has come. Long-haul flights are fast-growing and the country’s isolation, once a bane, is now a boon.

Geography
The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.

Geographic coordinates:

41 00 S, 174 00 E
Map references:

Oceania
Area:

total: 268,680 sq km
land: 268,021 sq km
water: NA
note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands Area - comparative:

about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:

0 km Coastline:

15,134 km
Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Land use:
arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 6.92%
other: 87.54% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,850 sq km (2003)

History
N ew Zealand's colourful history commences from the time when the Rangitata Land mass separates from the ancient super continent of Gondwana 80 million years ago, evolving over time to become modern New Zealand.

As Polynesians discover and settle New Zealand, thought to be sometime between 950 and 1130 AD, the Moriori people are settling, possibly around the same time, the Chatham Islands, or Rekohu, a small group of islands off the coast of New Zealand.

In 1642 the first of the European explorers, Abel Janszoon Tasman from Holland, sails into New Zealand waters. The first encounter between Maori and European is violent, leading to bloodshed. After partly charting the coastline, Tasman leaves New Zealand without ever having had the occasion to set foot ashore.

Maori

One hundred years pass by before the next Europeans arrive. In 1769 James Cook, British explorer, and Jean François Marie de Surville, commander of a French trading ship, both arrive by coincidence in New Zealand waters at the same time. Neither ship ever sights the other.

From the late 1790's on, whalers, traders and missionaries arrive, establishing settlements mainly along the far northern coast of New Zealand.

Wars and conflicts between Maori (indigenous people of New Zealand) tribes were always constant, and weapons used until now were spears or clubs. The arrival of traders leads to a flourishing musket trade with local Maori, who rapidly foresee the advantages of overcoming enemy tribes with this deadly new weapon. The devastating period known as the inter tribal Musket Wars commences.

Rumours of French plans for the colonisation of the South Island help hasten British action to annexe, and then colonise New Zealand. A number of Maori chiefs sign a Treaty with the British on 6th February 1840, to be known as the Treaty of Waitangi. The subsequent influx of European settlers leads to the turbulent period of the New Zealand Wars, also known as the Land Wars, which last for over twenty years. The Maori, although inferior in number, proves a formidable foe.

The battle of Gate Pa is possible the battle which made the greatest impact in the history of The New Zealand Wars.

Hongi Hika, warrior chief of the Nga Puhi tribe; Te Rauparaha, also known as "The Napoleon of the South - warrior chief of the Ngati Toa tribe; Te Kooti, resistant, prophet, and founder of the Ringatu church; Michael Joseph Savage, early innovative Prime Minister are but a few, Maori and European, who have left their mark on the history of New Zealand.

New Zealand today is an independent nation within the British Commonwealth. The British Monarch, although constitutional head of state, plays no active role in the administration of New Zealand's government.

The capital city is Wellington, although the largest city is Auckland, both situated in the North Island.

Government
Legislative power is held by the unicameral 120-seat House of Representatives, which is elected for a three-year term. A system of mixed member proportional representation was introduced at the election of October 1996, when the legislature increased from 99 to 120 seats. As in the UK, the leader of the largest party in the House normally becomes Prime Minister and holds executive power at the head of an executive council (cabinet). The British monarch is the Head of State, represented by the governor-general.

Economy
New Zealand is primarily thought of as an agricultural country and, although the sector employs less than 10 per cent of the workforce and contributes just 8 per cent of GDP, it accounts for 40 per cent of the country’s export income, primarily from wool, meat and dairy, and woods products. Barley, wheat, maize and fruit are the main crops. There is also a sizeable fishing industry. Energy-related natural resources, principally coal but also natural gas, have been heavily developed. There are also deposits of iron, gold and silica. From the late 1970s, a new generation of industrial enterprises centered on these natural resources was established to replace the declining traditional industries.
Between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, New Zealand underwent one of the most radical economic transformations of any Western industrialized country, with wholesale privatization, the abolition of subsidies, tariff barriers and corporate regulations, and the dismantling of many welfare systems (although spending has risen sharply of late as the government tackles the pensions crisis afflicting the developed world). The reforms have also meant that New Zealand is much more dependent on foreign trade. Recent economic performance has seen annual growth grow slightly to 3.5 per cent in 2004, mainly due to a fall in agricultural exports. Inflation was 1.8 per cent in 2004. Unemployment has hovered around the 5 per cent mark for several years, although much of it is concentrated in particular areas where it remains a major problem. Australia is New Zealand’s largest trading partner, and the two governments have recently established a completely free trading regime between them. Japan, the USA and the UK are the other major trading partners. New Zealand is a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, the international forum for the world’s main industrialized economies), the South Pacific Forum (which aims to promote economic co-operation in the region) and the recently established Asian-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum.

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