New Zealand
Maori legend says, a powerful, intelligent demigod named Maui along with his brothers fished numerous islands from ocean, the largest being the North Island. It is strongly believed that Maui and his brothers crafted the hills, forest, lakes and glaciers. Polynesian demigod Maui crafted the newest landmass of earth and blessed the land with unmatched beauty, mystic landscape and rich bio diversity. “Kia Ora” (welcome) to “Aotearoa” (The land of the long white cloud). Welcome to New Zealand, the land crafted by Maui and one of the most photogenic country on planet Earth. This is a country blessed with stunning natural landscapes and one of the most naïve populations on earth. This beautiful country is full of jagged mountains, steep fords, blue lakes, wild rivers, pristine beaches, verdant forest and active volcanoes. This country is also blessed with some unique flora and fauna like the Kiwi, which has become a part of the national identity. This is a country which loves, respect and celebrates its indigenous culture like no other country. Most of the country is sparsely populated but has a very good network roads and most of the land is still unexplored.
New Zealand is a developed country with a very high quality of life and always ranked among the top in terms of various social and economic categories. This country used to be a land of Maori people and later it became home to European immigrants since the early nineteenth century. New Zealand officially became a British dominion and along with its close door neighbour Australia, is the major power house of Oceania and Pacific zone. High quality wines and dairy products; National Rugby side also knows as the ‘Black Caps’ and traditional Maori war dance- the Hakka are the major cultural import of New Zealand.
New Zealand consists of two main island and many smaller islands in South Pacific Ocean. This is a country which is so diverse that within couple of days drive you will come across spectacular glaciers, picturesque fiords, rugged mountains, vast plains, rolling hillsides, subtropical forest, volcanic plateau, and miles of coastline with gorgeous sandy beaches. Much of these landscapes are protected by National Parks with thousands of kilometres of walks and trails opening their beauty to the public. This diverse land has now become the playground of Fantasy movies and various Hollywood blockbuster films including the famous Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This is a country which is rewarding as well as exciting for all section of tourist.
Other Cities in New Zealand
Weather of
New Zealand
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New Zealand has a mild and temperate maritime climate and the annual average temperature hovers between 10°C in South Island and 16°C in the North Island. The diverse geography and its location play an important role. Conditions vary sharply across regions from extremely wet on the West Coast of the South Island to almost semi-arid in Central Otago and the Mackenzie Basinof inland Canterbury and subtropical in Northland. New Zealand is one of the most difficult countries in the world in which to forecast the weather. Although the weather is changeable, there is certainly more sunshine and warm temperate temperatures to enjoy in summer. It is not uncommon, especially on the South Island, to experience four seasons in one day. New Zealand is a small country surrounded by ocean. A complicating, but often beneficial factor on the day to day weather is the steep mountain range running down the spine of New Zealand orientated in a southwest-northeast direction. The weather is mostly influenced by fast moving weather systems in the strong westerly winds, which are often referred to as the roaring forties, which predominate over southern parts of the country and seas to the south.
Food of
New Zealand
New Zealand's cultural majority, mainly British, do not have a definitive and recognisably distinct cuisine that differs markedly from the traditional British cuisine. Recently Maori cuisine is also getting importance. New Zealand has a wide range of eating places, from fast food outlets to stylish restaurants. International fast food chains include KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Pizza Hut and Subway. On the North Island, try Burger Fuel, a New Zealand chain which makes freshly cooked burgers served with kumara chips and dipping sauce. There are also many independent, owner-operated takeaways outlets selling one or more of burgers, pizzas, fried chicken, Chinese or other Asian fast food or fish and chips. At least a burger bar and/or fish and chip shop can be found in almost any small town or block of suburban shops. The humble fish and chip shop is the archetypical New Zealand fast food outlet. The menu consists of battered fish portions deep fried in oil together with chunky cut potato chips as well as a range of other meats, seafood, pineapple rings and even chocolate bars, all wrapped in newsprint. Roast kumara is the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) roasted in the same manner as potatoes and often served instead of or alongside. Pavlova, or pav, a cake of whipped egg whites baked to have a crusty meringue-like outside but soft in the middle, topped with whipped cream and decorated with sliced fruit. New Zealanders eat large numbers of non-flakey-pastry meat pies containing things like beef, lamb, pork, potato, kumara, vegetables, and cheese. Some companies now market ranges of "gourmet" pies and there is an annual competition for the best pie in a variety of categories.
Best Time to Visit
New Zealand
New Zealand is beautiful no matter what time of the year or season you visit. The best time to visit New Zealand is the time that suits you best. The warmest months of the year are from September through to April. December, January and February are the 3 warmest months of the year (summer). Spring is from September - November. Autumn (fall) is from March - May and the winter season runs from June - August. Maximum daytime temperatures vary from 15 to 30+ degrees (Celsius) in the summer, 10 to 25 degrees in the autumn (& spring) and 5 to 18 degrees in the winter.
How to Reach
New Zealand
By Air: There are international airports at Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown. The main gateways are Auckland and Christchurch, with Auckland servicing more than 20 destinations and a dozen airlines, and direct connections from Christchurch to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile and Tokyo. The others are largely restricted to flights from Australia. Due to its large Polynesian and Melanesian expatriate communities, New Zealand has extensive direct flight options to South Pacific nations such as Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands.