Situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is mainly comprised of two main large islands - the North and South Islands, and one smaller island - Stewart Island, as well as numerous smaller islands including the Chatham Islands. New Zealand is known as Aotearoa meaning "Land of the long white cloud".
New Zealand is a country dominated by towering peaks, long sandy beaches, exotic natural bush, sparkling lakes, and an extraordinary array of flora and fauna because of its isolation from the rest of the world. These values make New Zealand a haven for outdoor activities as well as a great place to unwind and take it all in.
The New Zealander is also known as a "Kiwi" (named after the national bird). Kiwi's have a unique and dynamic culture with influences from it's mostly European, Maori, Asian, and Pacific inhabitants. Kiwi's are known for their friendliness, honesty and openness.
Each region of New Zealand is unique and quite different from each other in culture, landscape, and scenery. There are fourteen National Parks which protect the natural assets of the country and there are many outdoor activities available to explore the beauty and grandeur of these parks.
There are so many "must do" activities and experiences to try when traveling through New Zealand. We have listed only a small few in our New Zealand blog entries. Be sure to check out our whole Kiwiana 2006 tour here.
Here are some more links for New Zealand:
Pictures and Information about New Zealand
Bilder aus Neuseeland (German Site)
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Scottish Heritage In Dunedin New Zealand A fine day in the Edinburgh of the South - Dunedin, and the Catlins in Otago, New Zealand. After spending a day travelling down south plus another full day to catch up with emails etc, we... |
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Adventure On White Island In The Bay Of Plenty A walk about on White Island, a marine volcano situated 50kms off-shore from Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Yesterday we drove from Napier to Gisborne then to Whakatane. Our journey took us through beautiful... |
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Kauri Forests Of Northland A walk through ancient Kauri Forests then a drive to the top of New Zealand. Our first mission this morning was to capture the sheer size of an ancient 1,200 year old Kauri... |
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Beaches Of The Abel Tasman National Park Kayaking the diverse coastline of the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park from Marahau, New Zealand. Along the way, Wade is providing some interesting history about the Dutch Explorer Abel Tasman,... |
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Lupin Highlights Of Lake Tekapo We couldn't refuse a brief photo stop at the beautiful Lake Tekapo with its banks draped with a coloured medley of Russell Lupins. Setting out from Otematata, we head in the general direction of Mt Cook passing by Lake Benmore and... |
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Alpine Pacific Triangle Touring Route South Island Returning to the Kaikoura Coast via the scenic Alpine Pacific Triangle Touring Route from Hanmer Springs. After breakfast, we headed back along the Lewis Pass road towards Hanmer Springs, to check out the... |
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Catlins To Banks Peninsula South Island Second to last day on the road on the south Island of New Zealand. A short entry today ... we drove a long, long way from the Catlins to close to Akaroa on the Banks... |
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Whales And Sunsets In Kaikoura A stunning flight over a sperm whale then the day is topped off by a stunning coastal sunset. After a brief orientation of the Kaikoura townsite on this bright and sunny day, including a walk... |
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Rugged West Coast On The South Island From Karamea to the Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki on the West Coast. After hooking up to the internet (albeit extremely slow) and catching up with laundry in Westport,... |
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Exploring The Waitaki District From whale bone fossils to hoodoos, we explore the interesting geology of the Waitaki in the South Island. After a morning of catching up on emails, we set off to explore a little of the expansive Waitaki... |
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New Plymouth And The Taranaki Region Round Mt Egmont and New Plymouth in the Taranaki region on New Years eve. We decided on the "Round the Mountain" route/itinerary today, so leaving Cape Egmont Lighthouse we... |
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Beaches And Forests Of Northland From the outskirts of the ever expanding city of Auckland to the beaches of Northland. Another day of mostly driving to get to the famous Waipoua Forest or nearby. Northland is known for... |
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Catlins Forest In The Deep South An interesting drive from Milford Sound to the Catlins on the South Island of New Zealand. We woke to the sight of fresh snow on the mountains which surrounded us and more rain where we... |
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Booming Coromandel Peninsula A drive down the eastern side of the booming Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island of New Zealand. I mention the weather a lot I know, that's because it plays a huge role in our travels and... |
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Marlborough Sounds To The Abel Tasman The magical Marlborough Sounds and pristine Abel Tasman, New Zealand. Yesterday (Dec 11, 2006) we travelled from our heavenly location of Titirangi Bay to Nelson for a... |
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A Day With Marine Mammals In Kaikoura An encounter with Dusky Dolphins along the Kaikoura Coast of the South Island, New Zealand. Today required an early start, with our first excursion beginning at 5:30am. By prior arrangement... |
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Farewell To Oamaru And New Zealand Time to move on to the next chapter as we farewell our comfy base of Oamaru and New Zealand - for a little while anyway! It's time to pack the bags again and just in time as autumn starts to creep through New Zealand.... |
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Wet And Cold On The West Coast A drive through look at the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. After basically being tossed out of the camp facilities with toothbrush still in mouth, in the name... |
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North To Taranaki New Zealand A long drive north to a region dominated by a sleeping giant - Mt Taranaki a dormant volcano. A long drive lay ahead of us today, plus we needed to take care of some house keeping, so we left... |
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New Zealand Bound New Zealand - land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa, Down Under, Kiwiland, God\'s Own - that\'s where we\'re headed! With the majority of our plans in place we're now ready to leave for our trip to New... |
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