New Zealand Pictures

New Zealand is a special country for a whole host of reasons: the flora and fauna are very unusual, humans only relatively recently inhabited the country, maybe 900 years ago. The country officially came into existence in its current form in 1840, when a treaty was signed between the Maori and the British. In some ways, New Zealand represented the an enlightened settlement of a country during the colonial era, where the inhabitants were included into the power structures right from the first.

The Land and Economy

Ozone. Sun and Colour

Today New Zealand is very much affected by the hole in the ozone layer. The sun is much stronger in New Zealand than in a lot of more northern countries. This has led to an increased danger of the risk of skin cancer. When photographs are taken and developed, the colours are often very strong. If you look in a guide book, you might think that the colours in the book have been over-exposed to the colour. However, photographs reflect the reality of the country. Beach Car Park

The "Cold Jungle" and the Green Trees

The unusual and undisturbed plant life in New Zealand has created some forests which, although cold, have a jungle feel to them. This is a phenomenon similar to the cold jungles in Chile and Argentina. yet another big plant in New Zealand

Native Fauna

The only mammals native to New Zealand are some bats. Other than that, all other mammals have been imported relatively recently. This has meant some radical changes to the countryside, as the new adapted mammals such as possum, sheep, cows, rats and stoats eat the countryside flora and other animals. Albatrosses currently nest on an outcrop of the Otago Peninsular - currently there are about 60 pairs. There are the worlds largest birds by wingspan, their young are even larger than they are.

Sheep

New Zealand is famous for having a lot of sheep. There are 4 million people, and the population of sheep is around 40 million. It is a good place to pick up woollen garments such as sheep skins. The huge number of livestock is known to increase the amount of harmful gases to the environment. Indeed the New Zealand Government has considered introducing a "fart tax" to try and deal with this issue. New Zealand is a well-known exporter of lamb. A hoggert is a sheep older than 1 year.

Gold

New Zealand has been a rich source of gold. In the 19th century there was a gold rush after gold was first found in 1852 on the north island. In the 1860s gold was found in Otago on the south island and gold rushes began as the south island was explored. Output peaked in 1866 at 735,000 oz, though, recent high gold prices have sparked more interest in gold mining.

Grapes and Viticulture

The land is suitable for growing grapes which can be turned into wine.

Exports

Land Area

New Zealand is 270 550 square kilometres. This compares to 7 682 300 square kilometres for Australia and 243,000 for the UK (130,000 for England, 78,000 for Scotland, 21,000 for Wales, 14,000 Northern Ireland).

Climate and Weather

One day it might be fantastic sunshine, another might be a howling gale. Every house in New zealand needs to be equiped with fuel for the cold spells, although some aren't. Wood Burner St Clair Bed Breakfast Dunedin

Wood Burner St Clair Bed Breakfast Dunedin

The People

Racial Melting Pot

Multiculturalism is a big issue in the country today, with Maori, European and Asian settlers all mixing and mingling together. Immigration is high, with asian immigrants coming from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Japan. For Christians in China, New Zealand offers a place where Christianity is more readily accepted. This is producing a very diverse mixture of people.

Drugs

The isolation of New Zealand means that it does not have the opiate and chemical drug problems that a lot of countries have. However, home grown drug problems are rife, including a growing problem with a synthetic drug called "P", and problems with alcoholism.

Law, Legal Issues and Administration

New Zealand is a very regulated country, possibly a result of the foundation in 1840 based on a legal document. This is unusual, as most countries owe their current geographical existence to the outcome of a war or invasion. An example of the administrative bent of the leaders of the country occurred recently, when a local council attempted to pass a bye-law preventing anyone selling food without a "food-hygiene certificate"., which would have included fetes, and bowling club afternoon teas as well. New Zealand has one of the world's highest recorded crime rates, although this could be indicate of the desire to record all crimes, as it almost certainly does not have the highest "actual" cime rate.

Sport

New Zealand is a country full of people who love sport, especially Rugby Union. Rugby appears to be the national sport, and victories and losses by the national team, called the "All Blacks" are much discussed about in the local papers. The defeat to Australia in the Semi-final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup was greeted with an atmosphere of national mourning and some recriminations.

Food

New Zealanders like to eat pies: meat pies, chicken and mushroom, mince, mince and cheese, beef steak and mushroom, vegetarian, cheese, cheese and bacon, chicken and apricot. There is a vegetable called Kumera which is similar to a yam or a potato. Fish and Chips are popular, although the chips tend to be horrible. Recently there has been an upsurge in the "cafe society" with lots of little eateries springing up, and coffee making italian style becoming fasionable. Red Hot Cafe DUnedin

Education

New Zealand is specialising in the educational field, especially serving the needs of Asian students who wish to be educated in an English speaking country. The universites cater for international students, and there are many English language schools: EFL and ESOL.