Holiday in Auckland
Auckland is a pleasant urban center; it is colourful, vibrant, cultural, beautiful and full of fun.
New Zealand International Airports
New Zealand has five international airports. In addition, there are several smaller domestic airports.
Franz Josef Glacier
Franz Josef is a glacier in New Zealand’s South Island, on the west coast.
New Zealand Lord of the Rings
Everyone knows that the Lord of the Rings was filmed entirely in New Zealand. Read more about the real locations that were used in the film trilogy.
Driving in New Zealand
Driving in New Zealand is not the same as driving in some of the other countries in the world. For example, in New Zealand, you will need to drive on the left hand side of the road. The driver’s seat is on the right of the vehicle. This can be a real challenge to visitors from the United States or Canada who are driving in New Zealand for the first time. It is essential to have a valid driver’s license to drive in New Zealand. Also, you must not have received any suspension of disqualification of any sort in New Zealand. If you are visiting New Zealand on business, it is recommended to get insured before driving in New Zealand. It is not compulsory for drivers or car owners to get insured in New Zealand, but it protects you from a potentially huge financial loss in case you happen to get into an accident. It is important to learn the Road Code as well, before driving in New Zealand for the first time. If you are an international student who wants to drive in New Zealand, you must be at least 18 years old and will need to pass an […]
The Māori Language
The Māori language is one of the official languages in New Zealand. It is spoken mostly by the indigenous people who are called Māori. The origin of the language traces back the Eastern Polynesian islands, where the Māori history can be traced back. In reality only some 30,000 people can speak the language fluently, but several words have made it into everyday use with all the people currently inhabiting New Zealand. The most famous expression would be the ubiquitous “Kia Ora” which can be translated as “hello, how are you”. Here’s a few more words and concepts to illustrate the rich vocabulary of the Māori people Awa = River Motu = Island Puke = Hill Wai = Water Whanga = Harbour Kia Ora = Hi Haere mai = Welcome Maunga = Mountain The Māori language represents a big part of the culture of New Zealand, yet many people fail to pronounce the words correctly. Despite many of the current inhabitants of New Zealand have ancestors from other countries, the people in general respect the language and the culture of the indigenous people. This is in stark contrast when compared for example against the neighboring Australia. It has been suggested that Australia was home to more […]
Auckland Airport Parking
Auckland airport has a wide variety of parking options for everyone, whether you are picking someone up, going for an extended holiday or just have some business at the airport. As most airports around the world, Auckland airport is also divided between International and Domestic terminals. Both terminals are served by multiple carparks in their vicinity. The car parks can be divided between short and longterms park, and whether they are covered or uncovered. Each carpark has a designated letter to identify it. A Short term uncovered B Uncovered C Short term uncovered D Long term covered E Long term uncovered K Long term uncovered L Long term uncovered M Uncovered Q Covered R Short term covered S Uncovered Valet Parking In addition to these self-service carparks, there is a valet parking option on both terminals. If you are flying overseas, the booth at the international terminal is right outside the terminal building. Follow the letter V for valet parking. If you are at the domestic terminal, the letter R is the symbol for valet parking. Drive up the ramp to level 1 at car park R to reach. The valet parking process is very simple. You just need to […]
Weather in New Zealand
Four Seasons Most of the countries have some seasonal change in weather throughout the year, but generally the closer you are either to the north or the south pole, the stronger are the differences between seasons. Around the equator there is typically only two seasons, the dry season and the rainy season. New Zealand has full four seasons and as most travellers are coming from the northern hemisphere, the seasons would occur in almost opposite time of the year. For example Northern Europe would enjoy the summer season somewhere around between June and August, but in New Zealand the summer months are December, January and February. During summer months the average temperature ranges between 20-30 celcius (70-90 fahrenheit) in daytime and in winter months somewhere around 10-15 celcius (50-60 fahrenheit) degrees. Please note that daytime temperatures are significantly higher than nighttime and you should be prepared accordingly. The weather can change very fast in New Zealand, some might argue you can experience all four seasons within one single day. If you need to know the weather around New Zealand right now, you should check out the National Weather Service for New Zealand at http://www.metservice.com/national/home From metservice website you will up […]
50 Amazing facts about New Zealand
1. Taumatawhakatangihangaoauauotameteaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupo-kaiwhenuakitanatahu. That is longest name of a place in any English speaking country. 2. There are no poisonous snakes or dangerous wild animals in New Zealand. 3. Auckland has more than 50 volcanic cones but fortunately most of them have been dormant for thousands of years. 4. There are more sheep in New Zealand than people. 40 million in total. 5. New Zealand has more golf courses per capita than any other country in the world. 6. New Zealand was the first major nation to have universal suffrage. 7. Officially Elizabeth the II from Great Britain is the queen of New Zealand. She is represented by a governor general. 8. A native and now extinct bird called the Moa was one of the biggest birds ever recorded in history. 9. The Māori people are said to have come to New Zealand from a place called Hawaiki. The exact location of Hawaiki is however unknown. 10. New Zealand is the number two country in the world when it comes to McDonald’s restaurants per capita. 11. Te Waikoropupu Springs is a natural wonder, producing roughly 1-2 billion liters of water every day. 12. The Hector dolphin is the smallest dolphin in […]
Are there snakes in New Zealand?
The title says it all, are there snakes in New Zealand? The short answer is NO, there are no native species of snakes living in the New Zealand wilderness. Read along for the more complicated and longer answer. While it is true that New Zealand does not have native land snakes, it has sea snakes that can travel long distances, even all the way from Australia and the smaller islands of South Pacific. The yellow-bellied sea snake and banded sea krait are both poisonous and potentially dangerous to humans and animals. Majority of sea snakes, or the Elapidae family are poisonous. A close relative for the sea snake would be the more commonly known Cobra. The scientific name of the banded sea krait is Laticauda colubrina and the yellow-bellied is called Pelamis platurus. Luckily both sea snake species are very rare, and it is not likely you will encounter either of them in nature in New Zealand. Because New Zealand has never had a snake population, the local wildlife would be very vulnerable against them. That is the reason why the authorities are very strict about snakes, and proceed to eliminate the threat as soon as possible. Sometimes snakes find their way into New Zealand accidentally in […]
New Zealand Beaches
New Zealand being an island, by default the country is having a huge range of beautiful beaches. In fact, there are almost 10,000 miles of coastline in total when you combine the South Island and North Island. New Zealand is filled if beaches not only in quantity, but quality as well. You can find almost anything ranging from really hidden lagoons to rocky shores with black sand. Ninety Mile Beach The name of this beach is a bit misleading because the Ninety Mile Beach is actually “only” 64 (88 kilometers) miles. The beach is with golden colored sands and an excellent place for surfing. It is located on the Northern tip of the North Island, just west of Kaitaia. The northern sand dunes are a popular tourist spot for bodyboarding. If you plan on on visiting Ninety Mile Beach on your own, make sure you are driving a 4WD car because of the soft sand. Hot Water Beach Hot Water Beach gets it’s name from the geothermal activity that brings mineral rich water from the ground from two natural hot springs. In the southern end of the beach you can dig your own spa pool in the sand. You should be able to […]
Rotorua Attractions
Rotorua is a city on the North Island in New Zealand. The city is famous for being the cultural center of the the Maori people. The city has been built around a lake also known as Rotorua. The city is mostly on the southern side of the lake with some 57.000 citizens. The biggest industry in Rotorua is tourism and here are some of the well-known attractions. Tamaki Maori Village If you are unfamiliar with the Maori culture and history, the Tamaki village is excellent place to visit. There are several activities, cultural shows and the highlight of the night is the Hangi dinner. This is typically an organized tour so book in advance with some of the operators around the area. Te Puia geysirs and mud pools The scenery around Te Puia is very unusual and the geysir “shows” are nothing short of amazing. The geysirs go off quite regularly, usually every hour. Te Puia also has a wealth of Maori culture information. Be sure to catch the Haka performance. Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest The trees in the Wakarewarewa forest are so tall that you might fall over trying to catch a glimpse of the top. The redwood forest is an amazing […]
New Zealand Rabbits
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of New Zealand Rabbits? Big white meat rabbit! Nothing surprising about that, as New Zealand rabbits are used in meat production more than any other single breed in the world. They are cute and adorable and make for lovely show animals. Children love New Zealand rabbits, which is why they are kept as pets in some households. So are New Zealand Rabbits from New Zealand? No, not at all – these rabbits are as American as apple pie. They were developed in California and have a very tenuous link to New Zealand. They are a large breed of rabbits and can weigh from 9 to 12 lbs. They are mostly used for meat and for their fur. New Zealand Rabbits History These rabbits were developed to meet the huge demand for meat and fur, during the early 20th century. They became especially popular in the US during the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s when hunger was so common in the country. Following World War 2, the breed made its way to the UK and later, to the rest of Europe. It is now a popular […]
Lord of the Rings Characters
Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies were mostly filmed in New Zealand. Because the movie was a big hit on so many levels, today there are several companies that take tourists to see the actual filming locations on North and South Island of New Zealand. Below you will find an short description of all the main characters that appear in the movies. If you are interested in the movie shooting locations in New Zealand, click here to read more. Gandalf Gandalf, called as Gandalf the Grey and later as Gandalf the White is a wizard and the first leader of the Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf, along with Frodo Baggins and Aragorn is one of the principle characters of the Lord of the Rings. He is brave, wise and has magical powers and is willing to do whatever it takes to save the Middle Earth from the evil of Sauron. Sauron Sauron is a personification of all evil, who seeks to rule the world through the power of the One Ring. Sauron was disembodied when the One Ring was cut off from his hand during the Second Age at the Battle of the Last Alliance and but is back, more powerful than […]
How far is New Zealand from Australia?
A simple question and a simple answer. The distance from Australia to New Zealand is 4155 km or 2581 miles. However Australia is relatively big country and it really depends what two points you are measuring. The simple answer 4155 km is based on the geographical centers of both countries, which is most likely useless information to many travellers. It would be a very rare occasion when you travelling between these two points. Distance between the capitals of Australia and New Zealand? It might be much more useful to compare the distance between the two capitals, Canberra and Wellington. The distance between these two cities is 2325 km or 1444 miles. It would take roughly 3.5 hours to fly between the two. However there are not many direct flights and you would probably need to transfer in Melbourne or Sydney. Including the transfer time, the total would be somewhere around 6.5 hours in total. Shortest distance between Australia and New Zealand? If you were wondering what would be the shortest distance between Australia and New Zealand, the answer is about 1700 km or 1056 miles. Depending on your viewpoint, the countries might look like they are next to each other, but in […]
Visit Small Town New Zealand On Your Road Trip
New Zealand, a dream destination with plenty of dream towns and cities to try and fit into your schedule. In all likelihood, you’ll be road tripping in between these destinations which means random roadside pit stops in small towns. Rather than dine and dash, consider making an extended stop over for a night in one of these towns you have never heard of. You’ll get to see a different side of travelling New Zealand, a lifestyle that city slickers crave during the week. So much so, many try and recreate over long weekends and any time off they get. Staying In A Bach A bach is a small New Zealand holiday home, usually within a kilometre or two of the beach. Owning a bach became popular during the middle of the 20th century and to this day are sought after. Especially now that adults who spent their holidays in bach’s around New Zealand as kids are now at retiring age and the idea of a bach lifestyle in a small town is appealing. Head To The Pub And Be The Center Of Attention Small town pubs get the same crowd in every week. Everyone knows everyone on a first name […]