New Zealand

July 1, 1995

New Zealand is one of the most stunning countries we have ever visited - we nearly emigrated! From Fjords, to geothermal springs, snow capped mountains, magnificent walking trails and white sandy beaches to skiing and surfing - there is something for everyone! New Zealand is famous for its Manuka honey, fine wines and Kiwis (As an avid Springbok supporter I will not mention the All Blacks!).

🙂 Glaciers. Mountains. Fjords. Landscapes. Beaches. Māori culture. Skiing. Surfing. Manuka Honey. Wine. Haka.

🙁 All Blacks (Well, I am a Springbok supporter!!)

Currency: New Zealand Dollar

THREE things we did not know about New Zealand:

There are way more sheep than people…New Zealand is a sparsely populated country. Geographically it’s close in size to the UK, but its population is only 4.47 million (compared to the UK’s 64 million). And what’s more – sheep far outnumber people: There are about six sheep for every human in New Zealand!
It used to be home to a monstrously big bird. Although extinct, giant Moa birds were native to New Zealand – they were 3.6 meters tall and weighed a whopping 230kg and looked a little like an ostrich.
It is the land of kiwis (people, birds and fruit). Why do people throw around the word “kiwi” when talking about New Zealand? The kiwi was first just the name for a flightless bird native to the country and became the name for the fruit when some marketing folks realized its original name – Chinese gooseberry – wasn’t going to sell and so named it after the bird. It’s also become a slang term for New Zealanders.