New Zealand for Me
- Paula Suárez
- May 21, 2017
- 4 min read
New Zealand is a country situated in Oceania. It is a big island comprised of two main landmasses, the North Island and the South Island. It has a total area of around 268,021 km2 and 4,786,280 people. Ten years ago NZ had twice as many sheep as people, but now it has more cows than sheep.
Actually NZ has several different industries, the largest is dairy, tourism is in second place, then education and in the fourth place is production. Unlike countries like Australia, in NZ it is possible to find a lot of small farms rather than big ones. However, there are also other businesses with wine, sheep meat, gold and green kiwi and avocado.
The capital is Wellington, this city is recognized for being the windiest city in the world. The other important city in the North Island is Auckland, which is considered the central point for business, exchange schools, tourism, and activities, because it is located in the middle of the island. In the South Island the main cities are Queenstown, Christchurch, Nelson and Dunedin. The most famous city on this island is Queenstown, because it is a popular place for extreme sports. Dunedin is known for studies, fashion and arts.
If somebody asks me why I decided to come here, my first response is that I came here because this country has amazing mountains with incredible views and it is possible to go hiking everywhere. But now, when I think about it, I can give more reasons why you should want to come to NZ. This country is about more than people, it is about nature and caring for these animals. It is true, the national animal is the kiwi bird, but it is not easy to see one in its environment. However there are many places that exist to care for this bird. This country is really multicultural; there are people from wherever you can imagine, from India, Swizterland, Italy, Chile, Colombia, Japan and more. The working holiday visa is a good opportunity to work and travel at the same time. The native people have stories, jokes, habits, and unique traditions. For example the Maori people practice the Haka and sing beautiful lyrics with stories about love, wars and fighting. Finally it is true, NZ has places with power and incredible energy, sometimes you only need to stop, breathe in the air, close your eyes and listen to your heart.
Facts:
* NZ doesn’t have a special dish, but you need to try eat fish and chips, because unlike in England the fish is really fresh. A lot of places that sell this dish are Chinese, but I prefer to try to find NZ sellers.
* Kumara is a sweet potato. It is good and you can prepare it like a normal potato or buy chips in some restaurants.
* The famous drink is L&P (Lemon and Paeroa). It is a soda with lemon flavour.
* NZ people love to eat everything or almost everything with mint, so you can try ice cream, chocolate, potatoes chips and more.
* The most famous ice cream is Hokey Pokey. You definitely need to try this type of ice cream!
* My favorite cookies in the world now are CookieTime cookies. Try the limited editions, which in my opinion are better than the normal ones, but if you want something normal taste The Triple Chocolate Chunk.
* Open your mind to see different kind of people.
* If you want to try Maori food you can visit Rotorua.
* NZ has two types of kiwifruits, gold and green. In my opinion, gold kiwifruit is the best option if you want a sweet fruit.
* It is easy to find a lot of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese restaurants and shops.
If you really want to get to know New Zealand, probably the best idea is to travel around the country. You can rent a car and spend your nights in hostels or rent a campervan, this way you do not need to book ahead and it is possible to go wherever you want. Another possible option is to travel around with a bus ticket, but with this way you need to know about the schedules and plan how many hours you need for your route. The main cities have interesting places and good architecture, however, the best part of New Zealand is the beaches, lakes, forests, mountains, waterfalls and native people.
My top 10 places to visit in New Zealand:
1. Karekare and Piha beaches and waterfalls – North Island.
2. Cape Reinga – North Island.
3. Mount Cook – South Island.
4. Milford Sound – South Island.
5. Tongariro Crossing – North Island.
6. Queenstown – South Island.
7. Sand Dunes Te Paki – North Island.
8. Waitomo Caves and Hobbiton – North Island.
9. Auckland City – North Island.
10. Dunedin - South Island.
In my opinion this country is amazing and has incredible things. I do not know if this trip was incredible because of the people I met, the places, my experiences or because I decided to enjoy it as much as possible, but I can only say thank you for everything. This country has a lot of possibilities in the future, and is probably than continue grow up with the time, with a lot of countries in the same place, with the same rules for everyone and sometimes with big dreams in common.
PS I wish the best for the people that I met in this trip. I hope to see you again another time, in other countries with other people. The future is amazing when you try everything than you love.
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