New Zealand - Incredible scenery
New Zealand is situated southeast of Australia. It is composed of two large main islands and many smaller islands. It is a beautiful country with breathtaking scenery. New Zealand is basically a mountainous country with several large plains areas. New Zealand has about 1500 plant species that are found nowhere else in the world. There are no indigenous mammals, except for two species of bat. There are no snakes and only a few species of insects. The land is ideal for crop farming, dairy farming and for raising sheep and cattle. The United States imports most of its commercial venison from New Zealand where in 1960 the concept of deer farming began. The climate is mild year round. It is warmer in the north and the coldest area is near the southwestern slopes of the Southern Alps.
In fact, nowhere in the world’s temperate zone are glaciers as accessible as on the west coast where the snowfields of the Southern Alps come right down to just 300 meters above sea level. This is a marvelous place to hike. Here you can find a selection of companies that offer guided hikes to see spectacular ice formations and learn about the flora and fauna. There are also helicopter and fixed wing aircraft that fly over the incredible scenery. Two villages that are great places to start your exploration of the glaciers are Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. There are also rainforest environments to explore.
The second largest wooden building in the world is the Old Government Building built in 1876 in Lambton Quay. It is a lovely place to stay with all the modern comforts. It has been restored to its former elegance.
Another beautiful place to visit is Milford Sound which Rudyard Kipling described at the “eighth wonder of the world”. There are spectacular waterfalls which can be view from cruises as well as bottlenose dolphin, New Zealand fur seals and Fiordland crested penguins.
An unusual place to visit and to relax is Rotorua. Here you will find steam coming up from the ground in the parks, the pathways and the streets. You can smell the sulphur in the air. There are geysers of steaming water that roar as well as pools that bubble. The lakes and streams have steam rising from them. All this with volcanoes as a backdrop. When you are all done looking, relax in the pools of naturally heated mineral water.
Raglan’s Ocean Beach has lifeguards and Manu Bay is a surfing beach that brings in surfers world wide for international surfing competitions held in the summer. If you love marine mammals, be sure to visit Southern Ocean’s Marine Mammal Sanctuary. You can view whales, dolphins, seals, albatross, penguins and pelagic ocean birds all in one day.
Search online at this website for more information: http://www.newzealand.com/travel/
This site has excellent maps as well as beautiful pictures to entice you to visit.