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Background: The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.

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By greengirl sydney
October 5th 2009

Camping South Island Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Te Anau

If you are looking for a luxurious holiday accommodation in the South Island. Te Anau Top 10 Holiday Park might be the answer for your finer campervan hire New Zealand holiday, the park is a member of New Zealand’s premier holiday park group. Te Anau is just two hours from Queenstown. The park is perfectly located on the edge of Fiordland National Park, the ideal base to visit the perfect spots of Milford Sound and Doubtful Sounds and just everything on the region. This is located on the lakefront and short distance to retail shops. The park [View Full Entry]

By Ferdi and Talita
October 5th 2009

Day 253-258: Auckland, New Zealand Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland » North Shore

An evening walk on Long Bay beach

Monday, October 5th Another day on pause. The limbo was getting tedious. We continued the search for a van and also did some research. Just before lunch we went for a jog. Ferdi had finally gotten so bored that he gave in and joined Talita. It was a bitterly cold day because the north island got a heavy dusting of snow, so our jog was not only wet, it was also freezing. All in all it's not so bad to jog in the rain. Today's highlights: 1. Jogging in the rain. Tuesday, October 6th Just when we had packed away most [View Full Entry]

It's still a bit chilly, but the fresh air is worth it!

Nicol saving the ocean from the terrible cone

By Laurene
October 5th 2009

It's like a blizzard!!! Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Tongariro National Park

Made some breakfast, watched the snow going crazy and really felt like I was back at home haha. Today I did a lot of reading, read most of my book, watched another movie, the next stray bus came in and a guy from Edmonton was put in my room. Always fun haha. Made our dinner early which was lucky since the power went out again but this time it wasn't coming back on. We sat by one of the fires to stay warm. Matt, an Aussie guy who was working on the ski hill for the winter decided to try to [View Full Entry]

By Leanne and Simon
October 5th 2009

We jumped out of a plane!!! Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Bay of Islands » Paihia

Skydive

Auckland, Sept 1 - Sept 4 Bay of Islands, Sept 5 - Sept 13 Jumping out of a plane at 12,000ft is probably one of the most terrifiyng things we have ever done. Actually it is the most terrifying thing we have ever done. You may be wondering how Simon, who is afraid of heights, managed to do this extraordinary feat. The fact is he didn't really have a choice. Within 15 minutes of inquiring about the possibility of maybe doing a skydive in Paihia we were en route to the airfield where we were met by the tiniest plane you [View Full Entry]

By SineadandPhilippeRTW
October 5th 2009

North Island: Kiwi's, Glowworms, Rotten Eggs and Rotten Weather! Oceania » New Zealand » North Island

The Kiwi House

We left Auckland in Bitsy armed with a list of the places we would like to visit (thanks to Elisha) but with no clear schedule of where we would stay. We had booked the ferry for early on the morning of the 6th, but that was our only deadline. We headed south. Our first scheduled stop was at the Waitomo Caves however en route we passed by the Kiwi House in Otorohanga. We shrugged at each other and said why not? We are not bird lovers, but the Kiwi bird only comes out at night, so we were unlikely to see [View Full Entry]

By ICELilly
October 4th 2009

Akoroa and Canceled Flights Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Akaroa

Brighton Pier

I woke up at 3:30am this morning. In a stumbling sleepy daze, I showered and packed my bags, only to be interrupted by the sound of the B&B owner dressed in his robe - "Your shuttle is delayed two hours. Breakfast is at 6:30. Go back to sleep." I know to most of you that sounds really great, but I was so ready. So incredibly ready. I grabbed my Kindle, set my alarm for 6:15 and eventually fell back to sleep. At 7:00am, the shuttle picked us up and took us to the CDC. At approximately 30 seconds from the doors [View Full Entry]

By the kemps
October 4th 2009

Franz Josef Glacier and Hokitika Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Franz Josef

Franz Josef - Wicked

The road to Franz Josef was pretty cool and we arrived just as the mist and the rain set in. The one difference between here and home is they actually know what the weather is doing so we were advised to wait it out for a day until the skies cleared. This basically involved a lot of brandy and backgammon! We did manage to nip out in the rain for a hot chocolate and a muffin and then we were very kindly given a free hot tub for an hour courtesy of spaceships - just what you need when every part [View Full Entry]

By Lowery
October 4th 2009

45 Degrees South, 168 Degrees East Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Otago » Queenstown

sunset/moonrise

A warm hello to all our friends and family waaay up north, and welcome to our newest blog from Queenstown, New Zealand. We finished our last entry searching around for somewhere to live that wasnt a garage with a bed and a sofa in it, and after a couple of weeks searching through the local rags we spotted a cottage available to rent. Along we went for a viewing, and to our delight it was perfect for what we needed. It is a two bedroomed bungalow with a nice log fire in the living room. When lit, it makes you [View Full Entry]

41 Goldfield Heights, our home away from home

By Laurene
October 4th 2009

Rain rain go away.... Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Tongariro National Park

Woke up to pouring rain. It was miserable out. Not only was it raining but it was SOOO COLD!! Well, not cold like Canada but cold when you're not expecting it and have no proper clothes for it! We just hung out at the hostel trying to stay warm, by the way NZ doesn't have very good heating systems!!! Had some lunch, looked out the window and saw snow...yep...snow. Was not expecting that! We watched another movie, had dinner and then the power kept shutting off and turning back on and then shut off for a good hour. The hostel had [View Full Entry]

By McHearns
October 4th 2009

Visit to Matakohe - Kauri Museum Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Matakohe

Vintage Cars
The vintage cars were on display

On Saturday 3 October we visited the museum for the "Settlers' Day event. Lots of people were there and all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the day. Michael and Cathy were there also - with Jason and Anita also a friend of Jason. [View Full Entry]

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