Silver fern

Abel Tasman National Park

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November 12th 2008
The ferry across Cook Strait takes two hours and you come down Queen Charlotte Sound through forested narrows and islands to Picton. I didn't stay here as the bus picked me up and drove straight on to Nelson, a couple of hours away. This part of the South Island is less settled than the North Island, so we drove through forested hills and occasional grazing land. Nelson is quiet and you feel th ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Nelson Region

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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... ... read more