Countryside
The Southern Alps/Mt. Cook, much like the Colorado Rockies, are meddlers with the weather. Most of the weather systems enter from the West and are blocked/changed by the Southern Alps. Since Arthur's Pass is located on the East side of the Southern Alps, it receives very little rain (it is not a desert, but much less lush than other areas of the country). Thus, the foilage/grasses/shrubbery are not nearly as prevalent as they are in other places in the South Island. I could take Bryan Busby's job in a heartbeat.
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 
