Mount Ruapehu Crater

New Zealand North Island -Hurricanes, volcanoes and hot springs

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May 6th 2008
As capital cities go, Wellington isn't a bad place to spend a day or so, even for a couple of metropophobes like us! We spent a long time in Te Papa, the national museum on the waterfront with really interesting displays and interactive stuff on natural and cultural history (sadly the 'shear a blow-up sheep using bar codes' feature had been removed since 2001. The sheep may have popped!). We had a ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Coromandel » Thames

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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