Colossal squid

North Island (and a bit of the south!)

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June 29th 2009
So, we only had a few days left on the south island after the last blog update, one of which was spent at Milford Sound - absolutely gorgeous scenery. Our next stop after Queenstown was the rather sedate Twizel, the nearest big(ish) town to Mount Cook. Twizel was almost a ghost town and I think we were the only ones actually staying at the hostel - this was quite a different experience after Queen ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island

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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