April 16th, Australia Day 56/New Zealand Day 1

This was a day for which I had been waiting for more than a month; I would begin my travels in the small south Pacific nation of New Zealand. I had been toying with the idea of traveling to the land now called Middle-Earth by some ever since I decided to study in Australia. I felt, however, that if I wanted to really experience New Zealand, I would need about 2 weeks. Luckily, Macquarie offers 2 weeks for a mid-semester break and I took full advantage of this. In the end, I chose a 12-day tour which I felt gave me a great view of New Zealand as well as getting me back in time to continue my studies.

New Zealand is a multi-island country located approximately between 34.5 and 47.5 degrees South. If put in the northern hemisphere, the country would stretch from about Atlanta, GA to Sudbury, ON, if I'm not mistaken. It is composed principally of 3 islands, the North Island, the South Island and Stewart Island, the southern most of the 3. Of all major landmasses on Earth to which humans are indigenous, New Zealand was the last to be settled. The Maori (MAH-oh-ree) completed the settlement of the islands by 1450 C.E. although myth has it the a Polynesian navigator by the name of Kupe (KOO-peh) discovered the land at about 450 C.E. However it was uncovered, it is known to the Maori as "Aotearoa" (AH-oh-teh-ah-roh-ah) which means "Land of the Long White Cloud". This refers to the clouds which the coastal mountains trap and keep for months on end. From what I was told, there are long stretches of time when the whole of New Zealand is blanketed by clouds.

Europeans arrived in the area in the 17th Century with the arrival of Dutchman Abel Tasman in 1642 on the northern part of the South Island. There is some speculation, although I do not know what the evidence is, that Europeans may have visited in 1504. In any event, Tasman named the area Neuzeeland (nuy-zey-land), after the area in Holland known as Zeeland, or "sea/lake land". Ironically, New Zealand looks nothing like Old Zeeland. For a time I thought that the land might be named after Sjaeland (shey-land), a Danish island upon which Kobenhaven/Copenhagen (KUH-ben-hah-ven) situated but the tour guide set me straight. About a century later, James Cook arrived and shortly thereafter European settlement began. In 1840, at Waitanga on the North Island, a treaty was signed between the Europeans and the Maori and it is still considered the founding document of New Zealand. New Zealand was also the first country that gave women the right to vote, doing so in 1893, 14 years before it became an independent nation. Today, New Zealand is a country of about 4 million people and about 40 million sheep, if not more.

I left Sydney in the early afternoon bound for the eastern city of Christchurch. This is the largest city on the South Island and the 2nd largest in the country. The flight across the Tasman Sea was leisurely and without incident. As the plane came across the South Island, I was treated to some spectacular views of the cloud-piercing Southern Alps. I managed to take some pretty good photos from the plane. Then, as quickly as the mountains rose, they fell away to a smooth plain. This is the famous Canterbury Plain agrarian area of New Zealand. I arrived around 17:00, New Zealand time, which is 2 hours ahead of Sydney. The sun was already beginning to set and although it was a bit nippy, I still felt comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts. I caught a bus from the airport to the City Center where my hostel was located. Cathedral Square is a pleasant place with some interesting architecture. I spent part of the night wandering the Square but I called it a fairly early night as my tour began the next morning at 08:00. Although I didn't know at the time, my trip to New Zealand would be the most memorable of my travels to date.

Photos are now available at: http://australiaday56-newzealandday1.blogspot.com/