New Zealand
Get ready for mammoth national parks, dynamic Māori culture, and
world-class surfing and skiing. Across New Zealand, you can find everything
from an untamed wilderness to a rich culture. Find inspiration in towering mountains
and mist-cloaked fjords. Serenity in golden beaches curled around quiet bays.
New friends in small towns with big doses of laid-back charm. New Zealand can
be mellow or action-packed, but it's always epic.
Culture & History
Across NZ you can hear the Māori language, watch Māori TV, join in a
hāngi (Māori feast) or catch a cultural performance with song, dance, and a
blood-curdling haka (war dance). Māori design continues to find expression in
tā moko, Māori tattooing (often applied to the face), and the delicate artistry
of bone, shell, and pounamu (greenstone) sculpture. New Zealand’s original
inhabitants, the Māori, still play an important role in the country’s culture
today.
New Zealand’s culture has also been heavily influenced by the
Europeans, especially the British, who make up 69 percent of the country’s
residents. The colonialists greatly influenced New Zealand culture and in the
early 19th century suppressed much of it. It has only been in the last decade
or so that Māori traditions and language have been recognized and are being
brought back to the forefront.
Flavors
British-influenced
classics like fish and chips aren’t going anywhere, but NZ gastronomy has come
a long way. Chefs in Auckland, Wellington, and Napier borrow influences from as
far afield as South Pacific islands and Western Europe for creative takes on locally
sourced lamb and seafood like abalone, oysters, and scallops. Meanwhile, the
vegetarian and vegan food scenes grow evermore prominent and inventive. Wash it
all down with coffee culture, an edgy craft-beer scene, and legendary
cool-climate wines (like sublime sauvignon blanc and pinot noir).
A traditional Māori hangi is a year-round outdoor culinary experience
that’s often prepared for large gatherings. Cooked in an underground pit filled
with hot stones, a hangi feast typically includes kumara / sweet potato,
pumpkin, chicken, pork, lamb, and seafood.
For food that has a distinctly Kiwi flavor, the foodie’s choice
includes lamb, cervena / venison, salmon, crayfish/lobster, many species of
fish and shellfish such as Bluff oysters, paua/abalone, mussels, scallops,
pipis, and tuatua (New Zealand shellfish), kumara / sweet potato, kiwifruit,
tamarillo, feijoa, and manuka honey.
Urban Experience
New
Zealand is a neat and organized place: buses and trains generally run on time,
main roads are in good nick, ATMs proliferate, and hotels are usually good.
This decent nation is a place where you can relax and fully enjoy your travels.
New Zealand may be a young country, but the diverse wealth of Maori
culture, performing arts, literature, museums, and art galleries will leave
even the most fervent arts and culture buffs completely satisfied.
The Sky Tower in Auckland makes it easy to enjoy huge views of the
city’s volcanic cones, island-studded gulf, and forested ranges. The Wellington
Cable Car also takes you up to some breathtaking long-range views.
Also, this island nation
erupts with joy, music, and adventure. New Zealand nightlife is a wonderful
collage of moments spent partying in happening discotheques, relishing dinner
at 328 m into the sky, walking a quiet bridge, or bungee jumping into the void
in Christchurch. Cities like Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch have plenty
of places that make the city a perfect den for party people.
Outdoors & Adventure
There are just 4.8 million New Zealanders, scattered across 268,021 sq
km. Filling in the gaps, are the sublime forests, mountains, lakes, beaches,
and fiords that have made this nation one of the best hiking destinations on
the planet. Tackle one of the epic 'Great Walks' – you might've heard of the
Heaphy and Milford Tracks – or spend a few hours wandering along a beach,
paddling a canoe, or mountain biking through some easily accessible wilderness.
Embrace the excitement and soak in the views as you tandem skydive
at Wanaka, Queenstown, Lake Taupo, Auckland,
and Bay of Plenty; take a leap of faith on a bungee at the original Kawarau
Bungy site or New Zealand's highest at the top of the Nevis (both in
Queenstown). From the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world (7m)
in Rotorua to rivers where rapids range from a gentle grade 1 to an extreme
grade 5, New Zealand has it all.
Featuring some of the most challenging and spectacular caving systems
in the world, New Zealand is top of the list for spelunkers (cavers). Walk or
float (black-water rafting as it is referred to) through the spectacular
Waitomo Caves or enjoy guided underground adventures in Nelson (home to the
southern hemisphere’s deepest sinkhole).