New Zealand Blog Titles by Aquarius Traveller
I embarked on my very first overseas holiday in New Zealand, and since returned to this captivating country five more times. While I’ve explored both the North and South Island, my expertise lies predominantly in the South Island, where I have witnessed the awe-inspiring raw natural beauty it has to offer.
Please start your planning by clicking any of the blog titles below!
◾ Things to do on the South Island of New Zealand?
Queenstown
◾ Best things to do in Queenstown that make it worth visiting?
◾ Do you need a car in Queenstown?
◾ 3 Day Queenstown Itinerary in New Zealand
Mount Cook National Park
◾ Tasman Lake River Walk & Glacier Viewing
◾ Hike the Hooker Valley Track
Things to do
◾ Blue Pools track on the South Island
◾ Clay Cliffs near Omarama, South Island
◾ Review: Is Hanmer Springs Hot Pools Worth Visiting?
◾ Hokitika Gorge walking track on the South Island
◾ Find the Fox Glacier Glow Worms on the Minnehaha Walk
Explore New Zealand
Welcome to New Zealand (Or Aotearoa) is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. There are two island that make up the country of New Zealand, the North Island and the South Island. It covers an area of around 250 thousand square kilometres, which is about the same size as Italy. There are over 5 million people that live there, and interesting enough, 10 times more sheep.
History
From 1842-1865, the Capital was Auckland, which is located on the North Island, and has over 1.6 million people living there. It’s positioned between two harbours and takes about 4 hours to walk from the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea. Consequently, ranked very high as one of the most liveable cities in the world, and has one of the largest Polynesian populations in the world.
In 1865, the Capital title was given to Wellington (southern tip of the North Island), purely because it took government officials too long to travel to Auckland from the South Island. Just over 200 thousand people live in Wellington, the second largest city in New Zealand.
About
Most people have heard of a Kiwi and know its’ of New Zealand origin. However, it’s actually known as three different things: The people of New Zealand are known as Kiwis, the Kiwi bird, and lastly – the Kiwi Fruit.
New Zealand contains thirteen national parks (three on the North Island, ten on the South Island). These showcase more than 30 thousand square kilometres of unique and natural scenes for everyone to discover. It’s world classed destinations are well known and especially scenes from the Lord of the Rings films released in the early 2000s. You can actually still visit Hobbiton, located in between Hamilton and Rotorua.
Weather
Average temperatures range from 10 degrees Celsius in the south to 16 degrees in the North. Winter (or the coldest month) is around July and can get down into the negatives, especially in the south. This makes for a great snow season in the mountains, and avid skiers will flock to places like Queenstown and Wanaka at this time.
