Natural Attractions of New Zealand.

Natural Attractions of New Zealand

Calm and peaceful.

New Zealand has always remained a place so close to nature, its scenic beauty remain unpolluted, its air, earth and water as fresh as its time of creation. Its exquisite beaches, fjords, ice-clad mountains, pristine lakes, and even live volcanoes remain untouched by the criminal and protracted activities done in the name of development. There is no wonder that it remains as one of the hottest destination for eco-tourism; which is one of the major source of this island nation.

Places.

Napier Newzealand image courtsey: venueweb.co.nz

New Zealand has a history of a ‘freedom struggle’; when the native Maoris revolted against the migrant whites. As a result the British Government took control of the administration from the migrant occupants and reached an agreement with the Maoris assuring them fair deal. Waitangi is considered a very important place in New Zealand where this agreement was signed. This place has become a symbol of peaceful coexistence. Wellington is a modern city and the capital of New Zealand. In Otego we can see the relics of the gold rush that symbolizes the endless greed of man. Napier is marked for its rich architecture; this town was destroyed in a severe earth quake in 1931.

Unity in diversity.

Each building, statue that dot on the way, junctions, have a story to tell; and Zeal. Andeans are only happy to part with the stories behind these landmarks. Maori is the root of New Zealand’s culture, but due to migration; people from various parts of the world have come to live here adding varieties to the art, architecture as well as mythologies to the place of their origin. Now they all are in the process of amalgamation to form a unified culture; that is exclusive to New Zealand; a unity in diversity to be precise!

Strange names.

Doubtless Bay, Bay of Plenty, Secretary Island, Resolution Island, Doubtful Sd, Bluff, Kidnappers’ Cape; are all coined by the immigrants where as the native names are sweeter still. Putakuru, Raukumara, Opotiki, Ruapehu, Rangitata are just some of them.

Its beaches.

New Zealand has a coastline of about 15,200 kms, in the east is the Pacific Ocean with its coasts of pure white sands and offers very safe entertainments for families. That is not the case with the west coast where the Tasman Sea pounds heavily against the stubborn cliffs and hard and weathered rocks. The sand that stretches the coast is black. There are tour operators conducting tours parallel to the sea touching all beaches.

All Islands.

Great Barrier Reef image courtsey: eb.com

New Zealand is a nation of many islands, the Northern and Southern Islands are the main land masses which are separated by the Cook

Bay. Other islands also have many places of attraction. There are ferry services from Auckland to inhabited islands like Waiheke and Great Barrier. Waiheke has farmlands, vineyards, forests as well as a beautiful beach. Great Barrier is a bit rough terrain good for hikers. Rakiura (popularly called Stewart Island) is the biggest of them while Wellington, Tiritiri and Kapiti North are all with reserve forests with its flora and fauna well cared for.

Map of Great Barrier Reef courtsey: panda.org

They all have enough wildernesses to please any visitors who seek tranquility and enough hiking facilities for those who seek some adventures like hiking. Being rich in bird species those who are interested in watching them also get some thrill. There are boats for hire or join any chartered tour to find all the treasure islands scattered in the sea.

Strange bedfellows!

Geological phenomena of all types like tectonic plate movements, fault lines, live volcanoes, glaciers etc are available in these small islands. This area comes under the Pacific ring of fire, where the earth’s molten lava occasionally is so close to the surface that mud boils! Tectonic plates that -float on molten lava far below the grounds- support the landmass move and at times one forces the other causing fault lines, New Zealand is on such a fault line which occasionally shivers, the numerous fjords on its coastline are said to be formed of these occasional shivering! Here live volcanoes rub shoulders with glaciers.

Volcanic Lakes.

This region is rich in active volcanoes the craters formed due to their eruptions got filled with water in course of time these are the volcanic lakes. Taupo in the Northern Island is the biggest among crater lakes and rich in trout population. The North Island has more lakes like Manapauri, Wariake and Hawea.

Dune Lakes are depressions on earth’s surface (between sand dunes) filled with water. They generally have banks and bottom of crystal clear white sand. There are three such lakes in Kai Iwi in North Island there are three dune lakes and at Levin on the West Coast of North Island there is the most beautiful dune lake ‘Papai Tonga’ with clean white shores and clear water. This lake is also rich in bird varieties.

Dune Lakes image courtsey: nwhi.org

A dinner on trout.

These lakes are good destination for rest and unwind and can also be used as a point of rest while traveling between distant locations. There is a plus point as trout fish is in abundance in these lakes, some happy time can be spent catching fish. The Southern Island is also rich in these types of lakes, of which Lake Te Anau is the largest which is 344 sq km is area and there are 34 islands in this giant lake.

Appareled in a celestial bliss!

Not just wild locations; there are good viewings of the urban panorama from hills like Mount Eden at the Eden Island and the other the One Tree Hill at Auckland. Mount Victoria at Wellington also is such a location which enables the viewer the scenic beauty of the Wellington city. In wherever you go or look there are unusual sights as far as New Zealand is concerned; there are unbelievably strange looking boulders in Moera Ki at the Otego Coast that can be seen while travel.

One Tree Hill

A commendable job.

There are altogether 14 National Parks in these small groups of islands that means a good potion of the land mass is allotted to these parks. No doubt the low density of population can be a factor behind this largesse; but the determination of the authority to protect and conserve its natural wealth and its plants and animals is remarkable. But for these measures whole New Zealand would have turned desert due to extensive sheep farming which is still playing a prominent role in this nation’s economy.

Related Reading

• Newzealand