New Zealand Travel

Land of the Long White Cloud or in Maori language – Aotearoa.

So you would like to visit it for a getaway – short or long? New Zealand is a getaway from the rest of the world for a short time if you go for a break or a longer one if you choose to live there.

Two long islands one on top of each other and a smaller island at the bottom end make it truly the Land of the Long White Cloud. It has numerous smaller islands off the coast which are delightful to visit being relatively untouched.

Having a long reach longitudinally it covers a wide spectrum of climate and terrain from semi-tropical in the north as it reaches the Pacific Islands to the cold and Antarctica in the south.

The North Island gives you oranges, glorious white and black sand beaches, beautiful ocean and sea wildlife. You experience Ninety Mile Beach and Hot Water Beach. Yes hot water seeps up to meet your toes as you dig them into the sand because the North Island has a large section of the island that is volcanic with volcanoes, geysers, hot mud pools plopping like boiling chocolate. What a relaxation to let your body sink into the warm natural mineral water!

In winter the volcanic turns to ski resorts, Ruapehu being the main one. The North Island also supports acres of rolling green pasture where most of the famous New Zealand butter and milk come from. These pastures were the setting for Hobbiton in " The Lord of The Rings" epic movies.

In the more mountainous areas you can visit breathtaking waterfalls, swim in mountain streams and rivers and yes, even drink the water. Have you ever really tasted pure cold mountain water?

The North Island also reveals wonderful caves and rock formations like the famous Waitomo glow worm caves and the colors of the rock terraces .What makes the Huka Falls so blue?

One of the joys of New Zealand travel is long, wide-open roads where you can travel miles without meeting another car.

Traveling further south we hit windy Wellington at the bottom of the North Island and on into the piece of the Pacific that cuts the islands apart – Cook Strait. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand but not the biggest city. Auckland takes that title towards the top of the North Island. Also called The City of Sails. You will see many yachts and meet a diverse ethnic in Auckland.