New Zealand
Introduction The pictorial beauty of New Zealand is renowned and breathe taking. The country is rich in culture and traditions, adventure sports, beautiful glaciers, green pastures, waterfalls and subtropical forests. The country has diverse animal and plant life, including a large number of bird species, a sight for bird watchers. All this and much more make New Zealand a popular tourist attraction where people love to come back again and again. Kiwis are a bunch of people who are fun loving and like to spend good time. Overall, New Zealand makes a great package for vacations with the family and friends. Political Overview The political system of this island country is that of a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the state and Queen of the country. But the constitutional monarch has limited powers and can exercise it with the advice of the cabinet. The parliament consisting of the sovereign and House of Representatives holds the legislative powers. Geographical Overview New Zealand being an island country comprises of two important islands and many other small islands. The country is located in the South Pacific Ocean between 41 00 S, 174 00 E. The climate of New Zealand is temperate with sharp regional contrasts. The country’s terrain consists mainly of mountainous region with large coastal pains. Tourism When planning a vacation in New Zealand, always remember to have enough time in hand so that you can explore all the beautiful destinations of this country. Each island of New Zealand offers enough appealing sights and scenes, which will need enough time to explore fully. Auckland is the most populated city of New Zealand and a common place for various tourist activities. Other interesting attractions of New Zealand include Abel Tasman National Park, Franz Joseph & Fox Glacier, picturesque town of Kiakauora, surf town Raglan, architectural beauty of Napier, Tongariro National Park, Rotorua, Wellington, Whitianga, Te Anau To Milford Sound, Marlborough wine region, Banks Peninsula, and Cape Reinga. In addition to its towns and cities, natural surroundings and forests, New Zealand is also the proud owner of over 15000 km of stunning coastline, mostly uncrowded. All this and much more, New Zealand is unquestionably a truly unique and gorgeous country to explore. Culture & People Being a former British colony, the ethnicity of New Zealand is mostly of European decent with the local Maori minority and small number of Polynesian groups forming the population of New Zealand. The population of the country also consists of a small number of Asian communities as well. English is the official language of the country with Maori, Samoan, French and others being also used. New Zealanders in general are warm, social and forgiving kind of people. But as tourists you are expected to be very polite and use a lot of ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ in your conversation. Economy The economy of New Zealand has transformed from an agrarian to more industrialized economy over the last 20 years, which has dynamically boasted the real income of the country. In fact, the economy of New Zealand is a mixed economy that runs on the principles of free market policies. The manufacturing and service sector of the country give good complement to the already established agrarian sector. The country’s exports account for about one-third of real expenditure. The items exported include dairy products, meat & fish, wood, machinery and so on. The export partners of New Zealand include Australia, China, US, and Japan. |