Backgrounders

New Zealanders first started building boats out of necessity, as they lived in a country totally surrounded by sea.

Within the unfenced boundaries of Fiordland, one of the largest national parks in the world, is some of the most wild and dramatic scenery in New Zealand.

Was it a massive volcanic eruption or an upturned totara tree that created Lake Taupo, the glistening jewel in the centre of the North Island?

Parihaka Pa, the sanctuary of Mâori leaders Tohu Kakahi and Te Whiti o Rongomai, is spiritually and historically unique. It was here that these two leaders preached and practiced unity and passive resistance, long before Gandhi.

Everybody who has visited Rotorua, New Zealand and gasped in awe of its calderas, crater lakes, trout, native bush walks, geothermal mud pools and geysers, skied or snowboarded, owes it to the presence of volcanoes.

In the past (Pre-eruption) Te Wairoa was a mix of Mâori and European settlement, working together to transport, host, entertain and guide tourists visiting the famous Pink and White terraces on Lake Rotomahana, beside Lake Tarawera.

The sea, the vessel, the voyage, the arrival. New Zealand was born on the waves, from two long migrations.

Captain James Cook arrived on the Endeavour off the East Coast of New Zealand in October 1769, where Nicholas Young was the first on board to sight the coastal hills. Local folklore tells that the Mâori of the time perceived the 'Endeavour' as an enormous bird with wings of great size and beauty.

Maori legend says food came as a gift from the gods, Ranginui the Sky Father and Papatuanuku the Earth Mother.

New Zealand is one of the most exciting New World wine-producing countries.