North New Zealand Inbound Tours -- about New Zealand

Address : 183 Sandford Ruakaka
Whangarei New Zealand
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email: inbound@daily.co.nz

New Zealand History

Although there is some uncertainty as to the exact timeframe, archaeological evidence seems to indicate that New Zealand was settled by Polynesians sometime around 1300 a.d.
The first European to come to New Zealand (that we know of) was Dutchman Abel van Tasman who sailed to New Zealand from Australia in 1642. In 1769 Captain Cook claimed New Zealand for Britain. Many of the sealers and whalers who temporarily came to New Zealand to seek game stayed and became the first European settlers.
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 by Captain William Hobson, several English residents and approximately forty-five Mäori chiefs. The Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti O Waitangi) lays the foundation for the way Mäori and other New Zealanders share responsibility for this country and is considered the founding document of the nation of New Zealand.

Aotearoa: Land of the Long White Cloud - New Zealand is located in the southern hemisphere. It spans 1600 km from north to south and is approximately 2250km east of Australia. It is made up of the North Island, the South Island, Stewart Island and various small islands surrounding.
New Zealand has a population of approximately 3.8 million people with the official languages being English and Mäori.
The National plant of New Zealand is the Pohutukawa and the National bird is the Kiwi

Kiwis and kiwis
New Zealand's first settlers, the Maori, named the kiwi bird for the sound of its chirp - kiwi, kiwi, kiwi! This flightless bird, about the size of a domestic hen, has an extremely long beak and plumage more like hair than feathers. New Zealanders have adopted this nocturnal, flightless and endearing creature as their national emblem.

Referring to New Zealanders as Kiwis probably dates back to the First World War, when New Zealand soldiers acquired this nickname.

In the international financial markets, the New Zealand dollar, the basic currency unit, is frequently called the Kiwi. The dollar coin features a kiwi bird on one side.

Perhaps the best-known kiwi is the delicious kiwifruit. Originating in China, kiwifruit were grown in New Zealand domestic gardens for decades as Chinese gooseberries. However, when enterprising New Zealand farmers began propagating the fruit intensively for export, it was given the name kiwifruit and has achieved worldwide fame.

Holiday Destination
New Zealand's spectacularly beautiful landscape includes vast mountain chains, steaming volcanoes, sweeping coastlines, deeply indented fiords and lush rainforests.

Comparable in size and/or shape to Great Britain, Colorado and Japan, New Zealand has a population of only 3.8 million - making it one of the world's least crowded countries. It is a haven for those seeking peace, rejuvenation and relaxation as well as a playground for thrillseekers and adventurers. A temperate climate with relatively small seasonal variation makes it a year-round holiday destination.

Getting Here
New Zealand is a three and a half hour flight from Eastern Australia, a non-stop overnight flight from the United States, and around 10 hours flight from most places on the Pacific Rim, like Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The Getting Here section of this site has a list of operators in your country who can fly you to New Zealand.

Time Differences
New Zealand is one of the first places in the world to see the new day. It is 12 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). In summer New Zealand has daylight saving, when clocks are put forward one hour to GMT+13. Daylight saving begins on the first Sunday in October and ends on the third Sunday of the following March, when clocks are put back to GMT+12.