New Zealand
By Bonny Chung
Introduction
New Zealand is a country which is located in the South-West of the Pacific Ocean. The country has been broken up into two main islands which are called the 'North Island' (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu).
Simple Facts about New Zealand!
Capital City: Wellington
Population: 4.471 million
Currency: dollars ($)
Land Area: 268 021 km²
Time Zone: 2 hrs behind Australian time
Largest City: Auckland (in the North Island)
Nickname for a New Zealander: Kiwi
Maori Name: Aotearoa
Languages Spoken: English & Maori
NZ Flag
The first official New Zealand flag was created in 1834, the flag was named the 'United Tribes'. The United Tribes only stayed as New Zealand's flag for 6 years. They did not have a flag till 1902 which is now there current flag representing New Zealand. The current flag is made up of 3 colours: blue, red and white
Here are the meanings of the 3 colours:
Blue: care, trust, loyalty and determination
Red: endurance, bravery and strength
White: peace and honesty
The United Tribes Flag!
The New Zealand Flag!
New Zealand Food
In New Zealand they have a variety of favourite foods and some of those favourites are: Hokey Pokey Ice-Cream, pavlova, fish'n'chips and many more! Although New Zealanders have their favourite foods, they also still eat traditional foods and cook in traditional methods. Hangi is a traditional Maori method which is used to cook food in special Maori ceremonies. To use this method you will need to find a pit which is approximately 1 meter deep and then fill the pit up with wood and stones, this method normally takes over 3 hours to properly cook the food. The foods that they normally cook with this method are pork, chicken , beef, sweet potatoes, corn, other vegetables and many more!
This is the Hangi!
Sport!
New Zealanders are all very passionate sports people, some favourite sports in New Zealand are:
- Rugby
- Cricket
- Soccer
- Netball
- Basketball
- Softball
National Rugby Team: All Blacks
National Cricket Team: Black Caps
National Soccer Team: All Whites
National Netball Team: Silver Ferns
National Basketball Team: Tall Blacks
National Softball Team: Black Socks
Some Interesting Places in NZ!
- Milford Sound
- Sky Tower
- Bay of Islands
- Waitomo Caves
- Waiheke Island
- Abel Tasman National Park
PS: you can see the beautiful scenery for each of those destinations below!
INTERESTING FACTS!! :D
- The Lord of the Rings series was filmed in New Zealand
- The 'Beehive' Parliament is in Wellington and is built on special springs so that it can resist earthquakes
- Dame Jenny Shipley was the name of the first female Prime Minister of New Zealand
- The national anthem is called 'God Defend New Zealand' it is usually sung in English and Maori, they sing it in Maori first then English
- In 2003, the population in New Zealand had just hit 4 million
- New Zealand is the 75th largest country
- Every year there are approximately 100 earth quakes in New Zealand
- The kiwi is a flightless and nocturnal bird, and is also New Zealand's national emblem
- There are 120 species of birds living in New Zealand
- New Zealand was the first country which allowed women to vote