Savvy Sightseer - tips and insights for seasoned travelers!
New Zealand
New Zealand identifies itself as the youngest country on earth since it was the last major landmass to be “discovered.” Two islands, typically referred to simply as North and South, along with about 600 small islands, comprise the country of nearly five million people. While the island nation is relatively small – roughly the size of the state of Colorado, it is packed with geographical and cultural diversity. The two main islands have very different personalities - the north is more populated, with nearly three-fourths of the country’s residents – though it is smaller in size than its southern sister. North Island has milder temperatures, fueled by geothermal and volcanic sources, and even in their winter (July – Aug), daytime temps top out on average at around 80F, while the South Island is cooler and more rugged – dotted with fjords and the so-called Southern Alps.
North Island
Auckland, the largest city of the North Island, is considered a city of volcanoes, given it’s built over the dormant remnants of about 50 of them. Some city roads are paved and historic buildings built with, what was then, a plentiful product – volcanic basalt lava stones. The city’s main drag is Queen Street where ultramodern buildings share space with ones built in the Victorian era. One life-long resident who roamed these streets was Sir Edmund Hillary, famous mountaineer, who died in Auckland in 2008.
Auckland did a brief stint as the island nation’s capital. In 1841, New Zealand's first Governor, William Hobson, established it as the colony's capital, naming it after his former commander Lord Auckland, then Viceroy of India. It was actually the fledgling nation’s second capital in less than a year, taking the honors from a city on the northern end.
Although the capital was again shifted farther south to more central Wellington in 1865, Auckland has remained a major gateway to New Zealand. It is a prosperous port city with a busy international airport.
For a really dramatic introduction to indigenous society, an annual 4-day Polyfest showcases the biggest secondary school cultural competition in the world. It’s a celebration of Pacific Island people, and I happened to hit it lucky and be in town for the event.
Students from over 50 high schools perform a variety of activities, including traditional dances and songs from different Pacific Island nations including Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, and Māori. There’s also speech competitions which provide a great opportunity for young people to showcase their knowledge of their ethnic heritage while promoting cultural identity through oral languages.
Auckland Skyline
Hamilton Gardens
Hobbiton
There's so many different experiences to have on the North Island. For culture enthusiasts, the Māori people's history is saluted by various tributes; while thrill seekers can take a 600-foot leap from the Auckland Sky Tower.
Hamilton Gardens is an absolutely amazing place: to date it features 18 Enclosed Gardens; each with a separate theme from austere Egyptian sentries to native Maori homesteads to fanciful modern day, spread out over 130 acres.
At Hobbiton, visitors can step into the Shire of Middle Earth, real-life home to the fictional people of JRR Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings series.
Waimangu Volcanic Valley is other-worldly with its bubbling mud pits and scalding hot springs - all providing dramatic scenes.
Explore each of the photo galleries here for more, and then expand your horizons with a virtual visit at the Savvy Sightseer North Island Destination Travelogue!
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Memorial acknowledging the founding of Auckland City between Māori and the British Crown.
Victorian and modern architecture line the city center.
Visitors here go through an intricate welcome ceremony to spend a day a Maōri community. The meeting house is considered a transition between two realms: from the outside world where the god of war resides and into the world where the god of peace rules.
Memorial acknowledging the founding of Auckland City between Māori and the British Crown.
More North Island Sites
Only in New Zealand Sights
South Island
The world's littlest penguins call NZ home.
Get a good jostling around the frozen continent’s simulated rugged terrain in a Hagglund, a specially-designed, amphibious Antarctic vehicle.
The world's littlest penguins call NZ home.
International Antarctic Center
One time gold mining town
Praised as “hosting the purest natural landscapes you’ll ever experience” the South Island is considered a land of extremes. Its golden beaches give way to snow-capped Southern Alps. There's endless adventures to be had: bungy jumping and other extreme sports, an Antarctica simulation, little blue penguins, a cathedral made of cardboard, Steampunk fantasies, mysterious beach boulders, sheep and alpacas, massive street art and striking fiords - that's just a brief introduction of what the South Island has to offer.
Click the slideshows and video for a taste of New Zealand's "Adventure Capital of the World."
Scenes from around the South Island
Taking the Plunge
To enjoy the New Zealand experience at its fullest, attend a Savvy Sightseer Destination Travelogue at a library or community center near you! Check the Programs page for upcoming dates and locations.
