New Zealand Flashcards
Basic Facts
- Capital city: Wellington (the largest city: Auckland)
- Population: 4 474 549
- Official languages: English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language
- Government: Parliamentary Democracy (New Zealand), under a Constitution Monarchy (Commonwealth Realms)
- National symbols: silver fern, kiwi (bird)
Cook Strait
Separates the two main islands (North and South)
North Island
Volcanism, volcanic lakes Mostly warm weather, drier than South Island
South Island
12th largest island in the world Southern Alps – Aoraki / Mount Cook (highest peak of NZ) Mostly mild or cold weather (snow), wetter than North Island
History
- 1250 – 1300 – Polynesian came to NZ (first Maori culture)
- 1642 – First European came to NZ (Abel Tasman)
- 1769 – James Cook arrived at NZ
- 1801 – Musket Wars (over 40 000 Maori died)
- 1840 – Treaty of Waitangi (British law in NZ, “selling the country to British realm“)
- 1845-1872 – Land Wars (British colonials vs Maori)
- 1893 – First country in the world, which gave women the vote
- 1947 – Independence of NZ
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
2 active volcanoes, Emerald lakes
Waitomo Caves
limestone (vápenec) caves, glowworms
Hobbiton
LOTR + Hobbit trilogies (House of Bilbo Baggins, Party Tree, Green Dragon Inn)
Steward Island
best place for birdwatching (penguins, kiwi, nestor kea – carnivore parrot)
Fiorland National Park
UNESCO, sceneries, the most beautiful wild nature in NZ
Queenstown
“Adventure capital of NZ“, tourism
Sir Peter Jackson
(* 31 October 1961, age 57)
- Film director, screenwriter, producer King Kong, Lord of the Rings + Hobbit trilogies
- 3x Academy Awards, 3x BAFTA, 4x Saturn Awards, Golden Globe
Sir Edmund Hillary
(* 20 July 1919 † 11 January 2008) 29 May 1953
- First two men (Edmund Hillary + Tenzing Norgay), who reached the summit of the Mount Everest
Kiwi
Tonga Island in the Abel Tasman National Park
Sir Edmund Hillary
Tongariro National Park, the oldest national park in New Zealand
