NEW ZEALAND

in the world.It is in the Southern hemisphere.

NEW ZEALAND is next to AUSTRALIA

In New Zealand , there are two islands: North Island and South Island + smaller islands. There are only 4,5 million

inhabitants.

The New Zealand flag : the Union Jack + 4 stars ( the Southern Cross :the 4 brightest stars in the constellation)

Wellington,on North Island is the capital city. Its nickname is Windy Welly. Can you imagine why ? The city is famous for its red cable car.

New Zealand is part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It’s an organisation of 53 countries of

the former British Empire. This is its flag.

The members of the Commonwealth are countries from all the continents: for example , the United Kingdom in Europe, the U.S.A or Canada in America, South Africa or

Kenya in Africa, India in Asia and Australia or New Zealand in Oceania.

Queen Elisabeth II ( the second) is the Head of the Commonwealth . The members are free but united by language, history , culture , economic exchanges …

(When she was young ........now !)

The money is the New Zealand dollar with Queen Elisabeth II ( the second) on banknotes

and coins.

Here are the Arms of Her Majesty’s New Zealand Government. There isn’t a president but there’s

a Prime minister : his name is John Key.

New Zealand is a land of contrast : there are beautiful beaches with a subtropical climate. But you can also see

dry landscape , for example Pancake Rocks near Punakaiti.

But most of the landscape is mountainous. There are many sheep . There are snow-

capped mountains too.

In New Zealand , the film «  the Lords of the Rings » was shot. There are still the small

Hobbits’ houses !

The Maoris are New Zealand ‘s first inhabitants. Maori folklore is still alive. They celebrate their culture by

singing and dancing Haka. The Haka is a war dance to intimidate and frighten enemies.

Today the Haka symbolises the power of All Blacks ( the New Zealand rugby team) in the

world.

A Maori man with Ta moko ( a facial tatoo) and a woman doing Hongi ( traditional Maori

greeting : a way of saying hello!)

Prince William, Duchess Kate and George on their trip to New Zealand on

April 7th, 2014.

The kiwi ( = Weka in Maori) is a bird but it can’t fly. It is the national symbol of New

Zealand.

Penguins and seals also live in New Zealand

There are whales too.

The Kakapo ( = owl parrot) is a rare, nocturnal bird. It’s endemic to New Zealand.

In New Zealand they practise many water sports , like surfing .

People are very sporty : they love sport, for example , cricket or hockey. There are male

and female teams.

There is a typical sport : Lacrosse.

There are many tourist attractions: Coromandel Peninsula ( North East ) with sandy

beaches and forests.

Franz Joseph Glacier in the Westland National Park ( South West)

Rotorua is a thermal site with geysers and hot springs. It is in North island.

In Tongariro National Park (Mont Tongariro is 1,978 m high) , there are lakes and active volcanoes. There was an eruption on August 6th , 2012.

Bay of Islands ( there are 144 islands) north of Auckland.