TO THE END OF NEW ZEALAND AND BACK
FACTOIDS: • The Maori people are descended from an ancient line of Polynesian people who made their epic journeys in waka hourua (voyaging canoes) from an ancestral homeland known as Hawaiki. Kupe is believed to be the first Maori to reach the New Zealand shore over 1,000 years ago. Northland is regarded as the birthplace of the nation. • Today – approximately 14% of the New Zealand population are Maori. • The Pohutukawa Tree is now a threatened species as it is no longer able to regenerate itself due to the competition from weeds and grasses. These factors, together with the added threat from disease and pests such as possums, are causing great concern for a tree that has become symbolic to New Zealand. • The Hot Water Beach is created by a reservoir of hot water and heated rocks which lies more than 2 kilometres beneath the sand. The heat is a remnant of volcanic activity which occurred in the Coromandel region 5-9 million years ago. There are two springs and they can reach maximum temperatures of 60 degrees C and 64 degrees C, respectively. They have a flow rate of 10-15 litres per minute. • As a nation, New Zealand embraces the Maori element of its culture and in recent times there has been resurgence in the use of the Maori language and culture. • The MARAE, or meeting place, is a central part of Maori culture. The traditional arts of weaving and carving are incorporated in intricate panels which reflect the story of their significant people. • The HONGI is a traditional Maori greeting. Noses are pressed together and the Ha, or breath of life, is exchanged and intermingled. The Hongi is an integral part of the Powhiri (welcoming ceremony). • MOKO – is the traditional Maori tattooing on the face or body. • HAKA – these are dances with rhythmic movements and shouted words. • HE TOHO – is a cultural performance. • POI – is a woman’s formation dance that involves singing and manipulating a ball of woven flax. • New Zealand is located on a ring of fire – an arc that stretches along the edge of Asia to Alaska and along the coast of America. This ring is the border of the pacific plate and other plates that form the Earth’s crust. More than 75% of the world’s volcanoes are situated along this ring. It is where the plates meet, that energy is created and is released as geothermal activity. Geothermal fields such as Rotorua occur in areas where water is able to pass down through cracks in the rocks. As the water gets closer to the geothermal activity, it heats and rises back up through the surface – and geysers and hot springs are formed. • Auckland has 49 discrete volcanoes and this is referred to as the ‘Auckland Volcanic Field’. • As it was opened in 1959, the Auckland Harbour Bridge has just celebrated its 50th anniversary. • Wellington has developed its name in the film industry – ‘Wellywood’. The director of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘King Kong’ – Peter Jackson, still calls Wellington his home.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 09:22:07 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)      Comments [0]  New Zealand