NEW ZEALAND TRIVIA

                                       Fun Facts

 There are no barns in New Zealand as we know them.

Grazing horses wearing blankets soon became a familiar sight. The blankets help keep the horses warm during cool nights, and. keeps dust off their coats and protects their skin from the sun during the day.

Another odd thing we saw was cows all had their tails cut off. We were told there is no fly problem, and it is believed that a cow’s urine in the eye of the farmer can cause a serious hepatitis-like illness, which is the primary reason for bobbing the cow’s tail.

Nearly all the homes in New Zealand had tile roofs. An imitation roof tile is made there, but most of the tile is exported.

New Zealand has a 12 ½ % value added tax (VAT) that is added to all goods.

Cumera, a sweet potato, much lighter in color and less flavorful than our yam, is a staple of the New Zealand diet.

There are no poisonous snakes or spiders.

A 1936 volcanic eruption in the Rotorua area killed 150 people. In 1990 two earthquakes registered 6 on the Richter scale.

Rhododendrons were in bloom everywhere and the size of trees lines the streets. They were simply gorgeous!

New Zealand is a narrow isthmus 1000 miles long. The   Waihita River, at 220 miles is the longest river in the country. It is dammed nine times for hydro-electric production and  is the Mississippi of New Zealand.

Authentic Maori wood carvings have only three fingers on the hands as the Maori believe only in birth, fertility, and death.

Australia and New Zealand have been rivals for years over who makes the best Pavlova--- named for the dancer. Of course I wanted to try the famous dessert.  I enjoyed the baked meringue pie shell filled with whipped cream (the real stuff) and topped with thin kiwi slices on our arrival morning in Auckland, New Zealand. We had arrived at 5:30 AM so by 8  the yummy dish hit the spot and held me until lunchtime.

In 1769, 127 years after Abel Tasman discovered and named N Z, Captain James Cook and his crew arrived and were the first Europeans to set foot on New Zealand soil.

Three fourths of the population live on the north island with 84% of them living in urban areas. Auckland’s population is 1.5 million. Maori make up 10% of the population and is the largest minority group;

All native trees are evergreens, and there are many varieties. They provide a lush greenness all year. All the deciduous trees have been imported.

There are many active volcanic craters in the country and earthquakes of varying degrees are fairly common. The last serious quake was in the 1950s near Wellington. The last volcanic eruption was in 1936. There are many geysers in the country.

The country has little in the way of natural resources. Strawberries, timber and logs, kiwi fruit, and wool are large export items and we saw lots of each.

All automobiles are imported as New Zealand does not manufacture cars.

Kiwi grows on a vine similar to a grape vine. The vines are trellised so the fruit can be picked from beneath.  All fruit is picked by hand in May. Actually the kiwi is the Chinese gooseberry, but when New Zealand was ready to market the fruit they knew the original name would be a hindrance so they renamed it.

New Zealand has three kiwis—1 the fruit. 2 the people are known as kiwis and 3 the nocturnal flightless bird.

SOME DOWN UNDER FACTS

                                    Useful Info and Trivia

The country is known as the Commonwealth of Australia, winning its Independence on January 1, 1901.  Sir Edmond Barton, the first Prime Minister remarked, “For the first time in history we have a continent for a nation and a nation as a continent.” 

Canberra, the country’s capitol, is located in the Australia Capitol Territory (ACT).  Australia is a democracy and an independent member of British Commonwealth.Canberra is the seat of several embassies and the American one is one of the nicest I've seen around the world.

Geographically Australia is the size of the United States. The country’s seven states are Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Tasmania. The country is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the south by the  Southern Ocean, on the east by the  Pacific Ocean, and on the north by the Coral Sea. The Tasman Sea is between Australia and Tasmania in the southeast corner of the country. The country is surrounded by 23,000 miles of coastline and is mineral rich with coal, tin and nickel .

Europe knew nothing of Australia until the 16^th century. Dutch ships on their way to Indonesia were blown off course and referred to this land as New Holland, but found nothing to spark interest in colonization.

In 1806 Captain William Bligh became Australia’s fourth governor. He lost the post two years later during the Rum Rebellion, and was succeeded by Lachlan Macquarie. It was during his tenure that sheep farming started to play an increasing role in the country’s economy.

Governance became more democratic with power increasingly going to legislative councils, first in New South Wales and then spreading to other colonies. Until the 20^th century Australia remained a collection of distinct colonies that had greater ties to England than to each other. It was after World Wars I and II that a true national identity was established.

Most of the population lives near the coast, leaving the interior of the country basically unpopulated. All the major cities are located on the coast.

Australia is a huge country and a long plane ride away. I would suggest a minimum visit of three weeks as there is so much to do and see. Picture yourself trying to see all of the US in the same amount of time—Australia is about the same size as the US.