Blogtrotting

Welcome to Aotearoa--the land of the long white cloud-- New Zealand. I am excited and very honored to be featured on Blogtrotting this week!

New Zealand is a volcanic land with lots of natural beauty. It has only been occupied by Europeans for about 200 years, so there are not a lot of historical buildings, like there are in Europe. The native people--who came from Hawaiiki--established the Maori culture. There are two main islands that make up most of New Zealand--colorfully named the North Island and the South Island--plus, a few smaller islands. 

Being from the middle of the US, I am very taken with the coastal views and I have lots of ocean photos!

This is 'Three Sisters' which is really only 2-and-a-bit now due to water erosion.

The native wildlife is quite amazing.

This stump carving of a fantail (native bird) was part of a limited-time commission in the Wanganui business district. 

I love to see the harrier hawk, a native to NZ.

Wild pukekos turn up in unexpected places.

There are only a handful of large cities here. The rest of the country is covered with sheep or cows, since their products are the country's biggest exports.

These are typical baches (pronounced 'batches' - from the word 'bachelor') in the Wellington area. They are holiday 'homes' on the beach.  Very 'kiwi'.

  

All of the highways here are only two lanes with an occasional passing lane. Occasionally, the two lanes become one, like this:

I love my new homeland and have taken several thousand pictures since arriving here almost 4 years ago. So, you can understand how it was difficult to decide which ones to share. If you would like to see a few more photos, you can visit my photoblog, My World through my Camera Lens.

Your virtual tour would not be complete without a lighthouse or two, so here ya go!

Thanks for visiting. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have. I will do my best to answer them.