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One of my squad mates (the fabulous Michelle Euperio) has started writing a series of blogs about each of the countries we’ll be visiting over the next year. This is the first of that series, about New Zealand! Read on, and find out a few things you might never have known before!
 
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Hey Beautiful People! … so I’m not working and I have a bit of
some/ a lot of free time on my hands…. hehe anywhoo..A fellow racer
in the past decided to spotlight each country they were going to in the
weeks before they left. I thought that was pretty cool.. so here is
part 1 of 9 of interesting and fun facts…starting off with our first
destination and first month……….
 
NEW ZEALAND
 
             
 

-an
island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main
landmasses (commonly called the North Island and the South Island), and
numerous smaller islands.

 -situated
about 2000 km (1250 miles) southeast of Australia across the Tasman
Sea, and its closest neighbors are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga.

-Population: 4 million people

-Life expectancy: 76 years (men), 81 years (women)

Major religion: Christianity

-40% of New Zealanders are atheist, agnostic or simply apatheist- claiming no religion at all.

 

-Maori comprise about 14 percent of the country’s population and just about 600,000

-Less
than five per cent of New Zealand’s population is human – the rest are
animals. This is one of the highest ratios of animals to humans in the
world.. meaning that sheep to human ratio is just about 9 to 1! Baaaa!
(that was supposed to be a sheep noise)

-amongst the top five dairy exporters in the world

Kakapo
is the world’s largest (many articles used ‘rotund’), rarest and only
flightless parrot and can be found on the off shore islands in NZ.

 

To become a New Zealand citizen, you must swear an oath of loyalty to Queen Elizabeth.

The
New Zealand Tuatara is the oldest living genus of reptile in the world,
and can be traced back 190 million years to dinosaur times.

 
Meet Henry the Tuatara…
he is 111 years old and became a daddy for the 1st time this past
January to 11 baby Tuataras! (once again God proving age is just a
number..not to mention Henry looks like a Horned Frog.. so GO TCU! GO
FROGS!)

-1 of 3 countries to have 2 national anthems: God Save the Queen (the
English National Anthem) and the other is God Defend New Zealand

-New
Zealand was the first country to have its three top positions of power
held simultaneously by women…. (yess!!! All you women who independent
throw your hands up at me! 😉

-has more boats per capita than anywhere in the world with 80,000 privately-owned boats – one for every eight Aucklanders

-No
part of New Zealand is more than 128km (about 80 miles) from the ocean.
(good! i thrive off sunshine.. and my KING of course!)

-Has the longest place name (85 letters) “Taumatawhakatangi- hangakoauauotamatea- turipukakapikimaunga- horonukupokaiwhenuaki- tanatahu.”
The name of the hill in Hawke’s Bay means, “The summit of the hill,
where Tamatea, who is known as the land eater, slid down, climbed up
and swallowed mountains, played on his nose flute to his loved
one.” (lol nose flutes are so romantical. i can only hope that my loved
one will some day do the same. 😉 
 
-The
New Zealand giant Weta is the world’s heaviest insect, on average it
weighs more than a sparrow, making it so heavy that it is unable to
jump.( i’m grossed out… not even gonna lie.)

 

-New Zealand’s rugby team, the All
Blacks won the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. New Zealand will play
host to the 2011 Rugby World Cup. All Blacks always perform the Haka
before the game.

-The
haka is a dance that is performed with loud and fierce shouts
and vigorous movements. People sometimes refer to it as a war dance, or
as a challenge to whomever the haka is being performed.

-Maori will spontaneously launch into speech and song. Even though they
may not have met each other, they will know many songs they can sing
together and often use these to close or enhance speeches.

 

.
They will often call for visitors to do the same and it would be wise
to have 2-3 practiced songs from your own country to reply with.
(hmm…trumpets… we will have to work on this because i don’t think
my love of disco, 80’s and britney spears will suffice.)

-Sitting
on or resting one’s backside against a table or desk can offend Mâori.
A table is where food is served and should not be touched by the
“unclean” regions. Similarly, you should not sit on a pillow – the head
is tapu (sacred) and pillows are for resting heads only.

 
-Shoes should always be removed before entering a Mâori sacred building, such as a marae.
 
-Kapa haka, the term used to describe Maori performance art, incorporates singing,
dancing and facial expressions. Every action has a meaning, which ties to the words. (i hope to learn one of these!) 
 

The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, which translates as “the land of the long white cloud”.

The traditional Maori welcome is
called a powhiri, this involves a hongi which is a greeting that
involves pressing noses as opposed to a kiss.

 

 
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P.S. to Michelle – The historian in me absolutely adores the journalist in you (specifically the journalist part of you that adds sources!!!)