I knew New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
But I beyond my mental images of Middle Earth and Narnia, I couldn’t say I knew anything about the history, ecology, music, culture, politics...anything about what makes this place a country.
So here is a list of all the surprisingly sad, magical, odd things I learned about New Zealand.
These are some of the reasons why I want to go back so badly.
1. New Zealand is a country of Flightless Birds
New Zealand has 16 species of these odd non-flying creatures.
Flightless birds are so common because of New Zealand’s unique “edge ecology” geography. With neither contact with any other land mass for over 80 million years or any threat of mammalian predators for over 20 million years, birds didn’t need to fly.
The Moa is the most famous extinct bird that ever lived in New Zealand. These large ostrich-like birds had only one large predator before the Maori arrived - the Haast’s eagle.
The eagle only attacked from above and targeted anything that moved, forcing the Moa to evolve to standing still when under attack. Therefore it later gained the misunderstood reputation as being slow and dumb.
This slow and dumb bird became the favored food source when the Maori arrived 800 years ago. Easy to kill and extremely delicious, the Moa went extinct less than 100 years later and the Haast’s Eagle along with it.
While we were a couple hundred years late to see the Moa, we saw some Wekas!
...and some yellow eyed penguins!
...and the blue-eyed penguins! We actually ran into one of these on the way to the shower at Oamaru but we didn't have a camera with us at the time so here is a picture of them courtesy of ZME science.
But we didn't see kiwis. In fact, we met many native New Zealanders who have lived there their whole lives and haven’t seen this nocturnal national symbol once.
I guess that is another reason for me to go back.
2. New Zealand has endangered penguins (kororā).
While this might be common knowledge to some, this was definitely not for me. I thought penguins were only found in Antarctica and southern Australia.
New Zealand has the famous Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, a group of penguins that parade up from the beach right under spectator seating. But wild penguins can be found all throughout the mainland if luck is on your side. 16 types of penguins can be found in New Zealand and 3 types of penguins breed in the mainland.
We were lucky enough to have seen all three.
We found the little blue penguins parading up the beach in Oamaru and saw a pair fishing in the waters of Doubtful Sound.
Spotting the Hoiho, yellow-eyed penguins, was a bit tougher since the beaches they nest on are closed after 3pm to avoid disturbances to their feeding behavior. We usually had to stay relatively far away and hope our eyesight won’t fail us.
However, we were still able to find three at the Bushy Beach Reserve in the early evening as well as one at Kaka Point right before sunset.
It was all luck though, as we waited for one hour at Curio Bay and saw nothing at all.
While it was amazing to see these animals in their wild environments, the reality is that their population is rapidly decreasing.
Experts estimate that the Hoiho will disappear from the mainland within 25 years.
This is largely due to birds getting caught in fishnets, unidentifiable toxins in the ocean, and the general loss of habitat and quality of marine ecosystems. This article discusses the possibility of the Hoiho disappearing within our lifetime.
3. Mouse Traps are Found Everywhere
Mouse Traps can be found on almost every trail on both islands. This is due to New Zealand’s extremely ambitious goal of being Predator free by 2050.
Native bird species have been suffering due to habitat loss and hunting by introduced predator species. Many of these species only live in New Zealand and therefore, extinction from the islands means extinction from the world.
Since 2016, the Department of Conservation have been spearheading this complicated and often controversial movement. While this goal is ambitious, I hope there is a level of success. Before this trip, I paid little attention to birds. I thought they weren't as dramatic, cute, or beautiful as other larger animals out there, but being in New Zealand inspired me to be a birder. I have gained respect for these flying creatures I once took for granted.
When captain Cook first explored Milford Sound, legend has it that the birds were so loud on the mainland he had to dock the boat a mile away from the shore to get a good night of rest. Walking through forests often times silent reminded me of how far away from that world we are.
4. Grass didn’t Exist in New Zealand
I thought any flat piece of land would have green pastures and that New Zealand’s beautiful fertile grasslands was the key to their successful agricultural economy.
I also thought the charming landscapes of The Shire below was a natural part of New Zealand's natural topography.
But I learned New Zealand historically had temperate rain-forests in the south and a sub-tropical rain-forests in the north. The flat landscapes we know now was historically covered by native bushes, fern-trees, and brownish tussock fields that grew to almost a body length.
The grass fields on movie screens that made New Zealand famous didn’t exist. Green pasture lands were imported from England to increase yields of imported mammalian grazers such as sheep and cattle.
I also wasn't aware baby sheep had long tails when they were born! We realized this after seeing the difference in tail lengths from newborns and their mothers. The tail shortening process called “docking” is done to prevent the buildup of feces and discouraging a “fly strike”.
5. The Stars are Magical
On every clear night we saw the Milky Way.
Aoraki MacKenzie Dark Sky Reserve in Lake Tekapo is officially recognized to be the second best place in the world to observe the night skies. We really wanted to take advantage of our two night stay in the International Dark Sky Reserve but rain, clouds, and the moon ruined our luck. We quickly realized however, that everywhere in New Zealand is a Dark Sky zone. We just made sure to wait until those in nearby houses were asleep and timed our viewing to miss the moon.
The picture below was captured just as the moon was starting to rise in Tutukaka. We saw 8 shooting stars within 30 minutes that night.
Being from the east coast of the United States this was something magical. The east coast US skies ranged from having 16% light pollution in the rural areas to greater than 4100% in the major cities. What it means is that the night sky of a city of Philadelphia for example may be more than 41.0x lit compared to a naturally lit sky. My suburban town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania averages in having 200% light pollution .
Meanwhile besides Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch where light pollution can reach maximum 4000%, most places we stayed at had less than 16% of light pollution.
This was a picture taken from the backyard of our Ohakune Airbnb:
Our best star viewing night by far was during our stay in a farm at Kopaki. The skies we were seeing had virtually zero light pollution and I had no idea until I was home and did some research. Now I wish I had not slept that whole night.
Everyone should make a goal to see a completely dark night sky at least once in their lifetime.
6. The Country was Founded on Fraud
The word “Fraud” is defined as the deception of another for personal gain.
On February 6th, 1840 that was exactly what happened when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.
The full story of the treaty can be found here, but what occurred was a story that revolves around a dishonest translation.
When early New Zealand experienced an increase in European trade traffic in the 1800s, local Maori chiefs looked for British protection against the French. They also wanted the British to govern over their own unruly British sailors. The Treaty of Waitangi was proposed to be a solution that guaranteed New Zealand as a legal state with a legal sailing flag as well as British protection over the land.
However, since the majority of Maori Chiefs did not comprehend English, the Treaty was written in two languages - one in English and one in the Maori tongue.
Here is where the trouble came.
There were translation nuances that altered the meaning for the two versions of the treaty. The word “Sovereignty” in the English version was translated to “Governance” in the Maori equivalent. The English wording of the treaty gave power to the Queen while wording in the Maori version suggested the Chiefs had more autonomy. For a complete list of all the differences, further information can be found here.
For the British, the Treaty effectively annexed New Zealand making it a part of the Royal Crown which allowed the Queen sovereignty over all its subjects. However, the Maori interpreted this Treaty as a partnership between the British Crown and the United Nation of Maori Chiefs.
To the Maori, this partnership meant that the Maori would welcome and facilitate British trade on their land. In exchange, the British would provide protection for the native Chiefs to rule individually over everything they hold dear against the French.
However quickly after the Treaty was signed, the Crown began to confiscate land either through a forced purchase or through invasion.
The Maori saw this as a breach to their version of the Treaty of Waitangi and thus the New Zealand Wars began. The start of the War began in 1845, just five years after the signing of the Treaty, and the last official bullet was fired on 1872.
7. The New Zealand Wars Never Officially Ended
Many Maori view that the New Zealand Wars are still being fought today.
Even though the last bullet was fired in 1872, no treaty was signed to mark the end of 30 years of warfare.
The Maori sees there is a present threat of Pākehās, people of European descent, taking over their land even today.
Just this August, a petition of over 26,000 people was signed to stop an industrial housing project to be built on top of a sacred archaeological site.
The land was originally confiscated from the Maori in the Waikato invasion and given to Gavin Wallace. Wallace’s descendants then sold the land to Fletcher Building for an undisclosed amount of money.
This type of “Land Warfare” continues to this day.
The displacement caused by forced confiscation and forced sales has caused generations of hurt felt deep within the communities.
Across all socio-economic indicators, the Maori are significantly disadvantaged. Maori adults had lower advantage of school completion, have higher levels of unemployment, and are more likely to live in households without any telecommunication technology.
The Maori language was also forbidden to be spoken in schools for two generations. In addition, for the same crime committed Maori are more likely to serve longer sentences.
While the statistics may seem depressing, the Maori people’s spirits are still strong. With the hard work of activists, Maori language and culture has seen a comeback in recent years and is now fighting to be part of New Zealanders permanent identity.
Much of the outside world associate Maori culture heavily with New Zealand Culture. If you have seen the Haka performed before an All Blacks rugby game, seen the intricately carved jade artwork, or tasted food from their famous Earth-fired ovens, know that it all came from Maori traditions. However domestically, some Pakeha haven’t fully embraced this same culture they are selectively proud of.
When you visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, really take the time to listen. I encourage you to stop one of the tour guides and ask them about their experiences, about how they feel their culture displayed within the tourism industry, and about their hopes for a better future. You won't be disappointed.
7. "Wh" is pronouced "F"
"Whangarei” is pronounced “Fangarei”. Don’t make the same mistake I did.
8. There Once was a “Wild West” New Zealand
Much of New Zealand’s history actually mirrors that of the United States. Instead of having a “Wild West”, they had a “Wild South.”
Scattered throughout the South you can find buildings of old settlements, cowboy hideouts, and museums that have pictures that seem to be taken straight out of Western films.
South Island’s climate is drastically different than North Island’s mild temperatures. Even today, roads are constantly shut down due to inclement weather. The four seasons can truly be experienced all within 3 hours and the remoteness of the lands is something that has to be experienced.
The South Islands still feel wild today and I can only imagine what it was like to experience the true force of Nature without the safety and comforts of today.
9. New Zealand is the Land of the long white cloud
Legend has it that Kupe, the great explorer, found Aoteoroa by following a long white cloud by night and a long bright cloud by day. Upon arrival, there rests a long white cloud that greeted him above the land.
I heard of the mythical legend while I was researching my trip. But what surprised me was when my plane was flying over North Island I actually saw streaks of long white clouds. I never anticipated that I would be able to witness what I have been hearing about. It probably has something to do with the way the winds worked and how the island interacted with the ocean. I found it magical nonetheless.
10. Kiwi hospitality is real
Some of the best memories of my trip were the stories that a local berry farmer had about their 30 year old farm, the 40 minute discussion I had with a Maori tour guide about the history of their lands, and the adventure stories from my caving guide. If you have a chance, talk to your kayak or nature guide when you visit, they have more adventure stories than probably all of us combined in our lifetime.
Despite their differences and historical conflicts in the past, the Maori and Pakake have one thing in common - their outstanding hospitality.
Thank you Aoteoroa, you have left me with wonderful memories and lessons about how to enjoy the little things around us. See you soon!
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