Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/682362
Wellington Auckland Christchurch Russell Waihi Wairoa Warkworth Te Anau Kaikoura Greymouth Westport Oamaru Invercargill Mount Cook Timaru Hamilton Tuakau Dargaville Kaitaia Blenheim Darfield Methven Palmerston Alexandra Balclutha Dunedin Queenstown Rotorua Tauranga Gisborne Palmerston North Whangarei Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Taupo Nelson Stewart Island South Island North Island 0 100 miles 0 100 km Tasman Sea S O U T H P A C I F I C O C E A N New Zealand may have been one of the last to have been discovered by explorers, but its most recent "discovery" was made by Hollywood. Quietly majestic and pristine across plush carpets of greenery, rocky mountains, sweeping coastlines, and rainforests, this land is a cinematographer's dream, from its North to South Islands mountains and plains, white-sand East Coast to West Coast black shores, and across 29 regions. Wild though it may be, this country is no diva—its year-round climate is temperance to a T, making any day a good one to explore its 14 national parks and 34 marine reserves. Nature takes the spotlight in this country the size of Japan, where geothermal activity has blessed "Cureland" Rotorua with mud pools, geysers, and hot springs. Up above, the International Dark Sky Reserve in the Aoraki/Mount Cook Mackenzie region has become a star itself for its stargazing. The Bay of Islands in Northland; Tawharanui near Auckland; Raglan, famous for its southpaw surf break; local favorite Coromandel Peninsula; and surf-ready Piha take the wonder to the waters, where the world's only beak-headed reptile and the rarest breed of dolphin can be found. Sharing this country with its native wildlife are its indigenous people, the Moriori, who arrived over 1,000 years ago from Polynesia and still comprise up to 14% of the nation's population. Blending with European, Asian, and Pacific Island heritage as harmoniously as the grapes in their famous wines and fusion fine dining, this multifaceted country will have you nodding agreement with human and avian kiwis alike, asking, "Who needs to fly?" Welcome to NEW ZEALAND Welcome to New Zealand | 31