Facharbeit im Fach Englisch Working and traveling in the dream

Fachoberschule Justus von Liebig am Beruflichen Schulzentrum für Agrarwirtschaft in Dresden
Facharbeit
im Fach Englisch
Working and traveling in the dream destination
New Zealand (Aotearoa)
FOS 05 La
Betreuer: Herr Laspe
Dresden-Gorbitz, den 22.01.2006
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1. Table of content
1. Table of content
(Pages 2-3)
2. Preliminary remark
(Page: 4)
3. New Zealand somewhere beyond Down Under2!
(Pages : 4-5)
4. How to prepare to work and travel at the Kiwis1?
(Pages: 5-7)
a) Organizations
b) Getting a job in the horticultural business
c) Health insurance
d) Credit cards
e) Visa
5. What’s living like in paradise New Zealand?
(Pages : 7-11)
a) Places to live
b) Job
c) Food
d) Car
e) Mentality and culture
f) Social life and personal development
g) Activities for the weekend
6. How to travel?
a) Ways of traveling
b) Traveling community
c) Map of New Zealand
(Pages: 11-13)
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7. Best places to visit and activities to do!
(Pages: 14-18
a) North Island
-Northlands
-Coromandel Peninsula
-Rotorua
-Napier
-Mount Taranaki
-Tongariro Crossing and Mount Ruapehu
-Wellington
b) South Island
-Heaphy Track
-Abel Tasman National Park and Nelson
-Marlborough Sounds and Picton
-Kaikoura
-Christchurch
-Dunedin
-Queenstown and Paradise
-The west coast
8. Let’s get it started!
(Page: 19)
9. List of words
(Page 19)
10. Appendix
(Page: 19-24)
11. Sources of text
(Page 24)
12. Confirmation of independent writing
(Page 25)
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2. Preliminary remark
For giving an explanation about writing this guide, I firstly have to tell you something about
myself. I graduated in horticultural production in August 2003 and for getting myself some more
work experience, I have been working in a couple of different companies. But I wasn’t just looking for getting work experience, to be honest. Actually, I was also looking for becoming more
independent, open-minded as well as getting to know other cultures or nations. I have always
been interested in other countries, particularly New Zealand, the USA and Japan, for a long
time. Over the last 14 months I have been working and traveling in New Zealand and the USA.
Having done something like that is making me fortunate and this made me become a lot more
self-confident and determined, more than I would have expected. Furthermore, it made me broaden my way of thinking and completely rethink my plans for the future and my goals
in life.
So the obvious reason for writing this guide is to encourage my schoolmates and other people in
general to go overseas, as well. Secondly, this writing should give them good advice and tips to
organize or plan their own trip. Finally, this should show off, how many positive aspects there
are about going in foreign countries for working and traveling.
Basically, I am going to write about the preparation you need to do to work in the horticultural
businesses and to travel in New Zealand. But the focal theme is based on the actual life and the
traveling tips in New Zealand.
3. New Zealand somewhere beyond Down Under2
New Zealand is located in the southeast of Australia and consists of two main islands
(North and South Island). The capitol is Wellington and the population is about 3,94 million
people, which is almost ridiculous for a country of the size of more than two thirds of Germany.
About 80% of the population has European ancestors, 15% are Maoris3 and the remaining are
mainly Asians. The connection between the native inhabitants the Maoris3 and the other European and Asian “immigrants” is good, in comparison to the relationship of the Aborigines to the
Australians or the Indians to the Americans. New Zealand had been a colony of the United
Kingdom and is still a member of the Commonwealth. Of course, it is known for its beautiful
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landscape, at least since “Lord of the Rings” had been filmed there. Almost every kind of scenery you can imagine will be found there. You will find everything from steppe over Caribbean
looking beaches to rainforest, in this country. The currency is New Zealand Dollars (1€ =
1,96NZ$). About 10 years ago the economics in New Zealand were in a crisis, but during the last
years it has changed a lot, caused by the increasing amount of tourist, who have been coming to
New Zealand. Concentrating more and more on the tourism, New Zealand became a very famous
place for holidays, especially for German tourists (50.000 Germans in 2004), who make out 50%
of the entire tourists. In the present the economics are running very well and the amount of tourists is still increasing.
The climate in New Zealand is very different, because the north-south expansion is about 1600
kilometers. Furthermore, the multiple sceneries are a huge factor for that, too. You can find
many microclimates and temperature differences in a very short distance. Other reasons for that
are the nearness to Australia and New Zealand consisting of islands. The temperature on the
North Island does never really get colder than 5-10°C in the winter and it gets up to 30-35°C in
the summer; the coldest temperature on the South Island is usually 0°C in the winter and the
warmest is about 30°C in the summer (excerpt mountains). Unfortunately, there is no general
statement I can give about the rainfall, but having steppe and rainforest in the same country tells
you enough about it, I guess. (Source of texts: 10.3.)
4. How to prepare to work and travel at the Kiwis1?
a) Organizations
There are a couple of things you have to think about, if you want to go overseas, because you
will need a visa, credit card, health insurance, an employer and so on. At least you have to take
care about some of those things. But you can save yourself a lot of work and money, if you find
yourself and organization, which can support your stay in New Zealand. Those organisations are
usually supported by the German government and most of them will be able to offer you a scholarship, if you want to improve your job related skills with that stay.
“Der deutsche Bauerverband” (www.bauernverband.de) is one of those organizations and if you
should take part at one of their practical trainings in New Zealand, they will get the Visa for you,
as well as a horticultural company you can work for. The costs for the Visa and the office work
of the “Bauernverband” will be paid by the government. You will have to cover the costs for
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your flight and the costs for living there, but of course you will get paid for your practical training.
Another organization you can apply to work with is Inwent (www.inwent.org). If they agree to a
partnership with you, they would pay your flight and health insurance for the entire stay. The
negative touch about it is that you would have to care about the Visa and a company in New
Zealand to work for, yourself.
These two organizations are the most common ones for a practical training in New Zealand, but
there are a lot more you can get in touch with and I would like to give you the advice, that you
can get a lot more information about those organizations on the website www.junggaertner.de.
b) Getting a job in the horticultural business
There are many ways to get a job in the horticultural business in New Zealand, but the easiest
way is still the internet. The best way is to seek for a couple of companies you would be interested in to work for. After that, you should send a detailed English application with the reasons why
you would like to work in New Zealand and particularly for that company. Finally, you have to
prove that you are seriously interested to work for them, because most of the companies will not
give you a response with the first time. You have to send some more nice e-mails to make them
remember about your application and I am sure some of the companies will give you a positive
response, than.
c) Health insurance
It is very important to get a health insurance policy before you get overseas, because none of the
employers there will cover this for you. So the cheapest and most uncomplicated way is to get a
policy in Germany. Since the conditions of the insurance companies are changing rapidly, you
have to find the best offer yourself, but I can give you the advice that the price for a duration of 8
months should be around 270€.
d) Credit cards
As unbelievable as it is, but caused by the many tourists, who come every year, you can pay with
credit cards even in the remotest places. The most accepted credit card is VISA and you will be
well off with MasterCard, too. Certainly, there are many more credit cards accepted, but these
two would be the best ones to travel with, in New Zealand. Nevertheless, you should always keep
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some cash with you, just in case. The regular fees for the use of credit cards outside of Europe
are 1(-3)% of the amount of money you spend. But take care, if you want to get cash with your
credit card from an ATM (Cash dispenser), you will have to pay a lot of fees.
e) Visa
Getting a Work-Visa is a lot of paperwork. Depending on the duration of your stay in New Zealand, you have to figure out which Visa the best for you is. The website www.nzembassy.com of
the embassy of New Zealand in Berlin might be a good way. But there are probably just two varieties of Visas for you: the “Work-Visa” (for up to 2 years) and the “Work and Holiday Visa”.
The price for those will be up to 140€, but once you are there you will see that it is definitely
worth it.
5. What’s living like in paradise New Zealand?
a) Place to live
Initially, there are quiet many things you have to care about after the arrival. If you already have
a company to work for, they will probably offer you a room to sleep in, for the first time. Finding
a flat or room in New Zealand is pretty much the same like in Germany. Firstly, you should have
a look in the newspaper or internet. The nicest and cheapest places are rooms in a living community. The regular way it works is that you have your own lockable room and share the others
like kitchen, bathroom and living room with your flat mates. This is a very cheap way to live and
you get in touch with your flat mates and their friends easily, so that you quickly get people to
know outside from work. The price for a room in one of those living communities in a nice suburb of a city should be 100-120NZ$ a week, including extra costs like power, water and
TV.
Another opportunity is to rent a room in a family house, which is very comfortable, if you are a
little scared of caring completely about yourself. It is common, when you live in a room like that,
to dine with the family. So the food is included, power, water and all you need to live, too. If you
prefer living like that, you will probably be invited to some family activities. This is the cheapest
way of all, and the price in a place like that will be about 150-170NZ$ a week.
I would not suggest to rent a flat yourself, because you won’t be able to pay it with your low
wages and it will bore you to death.
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Finally, there are the “Backpackers4”, where you can move in. These “Backpackers4” are comparable with the German “Jugendherbergen”. You won’t have a room yourself and will have to
share bathroom, kitchen and living room. The approximate price is 140NZ$ a week. But the very
positive aspect about it is that you will certainly meet a lot of interesting, young travelers and get
some real nice experiences.
b) Job
The average size of a horticultural company in New Zealand is very small in relation to Germany. The plant variety in general is huge, but you will find a lot of plants that you already know
from Europe. A lot of exotic fruit trees, shrubs, palms and ferns are grown in the nurseries. The
technical and horticultural level in the companies is good, but you shouldn’t expect the same
level as in Germany. In most cases the way of working will be different to Europe. Caused by the
Kiwi’s1 mentality they might look a little astonished, if you try to work that intense that you are
used to do. They will probably tell you to calm down some more, but they will definitely appreciate your work and dedication.
40 hours is the common and legitimate amount of work a week, but you might get the chance to
do some extra hours for a better paycheck.
c) Food
The eating habits of the New Zealanders a very weird, but nobody would wonder about it, if you
keep in mind that New Zealand had been an English colony. An example is that many of them
have crisps, cookies, cake and coke in combination with sandwiches fruits and muesli bars for
breakfast. So the food culture is a mix of the English and American. But nevertheless, the level of
the food in restaurants is far higher, than it is in Germany. The rising tourism is one of the main
reasons for that. The restaurants severe very international food, caused by New Zealand being a
multicultural country; especially the Asian influences are more than obvious. Although the Kiwis1 have strange food habits; most of them are brilliant cooks. There is no national specialty in
food, excerpt from a bread that is baked with charcoal in the ground by the Maoris3. The most
famous “fast food” is fish and chips like in England.
The costs for food are a little lower than in Germany and there is not that much difference in the
products. The only thing is the bread, which will make the Germans the most effort to get used
to, because it is regularly like toast. The price for low alcoholic drinks like beer is pretty much
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the same like at home, but the high percentage alcohol is very expensive. Going out in pubs and
bars is cheaper than in Germany.
d) Car
Owning a car is very convenient for a stay in New Zealand and in my opinion you definitely must
have one, if you like to get around. The costs are quiet low, anyway. The price for a car that can
take you around New Zealand for a couple of thousand kilometers is about 600-1500 NZ$. Unfortunately, you have to expect some small repairs with a car like that, but this makes it even
more an adventure and a dominating part of your life experience. The best opportunity to find a
car is a weekly magazine called “Buy and Sell Exchange”. Plenty of cheap cars can be found in
there and changing the ownership for it is simple, too. The post offices will change the ownership of your car for 9, 60 NZ$ and the registration is about 125 NZ$ for 6 months. The registration is a fee that pays for using the streets, but the best way is to look for a car that still has a
valid registration for up to 1 year. Comparative with the German “TÜV”, you also have to get
your car through a technical check called Wof (Warranty of fitness), which you need to do every
6 months. A car insurance policy can be concluded voluntarily, but since the Kiwis are driving
on the left hand side, I would suggest you to do so, at least for the first couple of months. A thirdparty insurance starts from 200 NZ$ a year, but 300-360 NZ$ is still an acceptable price.
Unluckily, it is harder to sell a car, than buying one. Especially when you are leaving in autumn,
at the time when all the backpackers4 and trainees are heading back home and try to sell their
cars. So if you are selling your car in autumn, you have to calculate with the matter that you
must sell it a lot cheaper.
e) Mentality and culture
The Kiwis1, as the New Zealanders call themselves, are the most easy-going and the most relaxed people I have ever met. There is no way to get a New Zealander out of calmness. By the
way, the name Kiwi1 is coming from their national heraldic animal, which is a bird of the size of
40cm that is not able to fly. The intercultural differences between a Kiwi1 and a German are not
very huge, but remarkable in relation to the mentality. As I already wrote, the “Rush Hour Lifestyle” is, as we know it from Europe, completely missing. Furthermore, a polite way of dealing
with each other is a real must for the Kiwis1, which is apparently not that common in Germany.
The New Zealanders have a healthy intensified national pride, without being arrogant at all. All
this together is making the Kiwis1 one of the most hospitable nations and easiest people to get
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along with, worldwide. Another fact is that they are very open-minded. A reason for that will be
that many of the young Kiwis1 go overseas, for a while. The interest in other cultures, nations
and of course job offers is basically the matter for it.
In general are the New Zealanders pretty religious and many of them are going to church. As I
already wrote about the food, the culture in general is a mix of the English and the American,
too. The Kiwis1 are very sporty and the most popular sports and hobbies are fishing, hiking,
snowboarding, skiing, hunting, sailing, rugby and netball. So as you see, they are also trying to
spend as much time as they can in their amazing nature.
f) Social life and personal development
Being overseas the first time on your own can be a very strange feeling for the first weeks, but
the hospitable New Zealanders are making you getting rid of the shyness and reserve you might
have, initially. You will get in touch with your work mates easily, because it’s common to go for
a beer after work, sometimes. Some of the work mates might even invite you for a meal or some
activities and you should definitely use that chance. If you don’t do so; they might be a little disappointed. The community in pubs is often like in a huge family, who is just looking for having
fun with all the present people.
Getting to know people, excerpt from work, won’t be a difficulty. Don’t be afraid of going out on
your own. There will be plenty of people in bars and pubs, who will be interested in you and try
to start a conversation, particularly if they figure out, by the accent or another way, that you are
a foreigner. Once you realized the easy-going way of living in New Zealand, you will become a
Kiwi1 yourself. You will start talking to stranger without having particular reasons, you will also
calm down and take everything pretty relaxed and you won’t understand the nervous, fidgety and
rushing Europeans, anymore.
The weird thing about friendships overseas is that these grow a lot quicker, than they do back
home. One of the main reasons is that you have, in comparison to Germany, just a limited range
of friends, which makes you spend much time with the same people. You might keep some of
these friends for a long time, because these experiences will gang you up.
Your Personality will probably develop during the stay quiet much. The fact that you have to
organize everything yourself will make you an independent, more confident and open-minded
person. The understanding and interest for other nations and cultures will grow, caused by the
multiple nations you will fortunately get in touch with during the stay. Your way of thinking
might change that much, that you may get new goals for life. Finally, you will learn to appreciate things back home that you have never seen that clearly before.
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g) Activities for the weekend
Besides going out in pubs, bars and discotheques, you should use the chance to do some of the
infinite activities that are offered in New Zealand. But going out in pubs and bars is pretty tempting, too; since there are very good live bands, regularly for free. Even or particularly in the winter are there still many nice hike tracks to go on. Snowboarding and skiing is on the North and
the South Island a possible sport, too. The many museums about the New Zealand history and
about the Maori3-culture are very well arranged and usually not boring at all. Many art galleries and artists can be seen in different locations.
The activities to do in spring, summer and autumn are endless, from nice beach days with a barbecue to bungy jumping. For a good reason is New Zealand known as “The Sport Activity Country”. Sports like mountain biking, surfing, hiking, paragliding, skating, skateboarding, rugby and
kayaking are very popular and often done by the youth. The landscape is almost made for these
sports. The costs for these activities are low in relation to Europe, but for example paragliding
will never be a cheap thing to do. Depending on the money and on our mood you can choose
many of these in almost every region.
6. How to travel?
a) Ways of traveling
Summing up all the possibilities to travel, are there 3 basic ones you can follow. The first and
simplest way to get around is with your own car. The most massive risk is to get stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a broken car. Certainly, it is not the cheapest way to travel,
but it’s far less expensive than in Europe. The convenience by traveling with your car is apparently to be independent and getting around without any forced stops. Furthermore, you will meet
a lot of other backpackers4, who would like to go with you and won’t mind sharing the petrol
costs.
Secondly, you can go from one location to the next with the Intercity Buses, which have an affordable price and go to almost every popular place in New Zealand. It’s a very social institution
to meet other backpackers4, too. In most cases this would be a good way to travel; it will just
take a bit longer.
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Last but not least, you can get around by hitch hiking. This is a very low costing way to travel
and the adventure- and experience-factor is quiet high. There will be a lot of interesting strangers to meet and you wouldn’t pay any money for transportation. In spite of all that, it will take a
lot of time and patience, since there are not that many cars driving around. The Kiwis1 and
backpackers4 will be very helpful in relation to taking you around, tough.
b) Traveling community
For those who think traveling around in New Zealand is just a lot of fun and meeting interesting
young people in the same age; you are right! Once you have started your trip you will notice that
there are heaps of young people from 18-30, who have just finished school or studying at University and want to see the world, before they get into the serious world of work.
Most of them are West-Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Australians, Japanese and some
South Americans. I’m of the opinion that this makes this trip so interesting, because you will
meet many communicative people from multiple nations, who can give you tips about the trip.
But even more importantly, they can tell you things about their countries, which you cannot read
in books. The life with all those travelers and globetrotters is very open-minded, uncomplicated
and sociable. You might go out or start activities spontaneously with strangers and afterwards
you will possibly feel like they have been your friend for a decent time.
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c) Map of New Zealand
(Source of map: 10.2.)
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7. Best places to visit and activities to do!
a) North Island
Beginning from the north is Northlands a very attractive region to got to, with Cape Reinga being the most northern part of it. It almost looks like Northlands is a small version of New Zealand, because everything from shifting sand dunes to rainforest can be found there. Everything is
possible from having a look at the world’s oldest kauri tree, which is about 1200 years old and
has a trunk girth of 13m to a dive at the Poor Knights Islands, which is one of the top 10 dive
sites of the world. Furthermore, you can rent a body board to go surfing on the sand dunes next
to Cape Reinga or even go with your car on the 90 mile beach at low tide. (Pictures: Appendix
10.a.)
(Cape Reinga)
The Coromandel Peninsula is particularly tempting with amazing beaches and nicely located
camping sites right at the sea. But excerpt from hiking and beautiful beach days is not that much
to do. (Pictures: Appendix 10.b.)
If you like the nasty smell of rotten eggs and weird scenery, you should consider to go to Rotorua. Caused by the high volcanic activity is Rotorua studded with hot springs, geysers and sulphur lakes. These are quiet astonishing and worth a visit, but you will have to pay an entry fee
(about 15 NZ$) for most of these Parks. Finally, Rotorua has an interesting, old Bathhouse, built
by a German architect in the past. The best “adrenalin-catcher” in this region is a rafting tour,
which can be chosen from a regular up to the most challenging level in New Zealand. (Pictures:
Appendix 10.c.)
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Napier instead is fascinating with its huge amount of art deco houses, which were built after an
earthquake, because this architectural style was said to be very secure. This tiny lovely town is a
good place for a daytrip and can be combined with a nice beach day, because its city center is
joining the beach promenade. (Pictures: Appendix 10.d.)
The nice hike tracks at the bottom and on Mount Taranaki are very good for a 1 or 2 day hike.
This Mountain is astonishing through its very symmetric shape and the tapering peak. Besides
looks Mount Taranaki similar to Mt. Fujijama in Japan and that is also why the movie “Last
Samurai” had been filmed there. The forest on the bottom of Mt. Taranaki is having beautiful
riverbeds, waterfalls and an enchanting flora. (Pictures: Appendix 10.e.)
The Tongariro Crossing is also a very attractive volcanic district and is a rocky, dreary, peculiar, but interesting place to go. Many backpackers4 I met claimed it to be the most worthwhile
attraction on the North Island to visit. One main reason for that will also be that this is one of
the rare places on the North Island, where “Lord of the Rings” had been filmed. About 20 kilometers from the Tongariro Crossing is Mount Ruapehu, which is an active volcano that got very
popular in 1996 with the biggest eruption in the modern times. There are heaps of wonderful
hike tracks around the bottom, to the Tama Lakes or even to the peak of Mt. Ruapehu. Waterfalls, stony rivers and a beautiful flora can be seen by doing these. (Pictures: Appendix 10.f.)
(Mt Ruapehu and Tama Lakes)
Wellington the capital of New Zealand is a tiny, but attractive city with about 160.000 inhabitants. The first item on the list to visit should be the TE PAPA. It is a museum showing everything
about New Zealand, from the nature over national inventions to the culture of the Maoris3 (No
entry fee). Besides is the botanical garden, which is joining the railway track of the popular Wellington Cable Car, a very well designed and accurate institution for horticulturalists to see. The
nightlife of Wellington is lively and definitely worth to go out for some nights. (Pictures: Appendix 10.g.)
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b) South Island
The Heaphy Track is located on the northwest of the South Island next to Karamea. This is one
of the most beautiful hike tracks I have ever seen. It’s running on the coastline and the lovely
forest and small bays are perfectly standing in synthesis to each other. This track will satisfy real
outdoor-freaks, as well as beach lovers. The track takes 2-3 days from one end to the other, but
the first day-leg will do it as well, because it is said to be the most worthwhile part of it. (Pictures: Appendix 10.h.)
(Heaphy Track)
In comparison to the Heaphy Track is the Able Tasman National Park a very similar kind of scenery. This national park is one of the biggest in New Zealand and a must to visit. You can do the
hike tracks, which are following the most attractive part of the national park, which is supposed
to be the coastline. But since you will hike a lot, you should rent a sea-kayak and go from one
paradisiacal bay to the other and you might have the opportunity to see orcas, dolphins and definitely seals. I am convinced that you will need at least 2 days for a relaxed and convenient
kayak trip in the Able Tasman National Park. There are huts and even better the nicely located
camping sites to stay in over night. 55 kilometers from there is Nelson. It’s a very lovely town
and good for a dinner or night stay. (Pictures: Appendix 10.i.)
The Marlborough Sounds in the northeast are studded with hike tracks, too. But renting a motorboat or going on a boat tour would be a good idea. Picton is a small town and a good place
to stay in a Backpacker5 or to go out for a meal. The district of Marlborough is known for its
good wineries and wines, which became established over the last 10 years in the list of the
world’s best wines. (Pictures: Appendix 10.j.)
The town Kaikoura in the northeast is a very touristy place and as a result from that quiet money-taking. Common things to do are whale watching or dolphin swimming tours, which are a
17
doubtful activity to do, in my opinion. Instead, there are very marvelous beaches and bays
around Kaikoura to visit. (Pictures: Appendix 10.k.)
The biggest city on the South Island is Christchurch, which looks like an English city with all the
old-fashioned English-looking buildings and the Cathedral in the city centre. It is very beautiful
and plenty of things can be done. Right next to the Cathedral is the Art Center and Art Museum
and a visit of those can be completed with a delicious beer or meal in the beautifully arranged
pub “The Dux de Lux” right around the corner. Furthermore, there is the Botanical Garden of
Christchurch, which is joining the Hagley Park, just a footstep from there. The nightlife is very
interesting and basically along Manchester Street and on „The Strip” that is located next to the
shopping mall in the city center, where one pub or bar is joining the next. Finally is Lyttelton,
which is laying about 20km from Christchurch, an astonishing place to see, because it has been
built on the upper edge of an extinguished volcano crater that was flooded. (Pictures: Appendix
9.l.)
(Art Centre Christchurch)
Dunedin is laying in the southeast and is unique trough the many students living there, but Dunedin itself is nothing special. So on the one hand is the nightlife very busy and worth stopping
by, but on the other hand are there just a few places to see like the steepest street of the world,
the Botanical Garden of Dunedin, a couple of cultural buildings (like the main train station), as
well as the Otago Peninsula. (Pictures: Appendix 10.m.)
Queenstown and the surrounding district is a must, it is a very touristy and expensive town,
tough. The scenery with all the mountains, lakes and woods is enchanting and Queenstown isn’t
called without a reason “The Adventure Sport Town”. For example has bungy jumping was invented, by the local firm A. J. Hackett and many more sports like sky diving, mountain biking,
riding, kayaking, rafting, hiking can be done there. In the winter is this the most famous ski and
snowboard area in New Zealand and the population is rising about 200-300% in the winter
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months, caused by all the adrenaline-junkies. The fun-factor is huge, during the entire year and
in general you should watch your money, because there are so many attractive things to do.
About 30-40 kilometers from Queenstown is the little village Paradise and not far from there is a
National Park, where many scenes of “Lord of the Rings” had been filmed. Even if you don’t like
the movie should you go there because the scenery is so amazing that it will make you fall in
trance. (Pictures: Appendix 10.n.)
The west coast is generally very rainy, but also very unique in relation to the flora and fauna.
The southwest is full of fjords and the two most popular ones, which are the only ones to visit
without being a survival-genius, are the Doubtful and Milford Sound. Both fjords are nicely located, but it’s enough to visit one of them, since you will have to pay for the boat trip.
The Franz Josef Glacier, right in the middle of the west coast, is pretty fascinating, because its
downer part is moving 6-7 meters a day, which makes it one of the fastest moving glaciers of the
world. Furthermore, the Franz Josef Glacier is just 2 kilometers away from the coastline. (Pictures: Appendix 10.o.)
(Region around Milford Sound)
The Pancake Rocks at the upper west coast are unique in their shape, as the name already says
and those are surrounded by rainforest, which makes them even more attractive. But you
shouldn’t plan too much time for them, because the only chance to see them is from a routed
track, which takes max. 1hour with stops.
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8. Let’s get it started
Finally, I would like to conclude that my stay in New Zealand has been the best time of my life
and I would give everyone the advice to start something similar, as well. Personally I would miss
this kind of experience, if I would not have done it. This has extremely changed my life and way
of thinking. So use the chance as soon as you can and get away from here, too!
9. List of words
1.) Kiwi:
New Zealander
2.) Down Under:
Australia
3.) Maoris:
Native inhabitants of New Zealand (, which have Polynesian ancestors)
4.) Backpackers:
a) Youth hostel b) Tourists just traveling with backpacks (usually young)
10. Appendix
a) Northlands
20
b) Coromandel Peninsula
c) Rotorua
d) Napier
21
e) Mount Taranaki
f) Tongariro Crossing and Mount Ruapehu
g) Wellington
22
h) Heaphy Track
i) Abel Tasman National Park and Nelson
j) Marlborough Sounds and Picton
23
k) Kaikoura
l) Christchurch
m) Dunedin
24
n) Queenstown and Paradise
o) The west coast
11. Sources of text
1.)
The main source of this document is my personal experience and pictures from my stay in
New Zealand.
2.)
www.welt-atlas.de/datenbank/karte.php?reg=3&kat=1&kartenid=3147&back=reg%3D3%26kat%3D1
3.)
Der Fischer Weltalmanach 2005 ( www.weltalmanach.de )
Editorial office: Heide Kobert, Felix Rudloff, Eva Berie, Gero von der Stein, Thomas
Steinhoff.
ISBN 3-596-72005-4
25
12. Confirmation of independent writing
With this, I confirm that I wrote this document entirely myself. Furthermore, I wrote this without
any help or sources of help excerpt from the ones I wrote down. Finally, I want to emphasis that
the phrasing of this document was entirely formulated by me.
City: Dresden-Gorbitz
Date: 22.01.2006
Signature: