My World Tour:  Adventures of New Zealand Main Page
February 27, 2003 - April 18, 2003   Day 542 - 592
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New Zealand is an outdoor lover's paradise.  The Kiwis love their wacky adventure, high adrenaline rushes.   Anything fun, wild, and suicidal can be done here, and you can even buy the picture of your death as well.  The landscape is almost mythical, hence the reason the film trilogy "Lord of the Rings" was filmed here with the backdrop of snow capped peaks, waterfalls, and active volcanoes in the background.  The Kiwi people are sitting at the top of the charts with their hospitality, opening their homes for complete strangers, and it's one of the few places in the world that hitchhiking is really encouraged.   These people are so laid back, that 20% of them on any day weren't wearing any shoes around town.   The people, bound in a culture that melds European with Maori ancestry, are resourceful, helpful and overwhelmingly friendly. The extraordinary place names - try Te Awamutu, Whangamomona or Paekakariki for tongue-trippers - are resonant and, with a modicum of practice, easy to pronounce.  The only downfall of New Zealand is it's real easy to blow all of your cash having fun, and getting on the plane to leave is a real bummer.  A few films to catch about New Zealand and the Maori culture are the recent film "Whale Rider" and a classic "When We Were Warriors".