New Zealand Legends.

The Maori people have a myth called "The Story of Kupe and Te Wheke". It is about a battle between a warrior and an evil giant octopus. It is said that when the warrior, Kupe, defeated the octopus, it's eyes became two island like rocks in the ocean near the Arapawa Island in the Tori Channel. These rocks are not geologically compatable with the rest of the region.

More Brett and Jemaine

Famous New Zealanders

My two favorite Kiwis are Brett McKenzie and Jermaine Clement. They are comedians and musicians. They had their own show called "Flight of the Concords". It is one of my favorite shows ever. Also Brett recently won an Oscar for his song "Man or a Muppet" for the Muppet film. Also, he was an elf on both the Fellowship of the Ring andd the Hobbit.

Mount Cook

Putangirua Pinnacles

Another set of LOTR.

Milford Sound

Tongariro Crossing

Mount Ruapehu, North Island, New Zealand

Mount Doom

This is the volcano used as mount doom in the LOTR trilogy. Meet Mount Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, Central Plateau, New Zealand.

Hobbiton, New Zealand

Taranaki New Zealand

Amazing places

Minimum Wage-NZ

The minimum wage for New Zealand workers is 13.50 an hour for workers 16 and older. The median income per week is about $800.

I'm Moving.

This is one of the most expensive homes in New Zealand with a value of almost 9,000,000 dollars. The house is equipped with 9 bed

rooms, 6 bathrooms, a swimming pool,1 master kitchen and four half kitchens (!!!!!), as well as a sauna, and tropical gardens. And that isn't even all. It is located in Auckland. I will be moving. Bye, everyone.

The People of New Zealand

A fun fact about the people of New Zealand is that there are two main ethnic groups. The Maori people, who were originally from Polynesia but moved to New Zealand between 800 and 1300 AD, and the Western Europeans, who didn't arrive until the 1640s. Another piece of New Zealander trivia is that the first man to reach the top of Mount Everest was from New Zealand, and he is on their 5 dollar bill.

New Zealand Cuisine

New Zealand has several different cuisine influences including British, South Asian, and of course, Australian. However, the Maori people, who are considered the indigenous people of New Zealand, were originally from Polynesia, so that has also had a large effect on the cuisine. The Maori people call food "Kai". The major components of their diet are fish and birds, supplemented by herbs and roots. One example of a Maori staple is a bread, called Rewena paraoa, which they make out of a deep purple skinned potato.

New Zealand Holidays

In New Zealand, there is a celebration

the day after Christmas called "Boxing Day". This is very similar to black Friday in America, and stores often have dramatic price reductions. In addition to shopping, there are often huge sports events that day. in New Zealand, Christmas falls in the summer. The traditional customs of a tree and Christmas dinner with family, are joined by trips to the beach and barbeque. Interesting!