In the Land of the Long White Cloud

As the plane made its descent and the pillowy white clouds enveloping us receded, I could see the waves below shimmer and glisten as they danced and leapt with each gust of the ocean wind. The pristine blue of the ocean hurried past and suddenly, row after row of stand-alone houses on large, green sections sprawled out before us....

The view from my window could not have been more different than from what Captain James Cook must have seen in 1769 as the first European to land in New Zealand. It would’ve been close to impossible for him to envision the spacious, fresh-aired terrain before him with its vast lakes and sounds to transform from a sparsely populated land of 85,000 to 4.1 million in a little over two centuries time. And this was a man who was no stranger to eye-opening curiosities mind you – exotic Tahitian dances, an ‘eighty-pound mouse’ (we call them kangaroos now), striking cliffs made entirely of ice, you name it!

Who would've expected that this small archipelago of islands in the South Pacific would provide such stark contrasts between the familiar and the unexpected? Here, let me show you. Walk with me down this street. See that classic colonial style mansion towards the end, on the left there? No, not that one... yes that one. Well, it's a marvellous example of 19th-century 'Carpenter Gothic'... on the outside, you can just about make out the Maori influenced etchings of native fauna ... on the inside, there's a Star Wars Toy Show this week! Huh!? The name of this street you ask? Before I tell you that, let me let you in on something – the streets and cities with Maori names you see dotted across the country? Take care to pronouncing them. You may think the accent Australian or British but you'd be mistaken. Like so many other things here, it's completely unique with a distinct New Zealand spin. When you've fully taken in all of that, come back to me and I'll give you the name of the street!

Perhaps, no where else is the contrast more evident than in the geography of the land itself. The diversity of the country's varied and spectacular landscapes – stunning volcanic lakes, paradisial rainforests and majestic dunelands nestled amongst mountain highs, valley lows and icy vistas –is almost a physical representation of the many facets of New Zealand culture. It seems to suit that the two are linked together, I feel, for it's one of the few nations where the natural environment so defines one's lifestyle and mindset.

….This much was clear as the sliding doors of the airport swished open, golden rays of sunshine flooding eagerly in to greet me. “Kia Ora,” the early morning beams seemed to say, “Welcome to the Land of the Long White Cloud.” And I, smiling in reciprocation, basked wholeheartedly in their warm embrace.