Matthew Consterdine's

Hello, I am here to talk about my trip to New Zealand and my experiences visiting the country. I chose New Zealand as I have visited it many times and I feel that it would be interesting to discus.

New Zealand is a country in the south west Pacific consisting of two main islands: The North Island and The South Island. It is so isolated that it was one of the last landmasses to be inhabited by humans and has developed many unique and distinct plants and animals including the Kiwi Bird.

The first people to arrive were Polynesians, now known as Maoris, who created many pieces of art, the Haka and various carvings. About 15% of the population of New Zealand is of Maori descent, the rest mainly of European origin from after the Treaty of Waitangi, and in recent years people have started emigrating from Asia.

New Zealand has one of the highest standards of living in the world. The biggest city in the country, Auckland, being declared one of the most liveable cities worldwide.

While visiting the rural countryside, you will see many spectacular and breath-taking views. These views, low population, and government incentives have resulted in many big budget films such as Lord of the Rings being filmed in the country.

The country is rather liberal - it was the first country to give women the vote. It has been rated by Reporters Without Borders as having one of the twentieth freest presses in the world. The country is also one of the few to completely ban Nuclear Weapons and, has protested other countries such as France from testing them in the pacific.

The country exports lots of agricultural goods. This resulted in huge economic growth in the mid-1900’s. Due to in the sheer number of sheep in the country compared to the population, there are various jokes about sheep, most of them crude. New Zealand and Australia have a fierce rivalry involving anything accents to sports.

Sport is big in New Zealand with Rugby being the biggest. Recently, as I’m sure you are all aware; New Zealand hosted and won the Rugby World Cup. I was visiting New Zealand before the world cup started and I stayed in the same Hotel as the All Blacks, the team. New Zealand is also a popular destination for extreme sports, with winter sports particularly popular in the South Island.

Any questions?