New Zealand february 2016
Pictures – https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuwEJ-_opc9zg6wJWlKJJsnGecxkgA?e=1OS4HP
-The population of the three island country is 4.5 millions inhabitants. In Auckland, the main city 1.5 m and in Wellington , the capital 0,6 m. It means that in the rest of the country the demographic density is very low. I went to the north and south in a journey of 21 days and I never saw crowded roads nor any beach or tourist spot.
-The nature sceneries are prodigious in this part of our world. The volcanic formations left the beauty for us to see covered by a astonish green belt . Even though so many land was deforest and transformed as fields for cattle and ships , there is still plenty of intact nature and a more environment conscience in using land and all the nature sources is protecting it for further damage.
-The country is famous for is radical sports. Sky diving, tandem para-gliding, bungy jumping, canoeing, kayaking, jet boats ,sea sports and much more. Also for the recent blockbusters movies The Lord of the Rings and Hobbits, which were filmed here. The Hobbiton set movie is now a tourist farm for tourist and fans to the see the real but imaginary village of the Hobbits. The farm is located in Matamata in the region of Rotorua.
-The characters, Gandalf, Bilbo, Frodo, Sam , Gollum are the famous ones. The also famous movie director Sir Peter Jackson from Wellington transformed the books of J.R.R. Tolkien into a multi billion dollar business . As a matter of fact, ” the soul has greater need of the ideal than of the real.”
-One famous and philosophical passage from the first movie, the Fellowship of the Ring, when actor Sir Lan McKellen (Gandalf) states that a important decision that everyone has to made is ” what to do with the time that is given to you.” Have you?
-The famous Tongarino National Park which has a tracking of 19,3 kilometers over a still active Volcano with green water lakes is one of the famous walking tracks in the world. It took me 6h30m to cross it on a rainy and sunny day. The Abel Tasman National park which also has a 12 km track mainly with a view over the sea is a scenic walk which took me 2h30m to cross.
-One spot is worth to mention because it was for me a new feature of nature. The hot water beach. At the beach on a specific spot you dig a hole and the hot volcanic water flows to your hand made spa and as a child you begin to move sand around , over you and anyone who is sharing the space.
-The Mauri culture is kept alive with the language and cultural shows as it is in so many countries. The Te Papa Tongarewa museum in Wellington and Makita cultural show are the examples. The new world culture , mostly the American way of life is already spread over the whole world and those so distant islands were quickly infected.
– The whale killing industry stopped here many years ago it means that on whale a watching tour the probabilities of seeing the animals are very high as well as dolphin watching tours.
-This was a organized tour with shared accommodation. Mostly in backpacker facilities which means you share a room with at least four which is a budget way to move around. Of course for more money, more privacy and less fun you pay a single or double supplement. It is new trend and a new way to travel for those who can not afford the luxury or fancy hotels and tours or of those who want to see the world is a more holistic way. Image different cultures, meeting, sharing spaces, thoughts, family stories, philosophy instantly. A melting pot in a room, in a micro bus, on a table.
-Traveling the world, knowing cultures through other travelers leads you to understand better the world we all live in and mostly to know thyself , practicing tolerance, human relation principles and companionship. Having a opportunity as I have had and are having journeying over more than 80 countries, and counting, is a blessing and mainly a deliberate act of planning and focusing on a Definite Chief Aim.
-The desire of doing the most with the time that is given to everyone, with a motto – life is to short or life is to short to drink cheap wine, or Carpe Diem , more and more people are becoming world travelers to find out in the end that the most and significant journey is within ourselves and mostly near at home if not at home with the love ones. I particularly like both ways, finding my self while on the road, on a plane, on cruise, on a Kaiak, riding a camel, a elephant, or flying as a bird on a para-gliding wing , or as a eagle on a skydive jump at the Fox Glacier or at home in contact with my love ones.
– Traveling is changing clothes from inside.
-Why all these. Because everything is a matter of attitude.
Marcos Hans- world traveler, 2016 New Zealand version.
See curriculum. https://www.sejalider.com.br/?p=4243