New Zealand

A nice country, made up of two main islands (the North, and South island, unoriginal, I know). It is a very green place, and yes, it has alot of sheep. As far as I can see, it is not as beautiful as it is made out to be, but since I live in New Zealand, I am used to it, and don't know much better. It does have beautiful forests, but the countryside is mostly farm areas. It has the highest rate of youth suicide in the world. On the plus side, Wellington (the capital city) has one of the largest number of restaurants per head in the world! We do not actually hate Aussies, some people sometimes mock Aussies, in one way or another, but hardly any of them are serious. I have yet to meet an incredibly racist person living in New Zealand. Well, if you aren't very used to alot of green, then New Zealand is definately for you, and by the way, in the 80's we were incredibly backward, but now I'd say we are fine. Oh, and if you are going to go to New Zealand, make sure you go in the summer, it can get quite wet and rainy in the winter (and incredibly windy if you go to Wellington) (for all you people in the US, your winter = our summer). Places I reccomend: I'd suggest you go to Auckland (the largest city in New Zealand), but not for too long as you run out of things to do very quickly. Martinborough, in February, or March, so you can catch the Martinborough fair, which is quite nice, and you can also check out the vineyards if you have a taste for wine. Taupo (halfway up the North Island), as it has a very nice active volcanic lake, which gets very warm. Wellington (capital city), as you can see Parliament (what with its Beehive building (which although original,I fell is very ugly)), and the museum, which has a very nice history of New Zealand. And in the South Island: You should check out the Frans Josef glacier (but only if you haven't seen any glaciers before). Queenstown, which is a great place for adventure sports, there are some quite nice skiing areas too (if you go in the winter). Christchurch, which is also a big city in New Zealand, but not as big as most other big cities in other parts of the world. You should also check out all the various nature walks, which are really beautiful, and are the best ways to experiance the nature in New Zealand first hand. New Zealand would be a great place to move to for retirement, as it is quite laid back. New Zealand doesn't run much risk of terrorism, or nuclear war, as New Zealand is quite small and insignificant, and most people don't even know where it is. As for living there, it's a great place for farming, if that's what you want to do. The houses can be quite expensive, and I'd suggest you buy an old house, as some of the new ones can be quite small and ugly. The TV is okay, you don't get the luxury of getting 100's of channels if you get cable, or sattelite, but you get enough, and anyway, in New Zealand you are far more likely to be out doing things instead of staying indoors, watching TV. I would not suggest New Zealand for University. The Primary and Secondrary schools are of a decent standard, not as strict as the schools in other parts of the world, unless you go to a private school, which is definately the way to go if you happen to have the money for it. The New Zealand dollar is pretty weak vs other currencies, but it is rising, so things imported from other parts of the world can be quite expensive. New Zealand is also becoming a very popular place to film movies, after the recent success of the Lord of the Rings (a bit over rated if you ask me, Peter Jacksons earlier films (the far more violent ones) are much better in my opinion). So I would recomend it for a holiday only for those who really appreciate nature in all its glory, as it is hard to find places in the world as green as New Zealand.