A very “brief” history of
New Zealand
The original inhabitants of New Zealand were the Maori people who arrived here 800-1000 years ago. While the Maori were Polynesian in origin the actual location of their ancestral homeland “Hawaiki” is unknown. At this time New Zealand was devoid of mammals, apart from a few bats, and the first Maori lived off the sea and the abundant bird life. These first inhabitants gave the country the name Aotearoa (the land of the long white cloud).
In 1642 Abel Tasman (from Holland) sailed past the west coast of New Zealand. Tasman didn’t stay long as the Maori violently thwarted his attempts to land. He did however name this strange new country New Zealand, after the Dutch province of Zeeland.
Next to visit was British explorer Captain James Cook in 1769. He ended up making three voyages to New Zealand and mapped much of the country. Today many locations still have the names given to them by Cook. He also succeeded in making friendly contact with the Maori and traded with them. Before he left Cook claimed the entire land for the British Crown.
However at the time Britain was more interested in colonising Australia and so New Zealand’s first European settlers were sealers and whalers. One of the many unfortunate side effects of this early contact between the Maori and Europeans was the introduction of muskets. The Maori traditionally engaged in war over land, or for revenge, and once they got hold of muskets they proceeded to decimate each other.
During the early 1800s European settlers began arriving in increasing numbers. The first missionaries arrived in 1814 but these early days of European settlement were generally unruly and relations with the Maori deteriorated. In 1838 Captain William Hobson was dispatched to New Zealand to sort things out. The result of this was the Treaty of Waitangi which was signed by a number of Maori chiefs on 5 February 1840. Under this treaty the Maori recognised the Queen of England as their sovereign and in return were guaranteed ownership of their land. Obviously the Maori didn’t totally understand what they had signed and the Treaty is still a hot topic in New Zealand today.
Conflicts developed as Maori chiefs sold land to the Europeans that actually belonged to whole tribes or even other tribes. These pressures escalated in 1860 into wars between the Maori and Europeans (known as the Maori wars). As a result large amounts of Maori land were confiscated and they began to lose the struggle to hold onto their land and culture.
Meanwhile European settlement continued throughout the country, with sheep and dairy farming emerging as the dominant industries. New Zealand became a fully independent country in 1947 and the country flourished. With a few ups and downs a long the way things are still running pretty smoothly today.
Key dates in NZ history:
- 1867 Maori given the right to vote
- 1893 Women given the vote (first country in the world thank you very much)
- 1975 a Waitangi Tribunal was set up to investigate the Treaty of Waitnagi
- 1984 NZ became nuclear free
- 1985 French secret agents bombed the Rainbow Warrior (Greenpeace protest ship) in Auckland
- 2006 GOOT was formed
New Zealand’s geology is governed by its location astride two tectonic plates (the Indo-Australian and Pacific plate). The collision and interaction of these two plates beneath the country creates the unique and differing landscapes we find in the North and South Islands.
In the North Island the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Indo-Australian plate. This causes immense pressure to build up and results in a volcanic zone that stretches from Tongariro National Park northwards through Taupo, Rotorua, White Island and all the way to the Kermadec Islands. These regions, particularly Tongariro, Taupo and Rotorua are characterised by volcanoes, crater lakes, hot pools and bubbling mud. On the West Coast a lone volcano, Mt Taranaki/Egmont, stands proudly amid farmland. Auckland is also dominated by over 50 volcanic cones including; Mt Eden, One Tree Hill and Rangitoto.
In the South Island things are a little different. Here the two plates are colliding and sliding past each other. Consequently instead of volcanoes the South Island is dominated by the Southern Alps (an uplifted spine of mountains which run the length of the island). The eastern slopes of these mountains once fell into the sea but massive amounts of erosion and resultant deposition have formed the flat Canterbury Plains.
New Zealand’s prevailing winds come from the west. These winds interact with the differing geological features of both islands to produce distinctive patterns of rainfall. In the South Island moist air hits the Southern Alps resulting in heavy rainfall on the West Coast and a relatively dry East Coast. In the North Island the western slopes of the high areas also receive more rainfall but generally rainfall is more evenly spread across the island.
New Zealand is a long thing country so not surprisingly it is a few degrees warmer in the North Island. Northland is known as the “winterless north” and generally has some of the best climate in New Zealand. The top of the South Island (Nelson and Blenheim) experience the most sunshine hours annually. Snow falls in the mountains during winter but the alpine areas, particularly in the South Island, have snow all year round. The best weather can usually be found from December to March.
The most important thing to remember about the weather in New Zealand is that it changes super quickly. Even if the day dawns sunny don’t be surprised if it rains later on (and vice versa). Be prepared for anything. Oh and also Wellington is wonderfully windy.
New Zealand has some funky plants. While you are here you will likely see the majestic
Kauri tree which used to cover much of Northland. Unfortunately they made great masts and spars for sailing ships so the early settlers cut many of them down. However pockets of these massive forest giants remain including Tane Mahuta which is thought to be 2000 years old.
Some of our most ancient podocarp tree species, the
Rimu and
Totara can be seen towering above the forest. But even these forest giants are smaller than the
Kahikatea, which is NZ’s tallest native tree at up to 60 metres. These amazing specimens are odourless which unfortunately meant many of them were cut down to make butter boxes when dairy export began.
A more common native tree is
Manuka (which along with
Kanuka) cover large parts of New Zealand. These trees are both known as Tea-tree as the early settlers were known to make tea from the leaves. Around Christmas time the coastal
Pohutukawa comes into flower earning itself the name the “New Zealand Christmas tree”. The
Northern Rata has a similar flower but actually starts its life as a climber on a host tree, which it eventually chokes (some great examples can be seen in the Whirinaki State Forest Park).
New Zealand has a large number of tree ferns. The most famous of these is the Ponga or Silver Fern, which is the country’s national emblem. Another funky plant is the Lancewood. This tree undergoes a remarkable transformation as it grows. It starts off with long thin thick unappetising leaves but as it matures the leaves become softer and more rounded. This change appears to occur at about 3 metres in height, which coincidently is about the same height that the moa bird used to grow to. Some suggest that the Lancewood adapted to protect itself from moa browsing.
In the forest you are also likely to see Cabbage Trees and NZ’s only native palm, the Nikau. If you get hungry in the forest the Supple Jack is edible and if you get tooth ache try chewing on Kawakawa. This unique plant was the Maori cure for tooth ache (among other things). Don’t swallow the leaves though as they will likely give you an upset stomach. One plant that you don’t want to meet is the Onga Onga which is a nasty stinging nettle which packs a real punch.
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Before humans arrived in NZ only had two mammals (both of them were bats) ands instead the land was populated with birds. Many of these like the giant
Moa and
Kiwi were flightless due to the lack of predators. While moa are now extinct (the Maori ate them), kiwi have become our national bird. You will be very lucky to see a kiwi in the wild as they are nocturnal and shy. While it may seem like an interesting object to make our national icon New Zealander’s are pretty proud of their kiwi. When you see one you will know why. They are cool!
Some of our other funky birds are the
Kakapo, the
Pukeko, the
Takahe, the
Kea (cheeky), the
Kokako, the
Morepork and along the coast
Gannets,
Penguins and
Oyster Catchers. One of the more interesting birds which are now extinct is the
Haast Eagle. Weighing 13 kilograms and with a wing span of approximately 3 metres it could have done some damage.
The two birds of prey that you may see in NZ are the common
Australasian Harrier (commonly seen feeding on road kill) and the elusive
NZ Falcon. The songbird that you hear in the morning or in the bush is likely to be the
Tui. Also known as the parson’s bird, it has a distinctive white tuft on its throat.
In terms of animals NZ has very few native species of any size. Of course you will see lots of sheep, cows, goats, deer and pigs but all of these have been introduced. There are lots of wonderful marine mammals to be seen including dolphins, whales, seals and sea lions. We also have a very large ugly insect (lucky us) called the Weta, which apparently provided the inspiration for the alien in the Alien movie.
The good news is NZ has no snakes and only a couple of poisonous spiders that haven’t killed anybody in years.
The Maori language is beautiful and unique so you should try and learn a few words and phrases while you are in New Zealand. Here is a brief introduction to get you started.
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Some useful phrases:
Kia ora - hello
Haere mai – welcome
Haere ra – goodbye (to the person leaving)
E noho ra – goodbye (to the person staying)
Ka pai – thank you, good
Whanau – extended family
Iwi – tribe
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Important words:
Hapu – sub tribe
Whakapapa – ancestors
Marae – meeting house
Tapu – sacred
Utu – revenge
Hongi – traditional greeting (touching noses)
Hangi – traditional way of cooking (in the ground)
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Components of New Zealand place names
The Maori people traditionally named places after ordinary geographical features such as hills, rivers or mountains, and the adjectives describing them, such as small, big or little. Here is a list of Maori words and their meanings to help you begin to recognize some of the meanings behind the places you visit.
Aotearoa - New Zealand
- literally - ao = cloud, tea = white, roa = long or (the) long white cloud.
Ahi fire
Ao cloud
Ara path, road
Aroha love
Au current
Awa river
Haka dance
Hau wind
Ika fish
Iti small, little
Kai food, or eat
Kato to flow
Kare rippling
Kari to dig, wounded
Kawakawa plant
Kino bad
Koura crayfish
Mānia plain
Manga stream
Manu bird
Mata headland, point |
Maunga mountain
Moana sea, lake
Moe to sleep
Moko tatoo
Motu island
Nui large, big
O of, place of
One earth, beach
Pa fortified village
Pae ridge, range
Pai good
Papa flat
Para fern root
Po night
Poto short
Puke hill
Puna spring
Ra sun, day
Rangi sky
Repo swamp |
Rewa a shrub, floating
Roa long
Roto lake
Rua two
Tahi one
Tai sea, coast, tide
Tane man
Tapu sacred
Tara peak
Te the
Tea white
Toto blood
Wai water
Waka canoe
Wahine women
Wero challenge
Whanga harbour
Whare house
Whenua land,country
Wene many |
And finally a Maori proverb we like
Te wahine I te ringaringa me te waewae kakama, moea, te wahine whakangutungutu whakarerea atu.
The women with active hands and feet, marry her, but the women with overactive mouth, leave well alone.
