Visit to New Zealand in November 2002Visit to New Zealand in November 2002I spent a week in New Zealand with Katie in November 2002. Here are some of the better photos.
I love New Zealand because it seems like Britain before it was spoiled! There is so much countryside that is like Derbyshire or the Peak District but without all the tourists crawling all over it! This is not surprising as New Zealand has 3% greater land surface area than the British Isles but only 3.9m people (but many more sheep!). Therefore the population density is about one fifteenth that of the UK, which means that much of it is wide open spaces and unspoilt countryside. The South Island has the best scenery. It's like Scotland but much more dramatic with higher mountains and literally thousands of waterfalls (with the rainfall to match).
As Viggo Mortensen about filming Lord of the Rings "Being in New Zealand was an inspiration because it is a different place. Some of those forests, mountains or special rivers - these were places you didn't have to be told were sacred places".
We had a sheep as a tour guide of the Thermal Valley! They even drive on the correct (left) side of the road in New Zealand! In my opinion NZ is one of the best kept secrets in the world!
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