Greetings! We recently returned from a trip to Australia and New Zealand. Because these are countries that I have already visited, this post will be a bit different, as it will combine sites and information from and about both countries. The featured image is the Māori (“mah-oh ree”) flag, representing the native inhabitants of Australia and New Zealand.

The Commonwealth of Australia

Sydney

In 1788, Sydney began as a penal colony for convicts from England. They had originally been sent to the USA, but were refused entry after the US gained independence. After the convicts served time, they were allowed to remain in Australia as free citizens. Approximately 25% of the current citizens descend from those original convicts.

Sydney has approximately 230 days of sunshine a year. Rain is spread out evenly over the year, with June being the wettest month.

The Sydney Opera House was opened in 1973 after being commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. It hosts over 1500 performances per year, attended by over one million people per year.

The blue haze over the Blue Mountains comes from Eucalyptus interacting with the atmosphere. It consists of 10,300sqkm/4,000sqmi of valley, and is double the size of the Grand Canyon in the USA.

Aboriginal Legend has it that Wimalah, Meeni, and Gunedoo were three actual sisters who fell in love with three men from a nearby tribe, but marriage between tribes was forbidden by tribal law. Their brothers were not happy and captured the sisters. A battle ensued and an elder turned the sisters to stone to protect them, but he was killed in battle and nobody else was able to bring them back.

Koalas only eat Eucalyptus leaves, and sleep up to 20 hours in a day. Their mating season is from February to August.

The Eastern Grey Kangaroo is the kangaroo that is most popular in Australia. Kangaroos choose the sex of their babies. Wallabies are in the same taxonomy family as the kangaroo but are smaller. There are nine species of Wallaby, one of which is extinct. If you look closely (or zoom in), you can see that the wallaby in this photo has a baby in its pouch.

The Inland Taipan is the most venomous snake in the world. The Dingo is in the wolf family, and they tend to howl (not bark). Some people keep them as pets, but they aren’t very good guard dogs since they don’t bark. Wombats are herbivores, and they have powerful claws and rodent-like teeth with which they dig burrows. They also have a backward pouch, which keeps their young from being covered by soil.

Interesting Fact: A group of wombats is called a wisdom, mob, or colony.

Uluru

Uluru (“ooh-luh-roo”; the Aboriginal word; also referred to as Ayers Rock) is a large sandstone formation that rises to 2831ft (863m) tall. It is located in the center of Australia in an area referred to as “the Red Centre” in the Outback, located in the Northern Territory (a vast territory [548,000sqmi/1.3million sqkm] that sits at the top of Australia). Uluru is considered to be sacred to the Aboriginal people in that area, and climbing it is prohibited. In addition, there are certain parts of Uluru that are not allowed to be photographed due to traditional beliefs.

Europeans first came to this area in the 1870s, followed by dingo scalp hunters, with whom the locals traded for food, implements, and clothes. Ernest Giles and William Gosse were the first white men to see Kata Tjuta and Uluru and named them Mt. Olga and Ayers Rock. A conflict in the 1930s resulted in a disappearance of food sources and an increase in police patrols. Many locals left due to fear and a bad drought. In 1958, this area was established as a national park, but then the sacred sites were starting to be damaged, so, they created Ayers Rock Resort to protect the area, and closed down the motels. Locals moved back in the 1970s, and leaders started the process of negotiating for protection of cultural ties to the land. This resulted in the Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976, and eventually resulted in the area with Uluru and Kata Tjuta being given back to the indigenous people in a land trust in 1985.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is 2000km/1242mi long, and starts just south of Papua, New Guinea. It is the longest reef system in the world, is the same size as Japan or Italy, is larger than the Great Wall of China, and is “the only living thing on earth visible from space,” according to their official website. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981. While it is constantly regenerating, some of the reef is being bleached by starfish and rising sea temperatures.

There are 1500 different species of coral, consisting of two types: soft (move around in water) and hard (do not move in the current). Coral grows 10-15cm (4-6in) per year, and is very fragile and will break off easily. Coral releases babies, which rise to the surface, ride with the current, then go back down and insert themselves into the dead coral. The Great Barrier Reef is divided into zones, and it is prohibited to take anything (including dead coral) from the Green Zone

Interesting Fact: It’s called a “barrier” reef because it is an outer reef (vs. a fringe reef) of coral along the Australian continental shelf, parallel to the shore and separated by a channel of water (vs. being situated along the coastline of land and islands).

New Zealand

New Zealand is just west of the international dateline (approximately 18 hours ahead of the Eastern Standard Time zone), which makes them the first to celebrate the new year. New Zealand (called Aotearoa in Māori, meaning “Land of the Long White Cloud”) has a steeped history that includes its indigenous people (though the Māori were never a nation) and, as a result, it has three official languages (English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language). New Zealand also has four official national anthems (New Zealand anthem, Māori anthem, British national anthem, and a sign language anthem).

The name “Zealand” came from the first European (a Dutch person named Tasman) to arrive in the region in 1642, as he was from the Dutch province of Zealand. When he arrived, there was a battle with the Māori, and the Dutch left after four Dutch soldiers were killed. Another European named Cooke arrived in 1769, and after a series of battles and negotiations, a declaration of independence was signed with the British in order to keep the French from taking over the South Island. The Māori also had a chief, and the chief became the first king in 1858. There is a Māori king to this day. The Māori volunteered to fight in World War I and II, and eventually asked for their land back and it was returned to them on May 28, 1978. Māori language and culture are taught throughout the country, and they also celebrate the Māori new year.

New Zealand is made up of a series of islands that were formed from eruptions from dozens of volcanoes along a fault. The country borders two large tectonic plates, and has an average of 60 earthquakes daily. New Zealand is an island nation, the last islands to be settled. The North and South Islands are the 12th and 14th most populated islands in the world, respectively. The citizens of New Zealand call themselves kiwis (a kiwi is a flightless bird; New Zealand is home to the most endemic species of flightless birds in the world). Kiwi birds are shy and nocturnal and they live deep in the forest, so, are rarely seen in the wild. There are no land animals that are native to New Zealand – the only mammal that is native to New Zealand is one species of bat.

New Zealand boasts 92.5% renewable energy (with regard to the power grid), and expect to be at 100% when they get rid of their one remaining power station. They have 70% hydropower, and the rest is geo, wind, gas, and coal.

Auckland

There are 5 million people in New Zealand and 1.4 million of them live in Auckland, making it the largest city in New Zealand (though it is not the capital; the capital is Wellington – the southernmost capital in the world). Auckland (which is on the North Island of the country) is 11km/7mi from coast to coast, and was built on top of volcanoes. It has the nickname “City of Sails,” making it a stop for two cruise ships and for regattas.

Interesting Fact: There are 10 million cows (most of which are dairy cows) in New Zealand, and it is the largest dairy exporter in the world (responsible for 40% of the dairy exports in the world). Farming cows is so lucrative that one third of the sheep farmers transitioned over to become cow farmers. That said, Australia and New Zealand are the largest exporters of sheep products (including Merino Possum blends of products, which are warm and incredibly soft!), as there are over 30 million sheep in New Zealand, including Romney (North Island) and Merino (South Island) breeds.

New Zealand also has the second highest number of golf courses, per capita, in the world (after Scotland).

Hobbiton

The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and The Hobbit were primarily filmed at the 1250-acre Alexander farm, just outside of Auckland (it should be noted that there are other film sites around the country). 39 hobbit holes were made for LOTR and they added 5 more for The Hobbit. The hobbit holes were built to variable scales in order to make the actors look small.

Interesting fact: LOTR is the second most read book after the Holy Bible.

Queenstown

Queenstown is a primary tourist destination within New Zealand, which also makes it the most expensive city in New Zealand. It was developed on the back of a Gold Rush, with the Shotover River being the second largest producer of gold after the Yukon. Queenstown is also pretty far south, and experiences 15 hours of daylight in their summer (December and January), with temperatures averaging 59F/15C in the summer.

The Māori believe that mountains are ancestors, so, they will not climb mountains or stand on the summit because they see that as disrespectful to their ancestors.

Lake Pukaki (70m (230ft) deep) is a glacial lake. The color comes from rock flower that mixes with glacial water as it comes down from the glacial lakes and mixes with rocks. One of the minerals that is mixed in the water is Micah, which reflects the sky. The clearer the day, the bluer the lake.

Milford Sound

Milford Sound takes its name from Milford Haven in Wales and was created by 5 glaciers over thousands of years. It rains 200 days a year in the Sound, with 6-8m (20-26ft) of rain a year, making it a rainforest and one of the wettest places in the world. Milford Sound (deepest part is 200-300m/656-984ft) opens up into the Tasman Sea.

Oceania is a region that is full of culture and beautiful landscapes. It is definitely worth the time and effort that it takes to get there to experience all that it has to offer. Until next time, take care and be well…