Why is it called New Zealand?
The country is thought to have been discovered in 1642 by Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator. Tasman named the country ‘New Zealand’ after the Dutch province of Zeeland. Interestingly, James Cook who came to New Zealand in 1769 is usually famed as being the discoverer of the country as Tasman didn’t actually set foot on the land.
It also has the name Aotearoa, which is Maori for ‘Land of the Long White Cloud.’ Legend has it that this was what the Maori explorers first encountered.
What is New Zealand famous for?
There are several things that are commonly associated with New Zealand; these tend to be the impressive size of the sheep population; the nation’s love of rugby and the All Blacks, who won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, 2011 and 2015; and being the filming location for The Lord of the Rings trilogy of films and of course The Hobbit films also.
When are the school holidays in New Zealand?
The academic year in New Zealand is organised differently to in the UK. The first term begins in late February/ early March and the last term finishes in November, so the longest holidays are at the end of the year.
Most of the country’s universities operate on a semester system, although a few operate on a trimester or quarter system.
What are the national dishes of New Zealand?
There are a few dishes that are iconic when it comes to New Zealand cuisine. One of these is ‘hokey pokey,’ a variety of ice cream consisting of vanilla-flavoured ice cream with small lumps of honeycomb toffee. A dish known as ‘boil-up’ is also well known amongst New Zealanders and is similar to a thick soup. It consists of meat and vegetables boiled in a large pot filled with water. It can typically include anything from pork, beef, chicken or even goat and lamb, whilst the vegetable component includes watercress, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and sweet potatoes. New Zealanders are also known to be partial to a pie. A particular favourite is the bacon and egg pie and be found at many a picnic accompanied by a tomato sauce.
How do I go about moving household effects and vehicles to New Zealand?
This is where the services of a reputable and experienced removal company are important. Have discussions early on with your chosen remover to allow time for appropriate planning, assessment of volume and processing of documentation. The remover will need to use professionally trained export wrappers to ensure that your goods are transported as safely as possible. It’s often likely that you’ll need storage for an interim period during the moving process and this should be arranged by your international moving company either in the UK prior to your New Zealand shipping or in New Zealand. You may require either a full 20ft or 40ft container, or it may be that you need to opt for a groupage service containers, where you only pay for the space your possessions take up within a container.
