New Zealand, June 5, 2009
When the Maori landed in what we now called New Zealand eight centuries ago, they called it Aeteroa*: Land of the Long White Cloud. The Queensland area of New Zealand is situated in what is called the Southern Alps, or, in Maori, Tiawahi Ona Mu: Land of the Green Stone. Apparently, the jade found in this area was prized for jewelry making.
The scenery in this region is the most spectacular we have ever seen. We were dumbfounded by the endless beauty of snowcapped mountains, sparkling clear lakes and ponds, farmlands. and endless blue skies streaked with, yes, long white clouds resting like pillows on the mountain peaks. The southwest coast of the South Island features 14 sounds, one fiord after another. The copious rainfall and snowmelt create a 10 foot layer of fresh water on top of sea water. This layer of fresh water acts as a lens, refracting light in a way that causes the very deep, glacial water to appear a beautiful aqua color. Here is the link so that you can see for yourself a little of what we enjoyed yesterday:
When the Maori landed in what we now called New Zealand eight centuries ago, they called it Aeteroa*: Land of the Long White Cloud. The Queensland area of New Zealand is situated in what is called the Southern Alps, or, in Maori, Tiawahi Ona Mu: Land of the Green Stone. Apparently, the jade found in this area was prized for jewelry making.
The scenery in this region is the most spectacular we have ever seen. We were dumbfounded by the endless beauty of snowcapped mountains, sparkling clear lakes and ponds, farmlands. and endless blue skies streaked with, yes, long white clouds resting like pillows on the mountain peaks. The southwest coast of the South Island features 14 sounds, one fiord after another. The copious rainfall and snowmelt create a 10 foot layer of fresh water on top of sea water. This layer of fresh water acts as a lens, refracting light in a way that causes the very deep, glacial water to appear a beautiful aqua color. Here is the link so that you can see for yourself a little of what we enjoyed yesterday:
The Scandinavians who settled in Iceland were strategic in their naming. The island they called Iceland was quite habitable whereas the one they named Greenland was one giant glacier. This was a clever rouse, keeping other explorers off track and out of their new country. As we travelled to and through Milford Sound today, we paused many times to discuss the names for things. The Maori name for the sound is Piopiotahi which translates, simply, One Thrush. We can’t help but think that this name was given intentionally to divert attention from this visually stunning region: “Not much of anything over there. Maybe a bird or two, but you wouldn’t be interested.”
Another interesting thing about this area of New Zealand is that it is considered a cool temperature rain forest with an average of approximately 23 feet of rainfall per year. That comes to 200 days of rain each year, or , in everyday parlance, "you better take your umbrella with you, because it will rain!" The flora and fauna of the region are also of interest. The forest is primarily populated by a species of beech tree that is evergreen. The leaves are tiny; the trees are magnificent.
Due to the introduction of predators, 47 bird and animal species of New Zealand have gone extinct since people arrived less than a millennium ago, Among them are a number of flightless birds including some types of kiwis as well as the gigantic moa, a distant cousin of the emu, that stood 9 feet tall. Its slightly smaller cousin, the bush moa, was a brilliant blue and lived in this rain forest. These birds must have been remarkable to watch running through the beech trees. An endangered cousin of the moa and kiwi lives in this forest, but we didn’t see any today. Maybe next time.
A species of parrot, the kia, also lives in the Milford Sound region. It is the only parrot in the world that lives above the snow line. Kia are the official bad boys of the forest, too. They are constantly dreaming up ways to cause mischief by doing annoying things like pulling rubber gaskets out of screens and windows. Our bus driver told us that recently, a kia got down into the luggage compartments under his bus and flew off with some poor tourist’s passport. We can just imagine a bunch of kia in their leather jackets, smoking cigarettes, loitering around a street corner hawking passports.
Speaking of names for things, we got a kick out of the white man’s names for these amazing geological phenomena. Our favorites were Doubtful Sound, Halfway Bay, and The Remarkables, (a mountain range with peaks up to 7000 feet). These names are pretty pedestrian compared to the Maori names which always add a touch of mystery to what one is viewing. Gives a little insight into the comparative capacity for creative thought between the cultures. Hey, but even if the invaders couldn't write a line of poetry, they had steel and the musket.
In the words of our bus driver and tour guide, I won’t keep “rabbiting on.” We hope you enjoy the pictures.
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*If there are any Maori scholars out there, please excuse my phonetic reproductions of many of the Maori words.
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