I come to the last of eight articles about New Zealand without having mentioned what a beautiful country it is. It drew only 1.5 million visitors last year compared to Hawaii's 7 million -- not because of its lack of attractions but because of its great distance from well-populated areas except for Australia. New Zealand: beautiful,
but few visitorsIts latitudes are a south-of-the-equator counterpart of the United States West Coast between the Mexican and Canadian borders. It has equally great climate variety.
South Island has snow-capped Alps and glaciers, sounds as beautiful as Norway's and very English pastoral countryside. North Island has its Bay of Islands for surf and sand, a vital city of more than 1 million in Auckland near its middle, volcanic areas south of that and a city-on-the-bay capital, Wellington, at its southern tip that stirs up comparisons with San Francisco.
New Zealand's land area is about that of Colorado, or 16 times the size of Hawaii. Its population of 3.6 million is concentrated heavily on the North Island and in cities.
America and New Zealand retain friendly relations despite a defense policy rift that has kept U.S. Navy ships from calling at New Zealand ports since 1984. This also keeps New Zealand out of U.S.-sponsored joint naval exercises. Nevertheless New Zealand warships docking in Honolulu harbor instead of Pearl Harbor get a friendly reception.
We retain Christchurch on South Island as the air base for our scientific explorations in Antarctica. Next year we will replace our Navy aircraft there with ski-equipped planes from the New York State National Guard, which also operates in the Arctic.
We are one of New Zealand's major trading partners along with Australia, Canada, Japan and Korea. We have become one of its biggest foreign investors. The balance between imports and exports is favorable to us. Billions of U.S. hamburgers contain New Zealand beef.
Be advised, however, that if you want real New Zealand kiwi fruit products look for them as Zespri to distinguish them from new Chilean and South African competitors. New Zealand keeps lingering monopoly control over some agricultural exports.
New Zealand's liberating economic reforms since 1984, strongly ratified again at the polls last October, have given its citizens many more personal choices and opportunities. Some say, however, the changes intended to reduce government dependence have created a less caring society. There will be still more reform if voter support holds.
Via a point system, New Zealand's doors open to about 35,000 immigrants a year. Asians have dropped from 50 to about 25 percent of the mix now since an English language requirement was tightened.
Pacific Islanders from areas formerly administered by New Zealand are admitted separately from the overall quota. They frequently come to earn money to send home.
THE society has strong English overtones. Christchurch, a city of over 300,000, would fit well in rural England. A park-lined River Avon flows through it.
Some call New Zealand a violent society. "Just look at how we drive," I was told.
The bloody land wars of the late 1800s, in which North Island Maori lands were seized by British settlers, have no Hawaii counterpart. A restitution process is moving forward. A statue of a Maori warrior stands at the foot of the main street in Auckland, the biggest city, much as a King Kamehameha statue is prominent in the capital district of Honolulu.
One disgruntled Maori in March sledged yachting's America's Cup trophy, the winning of which has been a source of great national pride. Another Maori a few years ago nearly cut down a landmark pine on One Tree Hill in Auckland. Both were symbolic individual acts criticized even by Maori leaders but a reminder that all is not placid, even in New Zealand.
Last of eight articles New Zealand Series Archive
