The Youngest Country On Earth

Multi-cultural, diverse, stunning, pristine, young… These are just some of the words used to describe New Zealand. I have a lot of friends, former officemates, who have moved to New Zealand together with their families, to work and live there. They have described the country so beautifully that I begun to develop a romantic affinity over the place. According to them pictures could not even do justice to the beauty of its landscapes.

Dubbed as the youngest country on earth because it was the last land mass to be discovered, New Zealand’s awesome landscapes, lush forests, amazing wildlife and pleasant climate make it a haven for many outdoor activities, and a great place to unwind.

In fact UNESCO has recognized 3 areas as world’s heritage sites which mean that these places (Tongariro National Park, Te Wahipounamu and the Subantarctic Islands) are considered and recognized as having outstanding natural and cultural value for everyone. Active volcanoes, ancient native forests, prehistoric glaciers, snow-covered Alps have been internationally recognized as irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.

But New Zealand is not just all mountains and landscapes, it has bustling and modern cities as well, which are described as diverse, sophisticated, and multicultural. In fact New Zealand is one of the world’s most favorite travel destinations. There are 3 popular cities Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Auckland is New Zealand’s biggest city, while Wellington is the capital. On the other hand, Christchurch is known as “The Garden City” because of its well-established expansive parks and public gardens.

Auckland New Zealand

Traveling to New Zealand is made easier by online booking services. Cheaperthanhotels NZ makes it easier to look for Auckland Hotels, Wellington Hotels, and Christchurch Hotels. In fact it can provide listings of New Zealand hotels ranging from budget accommodations to luxury hotels. Here you can search and find prices on accommodation that are cheaper than hotels and offers last minute and year round discount accommodation throughout the country.

Photo Credits: Google Images

Antarctic Skies...

A rare and spectacular cloud formation appeared at the end of the polar night at Australia’s Mawson station in Antarctica. These so-called nacreous clouds were situated high in the stratosphere, some 20km above the ground, and indicate extremely cold temperatures in the rarefied atmosphere.

The weather balloon measured temperatures down to -87˚C in the vicinity of the cloud layer. That’s about as cold as the lowest temperatures ever recorded on the surface of the Earth. Amazingly, the winds at this height were blowing at nearly 230 kilometres per hour. Clouds this spectacular are seldom seen.

Our nearest star, the Sun, from a distance of 150,000,000 kilometres, provides us with light and warmth and from time to time a magnificent nighttime ‘laser light’ show. Well, not quite a laser light show, but something on a much grander scale. The Southern Aurora, Southern Lights or Aurora Australis are term used to describe the displays we see in out southern skies when the sun has had a particularly bad day!

Images from a frozen land...



Reference: This Tasmania