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If someone writes an article about the Top Five Reasons to Love Australia then it should have been obvious that we here in New Zealand would fire back with our Reasons to Love New Zealand!
The team here at Nomads Queenstown (who are from all over the place – all over New Zealand, The Netherlands, Wales and the US) as well as a few backpackers who wandered past when we were compiling our Top Five list got a little carried away and we came up with The Top Ten Reasons to Love New Zealand.
1. Flight of the Conchords
New Zealand’s fourth most popular digi-folk paradists, how could you not love a country that produces entertainment like this? They even have a grammy. With tracks like “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros” and “Business Time” plus a hit TV show, well, what’s not to like…
2. The People
Kiwi’s are renowned for being a friendly and inviting bunch. Maybe it’s because we travel so much (when you live in such a tiny country you have no choice but to get out and see the world!) that we know the value and importance of being hospitable – if you look lost, chances are high that you’ll be swamped with locals happy to help you out. Want a recommendation on anything? Stop someone on the street who’ll be happy to have a yarn and give you some advice.
We’re also home to the All Blacks and Peter Jackson. Good stuff.
3. The Scenery
Home to Milford Sound, which was named by TripAdvisor as the number 1 destination in the world, the scenery and landscape in New Zealand is spectacular. From the Southern Alps, to the rugged West Coast, to the lakes, to the beaches, to the fjords, the glaciers, the geysers and the green, green, green everything… there’s something here for everyone. Really, I mean, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed here, and how good was the scenery in that?! Random rumour: Jack Johnson and Ben Harper are apparently so enamoured with New Zealand that they have holiday homes in Raglan, an epic surf beach and generally beautiful place.
4. The Wildlife, Flora and Fauna
We have the Kiwi. Not only are they are national bird, they are unique and really quite cute! Aside from the Kiwi, New Zealand is full of crazy birdlife (Kea anyone? These crafty birds are rated as one of the most intelligent in the world and their naturally inquisitive nature often cause them to gather around novel objects making them pretty dang hilarious as well) and stunning flora and fauna only add to the awesome scenery here.
5. The Wine
We make awesome wine here, all over the country. Award winning Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and more, there’s vineyards everywhere which make for fantastic day trips and great drinking and they pretty much all have spectacular views to enjoy while sipping your wine of choice, like the many vineyards found on Waiheke Island near Auckland.
6. The Language
Yeah yeah, I know we mainly speak English here, but what I’m getting at is the accent and all our crazy New Zealand slang, it’s awesome! The BBC did a survey and the Kiwi accent has been rated the most attractive and prestigious form of English outside of the UK, even above the Queen’s English, choice bro!
As for slang, as told by John Key on the the David Letterman Show “Get the whanau together, stay in a bach, crack open the chilly bin and slap on your jandals” – decipher that and you were probably born here.
7. The Food
New Zealand is the home of the world’s best lamb, the hangi, pavlova (yeah you read right), pineapple lumps and incredible seafood. ’nuff said. Oh, and fush and chups.
8. Adventure Activities
If anything, Kiwi’s are up for adventure, which is why some ridiculously crazy and awesome things were pioneered here. We are the pioneers of the good stuff, like jetboating (thanks Bill Hamilton – who was humble enough to pass the honour on to Archimedes), bungy (Kia ora to AJ Hackett) and zorbing (high five to the Akers brothers and Dwane van der Sluis). We want to get out and make the most of our awesome country, and what better way than charging around a canyon in a stupidly fast boat, jumping off a bridge and rolling down a hill in a massive clear plastic ball?
Best Adventure Activities in the North Island
9. The Music, the TV, the Films
New Zealand music is wicked.. A friend of mine just moved back to the States and her parting Facebook status was “I don’t want to leave. New Zealand music is actually pretty good?”. As if that’s a question. Shapeshifter, Kora, Crowded House, Brooke Fraser, Split Enz, The Mint Chicks, Lorde… once again, something for everyone. Now we’re not really known for our television but if you’ve ever seen Outrageous Fortune… well, you’d know that sometimes we get it right. And the films. Well, Lord of the Rings really. And Eagle vs. Shark.
10. Aussies love us
It’s true (just check out what the New Zealand Herald had to say!). And alright, alright, we think they’re pretty okay as well.