A Rough Guide Map Australia (Rough Guide Map) by Rough Guides  (6)  £4.49

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Book Description
INTRODUCTION
New Zealand comes with a reputation as a unique land packed with magnificent, raw scenery: craggy coastlines, sweeping beaches, primeval forests, snow-capped alpine mountains, bubbling volcanic pools, fast-flowing rivers and glacier-fed lakes, all beneath a brilliant blue sky. Even Kiwis themselves – named after the endearing, if decidedly odd, flightless bird that has become the national emblem – seem to be filled with astonishment at the stupendous vistas of what they like to think of as "Godzone" (God’s own country).

All of this provides a canvas for boundless diversions, from strolls along windswept beaches and multi-day tramps over alpine passes to the adrenalin-charged adventure activities of bungy jumping and whitewater rafting; in fact, some visitors take on New Zealand as a kind of large-scale assault course, aiming to tackle as many adventures as possible in the time available. The one-time albatross of isolation – even Australia is fifteen hundred kilometres away – has become a boon, bolstering New Zealand’s clean, green image, which is, in truth, more an accident of geography than the result of past government policy.

To a large extent New Zealand lives up to these expectations, and remains unfettered by the crowds you’d find elsewhere. What’s more, everything is easily accessible, packed into a land area little larger than Britain but with a population of just 3.8 million, over half of it tucked away in the three largest cities: Auckland, the capital Wellington, and the South Island’s Christchurch. Elsewhere, you can travel miles through steep-hilled farmland and rarely see a soul, and there are even remote spots which, it’s reliably contended, no human has ever visited.

Geologically, New Zealand split off from the super-continent of Gondwanaland early, developing a unique ecosystem in which birds adapted to fill the role normally held by mammals, many becoming flightless through lack of predators. That all changed around 1200 years ago when the arrival of Polynesian navigators made this the last major land mass to be settled by humans. On sighting the new land from their canoes, Maori named it Aotearoa – "the land of the long white cloud" – and proceeded to radically alter the fragile ecosystem, dispatching forever the giant ostrich-sized moa, which formed a major part of their diet. A delicate ecological balance was achieved before the arrival of Pakeha – white Europeans, predominantly of British origin – who swarmed off their square-rigged ships full of colonial zeal.

The subsequent uneasy coexistence between Maori and European societies informs both recorded history and the current wrangles over cultural identity, land and resource rights. The British didn’t invade as such, and were to some degree reluctant to enter into the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, which effectively ceded New Zealand to the British Crown while guaranteeing Maori hegemony over their land and traditional gathering and fishing rights. As time wore on and increasing numbers of settlers demanded to buy ever larger parcels of land from Maori, antipathy soon surfaced, eventually escalating to hostility. Once Maori were subdued, a policy of partial integration ensured the rapid dilution of their cultural heritage and all but destroyed Maoritanga – the Maori way of doing things. Maori, however, were left well outside the new European order, where difference was perceived as tantamount to a betrayal of the emergent sense of nationhood. Although elements of this still exist and Presbyterian and Anglican values have proved hard to shake off, the Kiwi psyche has become infused with Maori generosity and hospitality, coupled with a colonial mateyness and the unerring belief that whatever happens, "she’ll be right". However, an underlying inferiority complex seems to linger: you may well find yourself interrogated as to your opinions of the country almost before you leave the airport. Balancing this out is an extraordinary enthusiasm for sports and culture, which generate a swelling pride in New Zealanders when they witness plucky Kiwis taking on the world.

Only in the last couple of decades has New Zealand come of age and developed a true national self-confidence, something partly forced on it by Britain severing the colonial apron strings in the early 1970s, and partly by the resurgence of Maori identity. Maori demands have been nurtured by a willingness on the part of most Pakeha to redress the wrongs perpetrated over the last century and a half, as long as it doesn’t impinge on their high standard of living or overall feeling of control. More recently, integration has been replaced with a policy of promoting two cultures alongside each other, but with maximum interaction.
The uncertainties of this future are further compounded by extensive recent immigration, partly from south Asia but the majority from China and Korea.

Synopsis
From the wild surf beaches of Northland's west coast to the fissured coastline of Fiordland, New Zealand is a canvas for boundless diversions. From moody strolls along windswept beaches and multi-day tramps over alpine passes to the adrenalin-charged adventure activities of bungy jumping and whitewater rafting, some visitors take on New Zealand as a kind of large-scale assault course, aiming to tackle as many adventures as possible in the time availiable. "The Rough Guide to New Zealand" provides a comprehensive guide to this capital of outdoor pursuits. This edition contains sections on rugby and the New Zealand film industry, including full coverage of "The Lord of the Rings" locations.

3 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (3 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   28 of 28 people found the following review helpful: The Rough Guide Roughed Up, 19 Aug 2003 By  "gbvanm" - See all my reviews This was the book I used on my travels around Godzone, and this book, to all extents and purposes only. It is thorough and detailed in all areas.The Rough Guide authors say what they think, and if somewhere is a let down, they will say so. It has maps and accommodation lists for almost every town and village (from budget to up-market) which give an accurate descriptions of places to stay. It also has transport details (bus, coach, plane)- making it easy to plan your route before you set off, and know it's viable. Be warned that prices are always on the increase, and add about 5% to all the prices in this book. New Zealand is a fantastic destination, and one of the most compactly diverse countries in the world, and fast becoming one of the main adventure activity locations in the world. The Rough Guide gives you a huge wealth of information about New Zealand, as well as some in depth history about the country. Its layout is easy to follow, but not very fancy - they don't waste space on prettiness (although the first 20 pages are full colour). For a good solid guide bursting with useful ideas, maps, trek guides and all other needed information this is the one to go for. It even survived a bungee jump. And a soaking in beer.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   22 of 22 people found the following review helpful: Simply the best, 1 Feb 2004 By  A Googly (London, UK) - See all my reviews I've just spent a month travelling around New Zealand in the company of my kiwi girlfriend and three guidebooks: the latest Rough Guide, the latest Footprint guide and ten year old copies of the Mobil Guides to the North and South Islands. Ignore comments about old editions of the Rough Guide; the latest edition of the RG was simply the best overall handbook. The RG is more comprehensive, better written and more entertaining than the Footprint guide (see, for example, the RG's obsession with t-shirts in Queenstown). The RG has more maps, in greater detail, and with its new format the information is better presented in a more robustly bound volume. By the end of the trip the Footprint stayed in the boot whilst the RG was in the glovebox. We agreed with most of the observations about different places to visit, in particular which were good and which should be avoided, and the authors have provided comprehensive information about activities and accommodation. The context sections on the history of and writings about NZ are more comprehensive that other guidebooks to NZ I've seen, and there is good information about tramps (walks) and adventure sports as well as the regular info on accommodation, restaurants etc. Also, it's not the Lonely Planet guide. I'm a great fan of the LP series and they are always my first choice, but in a destination as popular as NZ you will soon find yourself going to the same accommodation and restaurants as everyone else. For example, in one lodge we stayed at in Hokatika a questionnaire showed that ten people had read about it in the LP and just three in the Rough Guide - I expect that's a fair reflection of the number of people using each guidebook. Stay off the LP trail and you'll probably find it easier to obtain accommodation and get a table in a restaurant. Of course that's not a good enough reason to buy a book, just because it's not as popular, but it could make a difference. Worthy mention should also go to the Mobil guidebooks by Jeremy and Diana Pope - and this may be the best place to do it as they are long out of print. These two guidebooks are designed for those touring the country in a car or campervan, providing a detailed history for each major or minor settlement of interest, as well as sights to look out for on the road in between. Although of no use in finding somewhere to stay or drink, they are invaluable if you're interested in anything from the Maori wars to the formation of the Moeraki boulders. So, after 5,000km it was clear that our ideal combination of guidebooks is the Rough Guide to New Zealand for all of your travel needs, and (if you can find them) old copies of the Mobil Guides to explain all of the wonderful sights you'll see. Have a great trip - and leave the footprint guide at home!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   14 of 14 people found the following review helpful: Great book full of info, 13 Mar 2004 By  "chrislloydy" - See all my reviews The rough guide to New Zealand book makes me even more excited than I already was, now I cant wait to visit. In the first opening pages you get detailed maps of the whole country, north and south islands, then some amazing pics of NZ. This guide is cram packed full of usefull tips, starting on how to get there, all the way to food and drink, even geting a job. Each and every part of NZ is described in detail, down to such facts as the population size through to the best places to walk and eat. Dont expect colourful images all the way through, this guide realy does not need them, you find 12 pages at the beging to wet your apatite. Overall an absolute must for anyone planning to visit NZ, I have not been yet to prove this but soon will and im sure this guide will be my actual guide. 5 out of 5, great price too.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 3 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews