(Fig 1. Picturesque Landscape in New Zealand from Lonely Planet)
I had never heard of the country of New Zealand until I saw The Lord of the Rings movies at the ripe age of 9, and I saw all of these extremely picturesque landscapes. Upon seeing the country on the screen, I knew that I wanted to visit there some day. I wanted to see the beautiful mountains, amazing landscapes, lively cities, and everything else New Zealand had to offer. As I have grown older, my desire to see the island nation has not subsided. I have watched countless youtube videos on where to go in Wellington (the capital), the places where you can see the most beautiful scenery.
(Fig 2. Shucked Oyster shells resting on Ice from New Zealand.com)
One of the things not mentioned in New Zealand is the food. I love going to different countries and experiencing different cultures. One great way for a country to express their culture is through their food. New Zealand largest type of food is sea food, specifically oysters. Now I have never been a huge fan of oysters, but I am willing to give these guys a chance. Through my research of New Zealand foods, all of the websites have mentioned how these oysters are different than any other oyster you have tasted, especially the ones in America. They are creamy and rich instead of just salty. I am still a bit skeptical of this claim, but I will give it a shot if I ever make it to the country. New Zealand is also famous for their lamb. Farmers have raised and bred sheep on the island for hundreds of years, so their lamb game must be on point. A cooking method that I had never heard of, but I definitely want to try was Maori Hangi. This is a traditional cooking method used by the native New Zealanders for over 2000 years. Chicken, lamb, fish, and root vegetables are wrapped up in flax leaves, placed on hot stones, covered with a wet cloth, and then covered with earth. This roasts the food, and produces incredibly tender meat, with subtle and delicious earthy flavors. After reading about all this, New Zealand’s food scene might be reason enough to go.
(Fig 3. Scenic picture of New Zealand’s mountains for Scenic Pacific)
The reason that sparked my desire to go the New Zealand is the incredible landscapes and scenery. Ever since I saw them in the vast sweeping shots of the Lord of the Rings films, I had to see it for myself. New Zealand’s southern island hosts most of the countries mountains, and is specifically home to the Southern Alps. The southern Alps are part of the Ring of Fire in the pacific ocean, and the stretch along the entire southern island, primarily on the west side. As an avid backpacker, I would love to hiking in these mountains. There is something about escaping civilization, and going out into the wilderness that makes the sights you see so much prettier. There are hundreds of trails and campsites in the mountain ranges for people to use and explore. The mountains also hold many glaciers, slowly melting, creating fresh glacial water.
(Fig 4. The shire from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Movies, photo from New Zealand.com)
Now I would feel like I was committing a sin if I did not visit at least one location from the Lord of the Rings films. I need to one of the locations that sparked my dream to come to New Zealand right? Well if I had to choose one, it would be The Shire. I love this site because it looks like it never could be an actual real place, yet it is. The huge tree on top of the hill, the small little hobbit holes are all perfect. This site was constructed by Peter Jackson, the director for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, for the movies, and has since been opened for tourists to visit. You can walk through the hobbit holes, and go explore the landscape. If you are a huge Lord of the Rings fanatic, and are a bit on the more adventurous side, you can even walk the path that Frodo walked in the films. New Zealand seems like an amazing country to visit and see. There are countless reasons to come to the island country, whether it’s the food, the landscapes, or if it’s just because you love the Lord of the Rings. I hope one day to make it their, and check of the first item on my bucket list.
After hearing about New Zealand, now I really want to go! I love to travel too and am always thinking about where to go on my next adventure. I’ve never seen Lord of the Rings, so I haven’t really seen what the New Zealand landscape would look like, but from the pictures and your description, it sounds like a wonderful place to visit! Hearing about the different food they have also sounds really interesting and, to be honest, is making me hungry! I hope you get the chance to travel and explore New Zealand sometime soon!
After reading this post it makes me want to travel to New Zealand. The landscape is absolutely amazing and the food sound amazing. They way the people of New Zealand has persevered their methods of cooking for over thousands of years is amazing. I hope you get a chance to visit soon
What a great post! I hope to visit New Zealand and The Shire someday too. The Lord of the Rings movies are among my favorites in the fantasy adventure genre. It’s always nice to find a fellow Lord of the Rings fan. About the food, I had never heard of the Maori Hangi cooking method that they used. I will have to look more into that. With oysters, you should definitely give them a try. As a vegetarian, I can no longer eat oysters, but I used to eat them all the time at the beach and at good seafood restaurants. They are especially good with horseradish or hot sauce. I really hope that you get to go to New Zealand soon; it sounds like you are very excited to go. 🙂