NEW ZEALAND JOTTINGS                                                                    

Things You've Always Wanted to Know About
Our Country
                                          

New Zealand is surrounded by the world's largest Ocean,
 and none of its inhabitants live more than 70 miles from 
                                    the Coast!

This explains why so many of us excel at Sailing, Swimming, Fishing, or just lying around in the sun !! 

          AND WHY WE ARE - for the second time - 
  THE PROUD HOLDERS OF THE AMERICAS CUP 
       FOR YACHTING... THE OLDEST AND MOST 
PRESTIGIOUS TROPHY IN THE WORLD OF SPORT!    

 New Zealand was first settled by the Maoris,  who named the Islands
                  Aotearoa.. "The Land of the Long White Cloud".
      (There  are 3 main Islands, and many hundreds of little ones). 

The name 'New Zealand' (Nova Zeeland)  was given to us by the Explorer, 
Abel Janszoon TASMAN, of Lutjegast in the  Netherlands. in December 1642, 
                                    when he 'rediscovered' us!

The first European settlers to come to New Zealand arrived 20 to 25 years
after it was again 'rediscovered'! This time by 
Captain COOK. of Yorkshire, England, in 1769.  
The new settlers were mainly whalers, shipwrecked sailors and escapees Australia. See Convicts on the Venus 

    Traders and Missionaries  were quick to follow, with an eye on the Flax and Timber Trade, and the Saving  of Souls. 
 
An estimation of the European population in 1800,  
puts it at a mere 50, rising to 200 by 1815 and  
approximately 1,000 by 1839.

Things went along quietly until the discovery of gold, in the Otago Region, in 1861. During the 1860's 204,786 new Settlers arrived, but it was not a particularly  successful site, and thus many were forced to move on and look for new pastures .  In fact, by the end of the 1860's, the country  was in a depression!

Assisted immigration was launched in the 1870's and things 
really  got moving then, with a net migration gain of 38,106  being recorded in 1874

 New Zealanders  have their  roots in pretty much  every Country  throughout 
the  World and new people arrive every year, attracted by our warm  climate, 
laid-back lifestyle and clean,  green image. 

We now have a population of about 4 million people, lots and lots and lots of 
 sheep and a Total land area of 103,736 sq. miles.

                                                      

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