I have not traveled extensively. I’ve been to about 30 US states. Outside of the country, I’ve only been to Canada, Mexico and Barbados, only the former more than once. So I get to “travel” through a number of blogs.
One of the blogs I visit is Nik Durga’s Spatula Forum. Nik is “an American journalist who now lives in New Zealand with my kiwi wife and son.” Somehow, this led me to http://amerinz.blogspot.com/. Arthur is another American expat living in New Zealand, of longer tenure, who writes: “I moved to New Zealand from Chicago in 1995 to be with my partner. I’ve worked in the printing and publishing industries for about twenty years.” It’s possible I found Arthur through Nik’s appearance on Arthur’s podcast, but I don’t recall.
Regardless, Arthur celebrated the third anniversary of his podcast last month, March 28, to be precise. In honor of that, he posed 20 questions, for which he kindly also presented the answers, which people were supposed to send him in order to win a “Kiwi prize pack”; alas, I did not win. Being a tad librarianish, I decided to send along links with the answers, which was not required. It later occurred to me that those links could be the basis of THIS VERY blogpost.
The information will not be in the order that Arthur gave it, since his was intentionally all over the place chronologically.
The Waitangi Treaty was signed February 6, 1840. This “extends to the Natives of New Zealand Her royal protection, and imparts to them all the Rights and Privileges of British subjects.”
The First_Taranaki War, fueled by a land dispute between the Maori and the Europeans,
began on March 17, 1860 and ended on March 18, 1861.
The New Zealand Cross was created on March 10, 1869, important “because New Zealand’s local military were not eligible for the [British] Victoria Cross.”
“New Zealand became the first self-governing nation in the world where women had won the right to vote” on September 19, 1893.
The Brunner mine disaster took place on March 26, 1896.
New Zealand achieved dominion status on September 26, 1907.
There are 453 New Zealand World War I memorials.
An agreement of Australian-New Zealand cooperation was signed in Canberra on January 21, 1944.
The Wahine Shipwreck disaster occurred on April 10, 1968.
The Homosexual Law Reform Act was signed on July 11, and went into effect August 8, 1986.
The first Kiwi to win an Academy Award took place in March 1994, the 21st in Los Angeles, when Anna Paquin was named Best Supporting Actress for “The Piano”. Anna was born in Canada, but raised in New Zealand.
The Prostitution Reform Act was passed in 2003.
Nationwide elections in New Zealand are held every three years, “or earlier, should it be necessary.” At this writing, the ruling party is New Zealand National Party and the leading opposition party is the New Zealand Labour Party.
There are about 13200 km from Chicago, IL US to Auckland, NZ.
As at Tuesday, 20 April 2010 at 02:58:46 am (local time), the estimated resident population of New Zealand was 4,364,669.
Most of the questions Arthur got from New Zealand History online, which celebrated its 11th anniversary last month.
ROG
Not bad for a non-Kiwi! Going on 4 years here and I probably knew most of those, but it took a while…
Roger, I've always wanted to travel to New Zealand, so thank you for the mini tour – the history is fascinating. The image of the miners' grave is heart rending. As usual, I learned quite a bit visiting you!
Marvelous post as always, Roger, interesting and informative and like Amy, I always learn something new. Hope you have a great week!
Sylvia
New Zealand sounds like a place I'd like to go, also. You make it sound very inviting.
Thanks for another thing I learned today. I hope to visit NV in the years to come. 🙂
Very NICE! It's always good to learn something NEW 🙂
Yes, very Nice and iNformative 🙂
I would love to visit NZ…!
N is for numismatic!
Spent a month touring NZ almost 10 years ago. If we'd discovered it 25-30 years earlier we'd have emigrated there. It is quite a marevllous place.
Fascinating. I have always wanted to visit New Zealand. Thanks for the taste…now I want the whole meal.
Very educational-I thank you very much! I've always wanted to go to New Zealand.
Good for New Zealand giving the women the vote that early.
Fascinating history of New Zealand, a country I've always loved to visit. Friends from Wales spent 6 months there last year and it's between NZ and Canada if they move away from Great Britain.
Nice to learn a little more about New Zealand. I've been both to the North and South Island. I was fascinated by the deer farms where the deer are actually kept in the field with fences about 5 foot high. How do they do that?!! I also like the glow worms in the caves. I think they have a different name than glow worm but I can't remember it. This growing old business is not for sissies says my husband!
Nice to learn a little more about New Zealand. I've been both to the North and South Island. I was fascinated by the deer farms where the deer are actually kept in the field with fences about 5 foot high. How do they do that?!! I also like the glow worms in the caves. I think they have a different name than glow worm but I can't remember it. This growing old business is not for sissies says my husband!
This was the most interesting read. Thanks for all the history and information… I am leaving your post smarter than when I arrived!
I've visited NZ once, traveling from one town to another. Love the big open spaces, with more sheep than people. Big beautiful mountains and lakes too. Definitely going there again.
A stunningly beautiful country that I'd love to see someday.
Have a good week. 🙂
Score one for you! I'm really glad to see all these bits and pieces find a new home. I had fun sharing them, but it's interesting to see them back in order, too.
We did "meet" through Nik, but I also don't remember how specifically. I suppose one or both of us could go back through out archives to find out when we started trading comments, but…
Seriously, thanks for this!
We lived in New Zealand for a year and it is a gorgeous country! The people are great too – so relaxed and easy-going.
Some of your facts were familiar to me from that year, but not all!
I have never been in New Zeeland, it's so far away from Europe. But I know the States quiet well and of course Europe and Northern Africa.
All I know about New Zealand is their fresh milk lol. Thanks for sharing those information about New Zealand. Huh! the miner's grave is very touching.
Happy ABC Wednesday.
Though I visited N-Z in 2005 I didn't know all those facts. Thank you Roger for writing this post. N-Z is a very beautiful country, which looks like Norway! You've done a great deal of travelling, Roger! Thirty states in the USA is the same as thirty European states.
Thanks for your visit, Roger.
Thanks for taking us on your "trip." I'd love to visit New Zealand and Australia, but don't know if I'd survive the loooonnnnnggggg flight! Maybe I should put it on my bucket list.
When I was small I heard that NZ has more sheeps than the people. I don't know now if they can say that since many Filipinos did migrate to NZ for greener pasture. ^_^ Happy weekend! And thanks for visiting.
ABC Wednesday~Nikon
New Zealand is on my long list of places to visit, certainly looked spectacular in Lord of the Rings, now I wonder if I would come across any of those elven folk.
You make a great tour guide… It's amazing what we can witness through visiting other blogs. Thanks for sharing again!
http://www.gardenersreach.com/post/N-is-for-Northern-Cardinal.aspx
Thank you for digging up such valuable info in New Zealand. I had computer trouble and couldn't comment last night.
As a non librarian, I general read or hear these facts, and then don't remember them. ANZAC day is coming up this Sunday, we are reminded."Lest we forget." I got my poppy this afternoon.
There is another fact, I live in Auckland. Often confused with Oakland California.
This is true, some young American man ended up in Auckland, without the tickets and passport. He said, he was flying to Oakland from some American town, heard passengers to Auckland board at gate _____.
He duly fell asleep in the plane and arrived in Auckland. Mysterious as it was, he received a lot of Auckland hospitality. This happened in the 1980s, before your friend Nik came to New Zealand.
Nutty but true.
Cheers,
Ann
http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2010/04/outdoor-wednesday-oakland-and-auckland.html
Thanks Roger, I welcome you to Noo Zealand.
Good and informative post.
Thanks for the tour and all the information "N is for…" Ann beat me to the Oakland/Auckland story I'd heard.
Thank you for visiting Oakland Daily Photo. Hope you'll come by again.
Finally playing catch up.
Great post about New Zealand! I have never been but have distant relatives who live there.
Thanks for sharing all the links.
u are cool