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Show .... - . v J ' -v u 0 y ; i . ; " . '. . . ' ' . . . - I t ? - . ' . ' " . : 1 - . " "'V t f -,i 4 .4r . ' ' " . 1 ' ' ' : -(- 'i Views f Luke Wukatifm. Qiwenstown and the Hamuckahlvs Mountain rune. Corunct Pcuk is cio.se and skiing is just starling jn New Zealand. Kiwis and Aussies New Zealand New Zealand is situated in the South Pacific just west of the International Date Line. It is made up of two islands, the North and the South, which have , some of the most magnificent and dramatic natural features in the world. North Island Auckland Auckland is the biggest and brightest of New Zealand cities and the main commercial and business center. The city is surrounded by ancient volcanic hills and built on two spectacular harbors, spanned by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Karangahape Road and Queens Street combine to form the main shopping and entertainment area within 5 kilometers from here, sheep graze in the lush green countryside. Interesting sights include the Auckland War Memorial Museum, where New Zealand's largest collection of Maori artifacts can be found. Also see Mount Eden, located behind the town, which wa3 once a Maori fort. Restaurants in Auckland feature distinctive new Zealand foods toheroa soup, crayfish, hapuka steaks and whitebait. New Zealand wines have gained wide acceptance and compare well with ' the ' imported varieties. .( !-' - Rotorua Rotorua lies on the central volcanic plateau which was built up over several million years by innumerable eruptions pouring out thousands of cubic kilometers of - molten rock. The fires which formed the landscape still show in volcanoes, geysers and hot springs. You can take a dip in the thermal bathing paradise of your hotel pool or the public or private bathing pools at Polynesian Pools. The Maori people came to New Zealand in outrigger canoes several hundred years before the Europeans arrived. Visit a traditional Maori center where many fine local showcases of carving, weaving and the civilization of earlier Maori times can be found. South Island ' Christchurch Christchurch, gateway to the South Island, was founded and settled by the British in 1850. The city has a unique character reflected in its Gothic architecture and broad tree-lined tree-lined streets. The River Avon meanders through the city, its banks overhung with willow and oak trees. Level streets and a compact city lend to bicycle lanes. Cathedral Square is the heart of the city with all major streets radiating from this point. The Cathedral is regarded as ... I : - ' r - ' , , ?.i.-t4 A.,. JiJU 'Hrf Willi II llll' i New ZeaJand boasts some of the most magnificent and dramatic natural features in the world. The magmicent Opera House and Harbor Bridge. Sydney, Australia. , r r f: $ ; -i - V ,. , .. 1 . ' J -.- . , " , i , , rC. ,J - I i r 1 "I t f South island beaches have sailing. South Island has alpine views like this. ' i The classic Windsor Hotel in Melbourne. . 'Down Under ' has amazing variety of unusual scenery the finest Gothic style church in New Zealand. Queenstown Queenstown is a quaint township, lying in the heart of the alpine country. Once a mining town, it is now a popular resort. The town is close to Coronet Peak, the South Island's best ski field. Also close by is the Shotover River, the scene of a long-ago gold strike. If you wish, you can run the Whitewater rapids of the river, aboard a jet-boat. While in Queenstown take time to visit the vintage car museum, and the many interesting shops. TeAnau Te Anau is the gateway to Fjordland, surrounded by forested mountains and placid Lake Te Anau, the largest lake in the South Island. A short drive from Te Anau, through forests of red, silver and mountain beech brings you to Milford Sound, the pride of Fjordland. The Sound is a glaciated valley, created during an Ice Age. Native forests and sheer cliffs rise from its edges to heights of several thousand feet. Mitre Point, a focal point of the Sound, rises a mighty 1700 meters straight upwards from the water. Mount Cook Mount Cook lies in the heart of the picturesque Southern Alpine region. The highest mountain, Mt. Cook, rises to a height of 3764 meters. Up here, begins the largest glacier in the world, outside the polar regions the Tasman Glacier, 30 km of ice flowing to the south east. You might like to join the optional ski-plane ski-plane ride high above the Tasman Glacier, for an overall view of its enormity. Australia Sydney Sydney is Australia's largest city and commercial center. Nearby cosmopolitan Kings Cross is full of fashionable boutiques with excellent restaurants and discos. Get an eagle's eye view from Sydney Tower or Australia Square Skywalk, both feature top-floor revolving restaurants. The Sydney Harbor cruise featured on some holidays takes you past the Opera House, Sydney Harbor Bridge, famous Fort Denison and the artistic homes built on the harbor foreshores. On the return journey, you will see the North and South Heads, which form the entrance to the harbor. You might also like to venture out of .Sydney on. he optional Hawkesbury "River cruise. .'' Melbourne Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, is known as the 'Garden City,' renowned for its grassy parks, beautiful fountains and trees. Tour the city on a green tram to see the terraced houses with iron lace-work, the City Square, the Shrine of Remembrance, the National Gallery of Victoria and the new Performing Arts Centre. The Phillip Island tour takes you across the Mornington Peninsula. See the largest colony of Fairy Penguins in existence, seals, koalas and mutton birds all in their natural habitat. Each evening at dusk up to 3,000 penguins come out of the sea, line up and waddle quaintly across flood-lit beach. Canberra Canberra is Australia's national capital and the political heart of the country. It is a city built around man-made man-made Lake Burley Griffin, so named after the famous American architect. Trees and shrubs grow abundantly within the inner city and public buidings are set in parks and gardens. There are many interesting sights to see including the Australian National Gallery, Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial. Restaurants and bistros in Canberra .maintain cellars of Australian wines " i Brisbane ! Brisbane is the capital city of the state of Queensland, lying a few degrees south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Here you will find the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Surfers Paradise miles of golden beaches. Year round the weather is i warm and sunny, ideal beach conditions. Brisbane is the gateway 1 to the coral islands of the Great Barrier Reef only a few miles away by air. i Heron Island The Great Barrier Reef stretches for 200 km along the northern half of Australia's east coast. It is the world's largest coral formation. The reef is studded with about 600 islands, most of them being uninhabited. Heron Island is one of the few that is actually a truejsoral cay, forming part of the reef. The waters around the island are -home to more than 1,000 varieties of fish, 1 making it a popular place for ski diving enthusiasts. From. mid-October mid-October to February a distinctive Heron Island night activity is turtle-watching. turtle-watching. You can see giant green turtles come out of the sea and struggle up the beach to lay their eggs, or newly-hatched babies scurrying down the beach to the sea. 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