Tourism

New Zealand (Aotearoa), situated southeast of the Australian Continent is set apart from the rest of the world. It is a country dotted with spectacular landscapes from the mountains, to the valleys, plains, rivers, lakes, beaches, its pristine beauty speaks of solitude and calm. A country of cultural diversity, New Zealand is the closest to paradise as compared to any other place on Earth.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the coldest month occurs in July and the warmest in January. That alone makes New Zealand an interesting and certainly different place to visit. Notable for its magnificent array of natural formations jagged mountains capped with snow, shimmering lakes, and fresh, green grass, New Zealand may as well be the last frontier on Earth. Its air of solitude, calm, and spectacular landscapes is unlike any other place in the world. Situated southeast of Australia, it has two main islands the North and South Island. The North Island is known for its beaches while the South Island for the mountains, lakes, and fiords.

Beginning with the North, the plane will touch down at Auckland Airport, via Air New Zealand.  Auckland, a city of volcanoes, has a population of around 1.2million. Not your average, urban settlement as it also is a melting pot of many cultures, including Polynesian -the largest in the world.

There are many things to do while in Auckland. First, for a unique oceanic experience, I will visit an attraction called Kelly Tarltons Underwater World, a public aquarium built on abandoned sewage storage tanks. Presently, the aquariums highlights include the Antarctic Encounter, home to New Zealands only sub-antarctic penguins. Ill be able to see the penguins up close in their natural habitat. An exciting feature includes passing through a recreation of the Antarctic hut used by Captain Robert Falcon Scott in the year 1912 during his South Pole expedition. It would be interesting to see how he fared during that time. Ill also take a ride on an Antarctic Snowcat a special kind of vehicle used inside the penguin enclosure with its colony of king penguins, and gentoo penguins. The Amazon Tank, another feature of the aquarium boasts an underwater tunnel with a moving walkway. I might be face-to face with a deadly piranha, or a Broadnosed Sevengill Shark, in the tunnel, separated only by a few inches of glass surrounded by two million liters of ocean water and hundreds of sea creatures.

For accommodations, the city has a chain of hotels that cater to any tourists preference, from luxury high rise hotels to rustic bed and breakfasts tucked within the city proper. Ill be staying at the Eden Villa Bed and Breakfast, a century-old villa located in a quiet suburb of Auckland. The place has a historic charm and a spacious garden with a beautiful view of an extinct volcano. The suburb where it is located has a quaint row of cafes, restaurants, independent book shops, boutique gift stores, etc.

The following day, Ill leave Auckland on the Northern Motorway and proceed to the Bay of Islands. The Bay of Islands is a stunning region consisting of 144 islands, abundant in natural wonder and marine life. I will take a cruise that will pass by historic islands such as the town of Kerikeri and Russell (Kororareka). Arriving at the open sea, in Motukokato Island, Ill be able to literally, cruise through the iconic Hole in the Rock, a breathtaking natural formation where the catamaran, weather permitting, will venture through the narrow tunnel. I can just imagine, the rock face soaring above me. Im sure it will be breathtaking.

Middle Earth
The Hole in the Rock is only the beginning. The South Island of New Zealand, said to have the true essence of New Zealand (Darroch, 2003, p. 9) is known for its mountains, glaciers, and fiords. It has been called the Middle Earth  a reference to the Lord of the Rings trilogy which shot its majestic locations there. I will travel south from Auckland to Christchurch, the gateway to New Zealands Extreme South. It would be very easy to just take a plane, which will only take me an hour and thirty minutes. However, I want to take in the awesome landscape at eye level and actually see New Zealand. To do that, I will have to take the longer route via train from Auckland to Wellington, ride a ferry across to South Island, then hop the train again to Christchurch. A bus will take me further down south to Queenstown, which is the jump-off point for anyone traveling to the fiords.

Fiord (fjord) - is a long, narrow arm of the sea, extending inland that results from marine inundation of a glaciated valley. (fjord. 2010, Encyclopedia Britannica) Fiords are astoundingly deep these underwater valleys can be thousands of feet below sea level. It is assumed that only thick glaciers were able to carve them. The bottom end of the South Island has some of the countrys most spectacular landscapes. To the west is Fiordland National Park, with jagged misty peaks, glistening lakes and an air of forbidding remoteness. (Rawlings-Way, 2008, p. 645)

Among the main attractions include the Milford track and the Milford Sound. The Milford Track is HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiNew_Zealand o New Zealand New Zealands most famous route. Located amidst a stunning scenery of mountains and  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiRain_forest o Rain forest rainforest, the track is commonly known as The Finest Walk in the World,a phrase attributed to New Zealand poet  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwindex.phptitleBlanche_Baughanactioneditredlink1 o Blanche Baughan (page does not exist) Blanche Baughan.It passes through rainforests, wetlands, and an alpine pass. The track spans a distance of 53.5 km(33.24 miles), finishing atthe  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiMilford_Sound o Milford Sound Milford Sound. Milford Sound is the most northerly and most celebrated of Fiordlands fifteen fiords, with vertical sides towering 1200m above sea and waterfalls plunging from hanging valleys. (Harper, Mudd, Whitfield, 2002, p. 937) I will then, can cap off the entire trip with sea kayaking in the vast expanse of water, dwarfed by the sheer cliffs of the Milford Sound.

Transportation
Trains are the way to travel across New Zealand. On the way south, a train can be taken from Auckland to Christchurch, with a short ferry ride between North and South Islands. From the train stations, the bus network will whisk me off further south. Transportation in New Zealand is fairly easy and quick, being a highly developed country. It connects all the large cites to the small towns, going over plains and through mountain passes. This extensive and frequent coach-bus network connects more than 600 destinations.

Motivation for visiting New Zealand
New Zealand is a country of diversity. Its culture is a blend of  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiMC481ori o Mori Mori, British, American, and Australian cultures, along with those of other European cultures and more recently, Polynesian and Asian cultures. Its people have a reputation for being kind, gentle and more respectful. I ll definitely feel that the world itself is a kind, gentle, and more respectful place too.

New Zealand is the closest to thing to paradise compared to other places on Earth. Its a country of stunning, vivid landscapes composed of towering mountains capped with crisp white snow that plunge into thousand-foot deep fiords, shimmering lakes, crystal clear rivers, soft, green grass and much more, where anyone can capture the most scenic, dramatic, shots in the world Lush, rich and productive, grass, bush, forests, farmlands, fiords, waterfalls, glaciers, lakes, rivers, beaches and fresh air (Denoon, Smith, Wyndham, 2000, p. 435) Hence, its renowned the world over as a clean, green, and environment friendly place.

Impacts of tourism
New Zealand lies 1250 miles southeast of Australia. It is the ideal place to have a vacation if I want to get away from it all. With 2.4 million international visitor arrivals in 2009, it is the countrys biggest export earner (Tourism New Zealand website, 2010). Tourism in New Zealandcontributes 6.2 billion in revenues through tourist spending. Indeed, tourism is a very profitable sector. Considering that New Zealand possesses the critical elements to make it a preferred tourist destination an unspoiled landscape yet with highly developed infrastructures to make the tourist spots easily accessible, it is understandable that tourists arrive here by the millions annually.

But in the business of tourism, aside from the income generated, effects on the natural attractions should also be taken into consideration. With the influx of foreign arrivals such as myself, given an average of two million people annually, the environment will be exposed to regular wear and tear which will result to irreversible damage. Its a good idea to have regulations in place that will protect the surroundings.

Beyond the imagery
Milford Sound for example had been inaccessible to human traffic until recently. With the sudden surge of incoming tourists, the purity, the naturalness of this environment may be tampered with. Long term, this will show in the gradual degradation of such untouched surroundings.

Furthermore, the culture of the inhabitants themselves may be compromised.  Experiencing unique cultures is increasingly being sought by tourists all over the world because it adds a more personal touch to the whole trip, aside from being educational. Admittedly, the effect this would have on the grassroots level will help the community itself . Money earned by local people allows them to increase their spending power. When they spend their earnings, other merchants also profit from this additional exchange of money. (Theobald, 2004, p. 132) However, while tourism can be highly profitable, it is an invasive process that propels the cultural communities into the modern world, where their individuality is threatened. They are exposed to tourists, who have a whole different culture from theirs. Inevitably, social contact with tourists will affect their lifestyles, and hence their culture as well.

With the possible negative effects stated above, there are ways to balance it out with some positive effects. Having foreseen a possible scenario where the environment may suffer gradual degradation, we can take steps such as making a preservation plan that will mitigate the effects. Culture-wise, regulatory laws should be put in place by the tourism providers (the New Zealand tourism industry) and these laws should be strictly followed by the tourists.

On my own, I should take it upon myself to be responsible. It does not have to be anything grand or on a large scale. It can be something as simple as not leaving any trash behind and not tampering with nature. Just because I am a tourist, and Im paying, it doesnt mean Ive earned the right to any action.
As posted on the Tourism New Zealand Website Responsible Tourism is about respecting, protecting and benefiting local communities, cultures and the environment.