19. New Zealand is in the Pacific Ocean and it is made up of islands. The largest island is the South Island and the North Island is the second largest.
Most people live on North Island. 85% of New Zealanders are "pakeha" ("white people"), which means their "great grandfathers" came from Europe. The "pakeha" started to arrive in New Zealand from Europe about 200 years ago as farmers and businessmen. 10% are Maoris. The Maoris came to New Zealand from the Polynesian Islands probably around the tenth century.
When the Maoris first arrived in New Zealand, they lived in villages and were excellent fishermen, hunters and farmers. Now many Maoris live and work in the large cities and take jobs in govemment, industries, medicine and education. They are proud of their culture and keep up many of the traditions which are part of their way of life.
New Zealand has three official languages: English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language. Many places in New Zealand have Maori names.
In 1865, Wellington took Aucklands place and became the capital of New Zealand, but the largest city is Auckland. The two cities are on the North Island.
New Zealand has high mountains, active volcanoes, lakes, rainforests and beautiful sandy beaches, which made it a location for the movie The Lord of the Rings.
New Zealand has mild (温和的) temperatures and lots of sunshine. January and February are the warmest months of the year, while July is the coldest.
New Zealand has many special birds. the best known is the kiwi. The kiwi, about the size of a large chicken, cannot fly. It is the symbol of the country and you can find pictures of kiwis on New Zealand stamps and coins. The kiwi is named after its calls-kewe, kewe. New Zealanders are also called Kiwis, but very few New Zealanders have ever seen a kiwi bird in the wild!