Thinking about travelling to New Zealand?   Today we bring you 20 interesting facts about New Zealand to encourage you to put those plans into action!

If you think of New Zealand and you are a big movie fan, the first thing that probably comes to your mind is the breathtaking landscapes of «Lord of the Rings». But this wonderful country has many other things worth seeing and visiting, besides the beauty of its nature, some of them really curious.

Do you want to know which they are? Here are 20 interesting facts:

1. Wellington, its capital, is the most southernmost capital on the planet.
2. Around 4.5 million people live in New Zealand, of which 65% are European origin and 15% Maori origin.
3. New Zealanders are also called «kiwis» which apart from a fruit is also a bird without wings that was originally a symbol of the army in World War II and subsequently became a national symbol.
4. Take special care of the sun, protect yourself a lot! There are ozone holes that make the sun particularly harmful.
5. The first person to climb Mt. Everest was a «kiwi». His name was Sir Edmund Hillary and if you didn’t already know, he appears on the $5 bills.
6. New Zealand in Maori is Aotearoa meaning «the land of the long white cloud.» The reason for that name? Both its north and south islands often have spectacular clouds.
7. New Zealand was the first country in the world to grant the universal vote. Since 1893 both men and women can vote equally
8. We could consider New Zealand as the «largest farm in the world» as there are 70 million sheep and 8 million cows! Remember: There are only 4.5 million people.
9. Since the filming of «Lord of the Rings» and «The Hobbit», the number of visitors and followers of the triologies has increased  exponentially. The director  of the triologies, Peter Jackson is from New Zealand.
10. If you want to travel as far as possible away from Spain, go to New Zealand. There is no fuarther place you can go!
11. The national sport is with out a doubt, rugby and the national team of the country is known as the All Blacks. Before the start of a game, they perform a Maori war dance called the ‘Haka’ to motivate and intimidate the enemy.
12. Bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand in 1986, if you are a tireless adventurer you can practice all the adventure sports you can imagine, you must travel to Queenstown.
13. You can live the four seasons of the year, in a single day as in summer the temperature can change a lot. Always carry the umbrella with you!
14. New Zealanders are real experts in the shearing of sheep.   Every year they organize national shearing competitions that take into account every possible detail, including the final appearance of the sheep!
15. New Zealanders  are very fond of traveling by caravan, so the country is very adapted to this form of transport. Many campsites are free and those that are not, are usually quite cheap
16. Together with Denmark and Finland, New Zealand is the least corrupt country in the world according to the InternationalTransparency Index .
17. It is common to see signs and posters written in Maori together with the word in English in some tourist places.   A great way to learn two languages at the same time!
18. New Zealand has the place with the longest name in the world (85 letters) It’s a hill located on the North Island in Hawkes Bay: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu   Try to say it!
19. Blue Lake, a lake located in Nelson Lakes National Park on the South Island, has the most transparent water in the world, according to a study conducted in 2011 by researchers at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
20. No part of the country is more than 128 kilometers from the sea.   So if you don’t go for a dip at the beach is because you don’t want to!

Photo: Bungy Jumping (Queenstown)
100% Pure New Zealand