Jan. 27

We’re completing 4 days at sea and preparing for 5 consecutive stops in New Zealand, beginning with the Bay of Islands. All of our stops are on the North Island. Then, we have 3 days on the Tasman Sea before arriving in Australia. It looks like Groundhog’s Day will be celebrated on the Tasman Sea.

Today was an unusual day. We had two NFL playoff games at reasonable hours. Having crossed the International dateline, we’re now 23 hours ahead of Washington. Football games starting at 10 and 1 at home were showing at 9 and 12. At half-time of the second game, the Viking Choir sang 5 songs. They were very good, not just because Karla was singing.

We have always enjoyed New Zealand….nice scenery, nice people. On a trip with Maddy and Jackson many years ago, we even considered buying a house on the coast. It would have been a good investment, but it’s just too far away.

With its remote location, the islands of New Zealand were the last major South Pacific islands settled. Besides the North and South islands, there are about 600 smaller islands. In the 1280-1350 period, settlers arrived from the Cook Islands. The Maori culture developed in peace until Abel Tasman arrived in 1642. He departed soon, after experiencing a menacing Haka performance and having 4 of his men killed. Captain Cook paid a more benign scientific visit in 1769. In the early 1800’s, contact with the Europeans increased. On the bright side, Europeans brought potatoes. On the darker side, they introduced muskets. The muskets increased the killing efficiency of the Maoris; about 30-40,000 of them were killed in their intra-tribal conflicts. Missionaries soon followed, with their bibles and diseases. The Maori population was reduced by about 40 per cent.

In 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed which assured that Maoris could retain control of their lands, but gave the English political control. In 1841, New Zealand became a Crown Colony. Whaling, sealing and trade drove their economy. In 1852-1867, there was a “gold rush” which brought more settlers. England offered free passage on ships to citizens who purchased land or free land if they paid their way on ships.

By the end of the 19th century, New Zealand was known as a very progressive country. In 1893, women gained the right to vote. In 1894, they established a minimum wage. as well as compulsory arbitration between employers and unions. In 1895, they developed an old age pension system.

Today, New Zealand is a Constitutional Monarchy. King Charles is the King, but the New Zealanders run the government. It is considered one of the most stable and progressive governments and gets high marks for its achievements in quality of life and human rights. Of the 5.25 million people, about 70 per cent are Europeans, 14 per cent Maori, and 11 per cent  Asian.