While the headline above may seem peculiar and inappropriate, it is taken from an advertisement shown on NZ television some time ago. It concerns the tendency of travelers from NZ to ignore the bountiful destinations available within the limits of their own beautiful and diverse country.

Extending from the wonderful stone buildings of south Canterbury and Southland to the Unique and fragile Beech forests of the West Coast; to the vast sandy beaches of Northland, the secure sandy coves of the East Coast; to the grandeur of the looming, sometimes snow covered slopes, of the active volcano which is Mt Ruapehu. The night life of the largest cities contrast with the comparatively sedate rural existences lived by people within half a day easy drive from the centre of these busy metropolis.

Roads are almost entirely sealed now, but unsealed and less frequented options with evocative titles still exist. The 'forgotten highway' which travels from Taranaki into the Ruapehu District is one such example. The 'Bridge to nowhere' is New Zealand's monument to the rugged and demanding terrain of the central North Island. Even this small territory nestled in the South Pacific, after almost 400 years of human habitation, there are still essentially untraveled tracts of land in existence.

Wooden churches and stone stores from our colonial past still exist. With history texts in hand, one is able to still witness the carved wooden grave markers of those participants within those same pages. Having studied New Zealand's heritage in my years at university, such distinct markers give substance to the languid process of time in provinces of this land, my homeland, New Zealand.

Referring again, to the essence meant in the title, I will inform you, the visitor, that as a teenager, myself and my friend cycled many of the pathways of this beautiful and diverse country. I am confident that I have at least a fundamental appreciation of this landscape. In earlier years, my experiences as a boy scout saw me hiking about the old tram tracks and logging skids of mining and forestry operations about Wairongomai. Now, as it certainly was then, bush covered and less than 'easy going' country. The individuals that moulded a state from this wilderness that was pre-colonial NZ were indeed of sturdy stock. Often the settlers were military veterans of the Victorian Empire's conquests covering the globe. They were not unaccustomed to discipline and physical labour.

It can consequently, be seen, that New Zealand has vast scope of interest for the adventure seeking and also those wishing to experience a vigorous, and not too distant, history. You can be having muffins in a cafe near the shores of the great Lake Taupo in the morning, then be skiing the slopes of Ruapehu soon after lunch. You can be browsing historical documents in a provincial museum in one of many little towns around the country, then, that same night be dancing the night away in a fashionable night club in one of the main city centres.

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