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Hiking up a hill on a day walk in New Zealand, turn a corner, and there it is… a sight that is oddly familiar or maybe just out of place. With all the magnificent scenery, New Zealand is a popular choice for film locations. Here are a couple I came across:

I came upon this site after walking up a private hill (I wasn’t technically allowed to be there so let’s say it was in the Queenstown area… shhhhh). Is it an homage to Mao? A Buddhist temple? No, actually it’s a Korean prison from a 1984 Disney movie called The Rescue. Quite surreal, especially after being followed up by overly curious llamas.

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Read more Does this Look Familiar?

Can you imagine a land without mammals? That was New Zealand before humans got there and brought their fuzzy friends. Just a few hundred years ago the land was covered in different bird species that took up all the niches held by mammals on the continents. I unfortunately never saw the ellusive kiwi bird but these ones are quite unique as well. PS. There were actually three species of bats and marine mammals but let’s pretend my first statement was true, just for the dramatic effect.

No, this is not a Kiwi… it is a Weka, also flightless, endemic and endangered. With no mammals around as predators many birds lost their ability to fly because they didn’t need to without threats. This became a problem when all the fuzzies were introduced. Is it me or does this guy look like a cross between a chicken and a dinosaur?

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Read more Feathery Fauna - Alexandra in New Zealand, not to mention check out an alpine parrot!

Glaciers designed the landscape of much New Zealand’s South Island. As in many polar or high altitude regions, the movement of a mass of ice carves out a path wherever it passes.

Fox Glacier in all its massive glory. Acting on the landscape in the present.

Some other glaciers have come and gone during colder times. The landscape they left behind depended on what kind of terrain was underneath. Here are some of my favorite creations:

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Read more Glacial Architect - Alexandra in New Zealand

Remember all that hype in the 80’s and 90’s that vilified hairspray? In two words, it went here: New Zealand. That is where the hole went (or, close enough). This makes the temperature in the sunlight retina-frying hot and the altitude and variable ocean currents make it cool to cold in the shade or at night. So if you are planning a trip to the land of the kiwis and are imagining the tropical south Pacific (as I was) you may want to rethink that.

Icebreaker makes merino products for outdoor pursuits, and they know what they are talking about, these sheep are raised in the New Zealand Southern Alps, with intense temperature variations. The sheep are perfectly adapted for the hot-cold-hot-cold and therefore so is the fabric.

Here I am somewhere in the Otago region pretending to pose for an Icebreaker ad, minus the horns.

Walk, Hike, Trek, Tramp

If you love to hike, New Zealand is the place for you.

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Read more about hiking, walking, tramping, trekking and what have you in New Zealand