Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
In November and December, 2013 we drove from the southernmost tip of the South Island (Te Waipounamu) to the northern most tip of the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) - taking the ferry across Cook Strait, of course!
The names North Island and South Island were made official, in 2013, under the New Zealand Geographic Board Act of 2008. The Maori names (in parenthesis, above) are official, as well, with both sets being allowed to be used interchangeably. In MaMaori Te Waipounamu means, "the waters of greenstone" and Te Ika-a-Māui means, "the fish of Maui."
Our drive was a total of 4,351 kilometres (2,703 miles) in a rented van that provided a comfortable way to sleep and dine at some very comfortable campsites throughout the country. Throughout my drive I found it very interesting to encountered so many rabbits and possum (and heard many reports about feral deer) despite so much effort being put into eradicating these animals. One or two species of bats were the only mammals natural to New Zealand before the arrival of humans so attempting to control rabbits and other non-native species makes sense!
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern - arrogant and incompetent
01/19/2023 Ardern announced her resignation as Prime Minister. It's believed her declining popularity with the people of her country is what prompted her.
12/13/2022 Thanks to a hot microphone, a vulgarity spoken by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was picked up in parliament and entered into the official transcript.
Ardern's profanity was directed at libertarian ACT leader David Seymour.
10/25/2021: At left is a screen shot from incredible footage that captured the moment Jacinda Ardern pushed a sign language interpreter out of her way during a nationally televised Covid press conference.
09/18/2021: In yet another show of petulance New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke personally to her Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, to tell him his aliance with America against the Chinese was unacceptable. She is opposed to Australia and the U.S. working on a deal for nuclear powered submarines to ensure the South China Sea and other waterways aren't closed by China.
05/10/2021 Shoppers and staff at a New Zealand supermarket managed to stop a frenzied man from hurting others after he stabbed four people in a random attack. Four people were severely wounded during the rampage. A day after the attack, authorities said three of the injured had improved to a serious but stable condition, while the fourth person was in a moderate condition. Police said they'd charged a 42-year-old man with four counts of attempted murder. Jacinda Ardern, the country's Prime Minister, displayed her usual inability to properly address the situation.
In March, 2019, a mass murderer killed 50 innocent people in Christchurch. The killer was eventually apprehended but the people of New Zealand didn't have the courage to sentence him to death. For shame...
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