Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/551

The landscape in this park, situated in south-west New Zealand, has been shaped by successive glaciations into fjords, rocky coasts, towering cliffs, lakes and waterfalls. Two-thirds of the park is covered with southern beech and podocarps, some of which are over 800 years old. The kea, the only alpine parrot in the world, lives in the park, as does the rare and endangered takahe, a large flightless bird.

 

Postcard 1 : Fox Glacier

 

The Fox Glacier (Te Moeka o Tuawe in Māori) is a 13 km (8.1 mi) long glacier located in Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It was named in 1872 after a visit by the then Prime Minister of New Zealand, Sir William Fox.

 

 

Sender: oerkenbo, Received on: 13 Dec, 2013

 

Postcard 2 : Mitre Peak, Milford Sound

 

Mitre Peak is an iconic mountain in the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most photographed peaks in the country.

The distinctive shape of the peak in southern New Zealand gives the mountain its name, after the mitre headwear of Christian bishops. It was named by a survey crew from the HMS Acheron.

Part of the reason for its iconic status is its location. Close to the shore of Milford Sound, in the Fiordland National Park in the southwestern South Island, it is a stunning sight. Rising to 1,692 metres (i.e. just over a mile) from the water of the sound (more technically a fjord), it is actually a closely grouped set of five peaks, although from most easily accessible viewpoints it appears as a single point.

 

 

Sender: pveejay, Sent on: 10 Mar, 2014, Received on: 28 Mar, 2014, Travel time: 18 days

Flag of New Zealand

Blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation.

Sender: kiwi2140nz, Sent on: 4 Sep, 2013, Received on: 20 Sep, 2013, Travel time: 16 days

Whanganui River, New Zealand

With a length of 290 km, the Whanganui is the country's third-longest river. Much of the land to either side of the river's upper reaches is part of the Whanganui National Park, though the river itself is not part of the park.

The river rises on the northern slopes of Mount Tongariro, one of the three active volcanoes of the central plateau, and close to Lake Rotoaira. It flows to the north-west before turning south-west at Taumarunui. From here it runs through the rough, bush-clad hill country of the King Country before turning south-east and flowing past the small settlements of Pipiriki and Jerusalem, before reaching the coast at Whanganui. It is the country's longest navigable river.

Sender: Rupen, Received on: 22 Feb, 2013, Distance: 17,104 km (10,628 miles), Travel time: 14 days