I’ve published a new article, “Land of the Lord of the Rings”, about New Zealand. Here’s an extract:

New Zealand is a strange country: a very British land out in the Pacific Ocean about 1,600 kilometres southeast of Australia.

It surprised me many times, not only because of its striking landscape, but also because it wasn’t the haven of calm I had expected. The south island is stunning, with its brilliant blue lakes, age-old glaciers, beautiful fiords, ancient rainforests, and cascading waterfalls. However, in the north island I disovered serious racism against the Māori population and a level of gang robbery and violence in several places that clashes with the image I had of the country before I arrived.

I was also taken aback by the use of the chemical 1080 to kill rabbits; the chemical is banned in many other countries.

Go to the New Zealand page and click on “Land of the Lord of the Rings” to read the full article.