THE COLONY OF NEW ZEALAND.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 30, 9 July 1892, Page 8

THE COLONY OF NEW ZEALAND.

(First Prize for Girls, by Miss Annie Elizabeth Bramley.) ' The group of islands which form the colony of New are situated in the South Pacific, between the -one hund-ed and sixty-sixth and the one hundred and seventy-ninth-meridians of east longitude, and the thirty-foarth and forty-seventh parallels of south latitude; Its extreme length is about eleven hundred miles, and its mean-breadth about one hundred and forty miles; its area being about one hundred thousand square miles, and its population at the present time upwards of six hundred thousand. The first authentic information we have heard about the recovery of New Zealand was in 1640; when Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator, first sighted the land and gave it the name which it still bears; but it was not until 1769,0n the' occasion of Captain Cook's visit did any Europeans land on ils shore?. For many years it was only visited by .whalers, who sometimes called at Russell in the Bay of Islands for" water and fresh provisions; till the missionaries ■of various denominations settled in the land, and finally the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by five hundred of the most influential chiefs, giving the country over to Great Britain, the first Governor being Governor Hobson. The chief cities of New Zealand are Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, and Christchureh; Wellington being the most popular on account of its being the capital, bat the most picturesque city is Auckland, on account of its fine harbour, and surrounding scenery. The chief ranges of the South Island are the Southern Alps, which extend the entire length' of [the country, and several of its'peaks irise above the snow line, the, highest of these being Mount Cook, which contains several glaciers; its chief rivers conseqently flow to the east, draining a large portion of rich agricultural land.-..; The chief ranges of the North Island are broken up, probably by volcanic action, 1 the 1 highest peak being Mount Ruapehn, I which is about ten thousand feet above the sea level. New Zealand possesses many attractions for'tourists, perhaps i the most attractive being the Hot Lake ;district; here the most varied and peculiar scenery greets the traveller at every step, intermittent streams of hot water bursts upon the earth at intervals. The pink and white terraces,.which used to be the chief beauty v:©f .New., Zealand scenery, were destroyed by. the .volcanic action of Tarawera, which occurred on June 10th, 1886.' The .chief attractions of the South Island are the, numerous inlets situated at the south-west of,Otago, ■and are commonly called Sounds; here the scenery is-very beautiful,, and is frequently visited during the. summer months. The climate of Ney" ; Zealand is very mild, being entirely ( free from-the extremes of heat and cold, on account pt 'being surrounded by a large body of.

water, and it is entirely free from the bot winds go common to the Australian summer. The soil in many parts is very good, and produces very large crops of maize, wheat, eta The minerals of the country are very varied, a very large proportion of the population being occupied in mining. The chief minerals are gold, silver, coal, and iron, antimony and marble being found in smaller portions. The.chief exports of the country are-gold, silver, wool, flax, kauri gum, and frozen meat; ths chief imports being hardware, crockery, and other s general merchandise. The animals of the country are very limited, consisting chiefly of birds, but the vegetation is both varied and useful, the best timber producing trees being the kauri, rimn, rate,-and white pine. New Zealand is governed in a manner somewhat similar to the Home country, the Queen is represented by the Governor, the House of Lords toy the Legislative Council, and the House of Commons by the House of Representatives. The.. Legislative Council is appointed by the Governor on •the recommendation of the people. J