lapsed kiwi

I quite like Scotland - if you moved it to the same latitude as NZ so it got a decent climate, and got rid of all the Scots, it would be a great place to live.
I'm struggling to draw a comparison between NZ scenery and the Cotswolds though; I've always thought of the Cotswolds as sort of twee in a chocolate-box kind of way. Comparing them to NZ (eg Milford Sound, Lake Wanaka, Muriwai, etc etc) is a bit like comparing a rose-covered cottage to the Empire State building

lapsed kiwi

I'm pretty sure Nerine lives in Oz (aka Utopia) after a brief stint in NZ. I'm a bit worried that there doesn't seem to be much to do there except post on NZ-themed discussion forums - hopefully we'll find something better to do when we're there on our holidays next month

lardyl

true enough - its an anomoly but not the exception that proves the rule??
although there are other places, and not all just botanic gardens with Palms in Scotland - like my late uncle's favourite spot - Arran....
there are bits of NZ that aren't up to supporting palm trees though......just as some bits of NZ are very much like parts of Scotland........no doubt our Southern friends will contribute on that one......

waynepfry

Very true. I've not been to South Island but understand it's similar to Scotland.

Some of the countryside around Auckland often reminds me of back home in North Yorkshire - rolling hills and lots of greenery but without dry stone walls. It kind of lulls you into a false sense of security and then you round a corner and out jumps an enormous fern to make you realise it's similar to England but at the same time nothing like it at all - a bit like the Kiwi culture and physche really....

southerner

What? <<Southerner jolts awake...smiles ruefully that this was one Lardy thread he did actually read right to the end of, collects his thoughts and offers weakly...>

Nelson and northern West Coast are generally the southerly limit of palm trees in NZ, although there will be isolated instances further south (as an old poster Deedee used to say - 'you see, its microclimates').

Its true some parts of Scotland do remind one of some parts of the South Island. But its equally true that they each have their own unique bits too. For example, Mt Cook, glaciers, Mackenzie country, Maniototo, the Fjords, Abel Tasman, the Sounds, Banks and Otago peninsulars, Stewart Island - there is a huge variety of landscapes, which itself is probably the most unique thing.

southerner

There are some good dry stone walls around Dunedin, and some of the fields do look very English, until you look beyond them to an uninterrupted view of an unspoilt harbour.



<<Sorry its only a little pic - best I could find on the web.>>

waynepfry

Now that looks like a new, improved version of what I'm used to!

Got to say NZ has just about everything here but a desert! I could be wrong but can't think of anywhere else where you've got so much scenery and volcanoes, mountains, sub-tropical plants, beaches, coastline all packed into one place. I'd love to get down to South Island to see Milford Sound and so on but we're doing the house up at the moment so hopefully next year..........

lardyl

at the bit I did not quote
yeah, it is great with a great variety......
Of those I'd like to see the Sounds, Abel Tasman, real Fjords and Stewart Island as we managed a quick tour of the others last year.....
So much still to do and yes it is like Scotland down in some parts, kinda crossed with parts of North Carolina/West Virginia in places.....
Like it lots and if I could get enough work there and persuade the missus to give up warmer climes I could live there - easily

Kiwiprincess

I found that when I was in Scotland those pesky kea's damaging the rental car were such a problem.

Couldn't wait to get back to NZ so I could have some Irn Bru.

Bellasmum

I only spent 3 months in Scotland. I loved it. But the scenery is not as diverse as NZ.

chocolate cake

A few similarities perhaps, except the NY Yorks hills you describe are littered with public footpaths and great access, not the same on those rolling green hills near Auckland.

CarolineSwan

to be honest that pic could have been taken in scotland. Scotland is full of lush green countryside (north anyway) beautiful lochs and hills with lots of foresrtry. and i may stay in blantyre but you can find lots of palms in the gardens round here so they do in fact manage to grow, im sure not in the same scale as nz though lol but you do see them, in fact my father in law has a garden full of huge ones but he says in isle of mann lol.. take a trip to the lovely scottish isles i.e skye , muck, rumm etc and the views are breathtaking. infact every time i drive up north it takes my breath away , if i could stay there with better weather and not be in the uk i would in a 2nd

oh and so nice to here some slag of the scots

lapsed kiwi

Sorry - only kidding

Bellasmum

If you scratched under the surface of a lot of Kiwi's you would find some Scottish blood Caroline