Interesting facts

We are learning alot about New Zealand thanks to the excellent tour guides. Here are some facts I thought you would all be interested in.

1. New Zealand has the highest boat ownership percentage in the world. The city of Auckland has a 1 in 4 boat ownership ratio and the country has a 1 in 8 ownership ratio!
   
2. Did you know that New Zealand still has active volcanos? Several of them in fact.
   
3. New Zealand has no predatory animals. Yep! Nothing here that can kill you. In fact, New Zealand doesn't have any snakes!
   
4. So the national bird is a Kiwi bird. It is a bird without any wings! I think we are going to try to see one tomorrow. They only come out at night so they have special viewing rooms set up so the birds think it is evening.
   
5. The glow worms are actually glow "maggots"!
   
6. Did I mention Rotorua smells like sulfer? It takes some getting use to and I'm not there yet.
   
7. The Maori history in New Zealand is almost identical to the history of Indians in the US. (Broken treaties, land encroachment, bloody land wars.) Very interesting if you want to take a look.