Clouds hang over the Seaward Kaikoura mountain range on the South Island of New Zealand. In the early 1200s Polynesian settlers arrived and soon after established the indigenous Maori culture. In the 1780s European settlers began exploring New Zealand, and in 1840 the British annexed the island.

Mount Cook rises above the South Island to the south of Christchurch. Besides kiwi fruit and kiwi birds, Mt. Cook is an icon of New Zealand.

Redwood forests grow in Te Mata Peak Park in Hawke's Bay. Some of these redwoods are hundreds of years old.