A few years ago I seriously considered moving to this breathtaking country. At the time, they had a generous program offering citizenship to anyone in a technology field who qualified. I got fairly far into the process before deciding against it because of my mom & because the country has one of the longest quarantine periods for pets. (I didn’t think my scaredy cat Billy would survive it.)
Looking at the photo above, you can see one of the biggest reasons I wanted to move there—it’s jaw-dropping scenery. Any guesses which country we’re adventuring to next?
If not, here are some facts about this land from GloboTreks which may help you guess:
It has the clearest lake in the world with visibility up to 262 ft (80 m).
There is a law that states every school there may hold up to 1 lb (.5 kg) each of uranium & thorium for conducting nuclear experiments. But don’t worry, they will be fined a very large amount of money should there be a nuclear explosion. (!)
It has the steepest street in the world with a gradient of 38 degrees.
Sign language is officially one of its languages.
Any ideas yet? What if I added that:
It’s the only country in the world where all the highest positions have been simultaneously held by women.
Bats are the only native land mammals with the rest introduced by others.
Of all the population, only 5% is human. The rest are animals, making it the highest animal to humans ratio in the world.
It’s name in one of its own languages is Aotearoa, which means “land of the long white cloud.’”
It has the 9th longest coastline in the world with a length of 9,404 mi (15,134 km).
And this movie which went on to win an astonishing 33 awards & another 35 nominations is also set there. (Watch it for free on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZlHQhR.)
So what country are we reading next?
It’s New Zealand! And if you’re curious, the 3 official languages of New Zealand are English, Māori, * New Zealand Sign Language. Wondering why it’s specifically titled “New Zealand Sign Language”? That’s cause sign language can differ from country to country. As the Travel Blog notes, New Zealand, Australia, & Britain sign languages differ, but they are more similar to each other than American Sign Language & even Irish Sign Language.
HAVE ANY BOOK SUGGESTIONS?
Just let us know your New Zealand suggestions by Mon., Sept. 14 11PM ET. (That’s NYC time. See it converted to your time below.)
You can comment with your suggestion below or in our online book club in Facebook.
We'll use 2 suggestions from book club members, 2 of my suggestions, & 2 suggestions from Mia (the book club co-admin) to compile a list of 6 books on which book club members will provide their thoughts. The book judged as best will then be read.
Please note - We're specific in our books, they must:
Largely occur in the location specified unless the world described is an alternate reality
Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere