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[N248]New Zealand To Do

by Richard Greaves, Ric

New Zealand is a land in the far south where immigrant cultures were grafted onto a Polynesian landscape. This makes for a colourful culture replete with festivals of all kinds. There are festivals marking special days in the country's colonial history, events that celebrate the indigenous Polynesian culture and still others that commemorate New Zealand's rich agricultural traditions.

New Zealand celebrates its history on the last Monday in January with the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta. This colourful, nautical event commemorates the arrival of Captain Hobson in New Zealand when he founded the city of Auckland.

The Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta dates back to 1840 which makes it the country's oldest sporting event. Predating the Americas Cup by 11 years, the Auckland Anniversary Regatta draws around 400 competing boats each year.

New Zealand's Polynesian roots are celebrated at the Pasifika Festival held at Auckland's Western Springs Stadium in March. The event celebrates the art, culture and lifestyle of the South Pacific through music and other performances.

First produced by Auckland City Council in 1993, Pasifika has grown over the years and now attracts more than 225000 visitors who come to enjoy the work of hundreds of performers from the Auckland region as well as the Pacific area.

The event kicks off on a Friday night with an opening concert from Air New Zealand. The main event starts of the Saturday and comprises around 300 food and craft stalls.

A popular addition to Pasifika was made in 1999 in the form of cultural villages. These showcase unique aspects of various Pacific Island communities. Each village presents a traditional and contemporary programme including music, dancing, workshops, and food.

In 2008, Wellington introduced its own Pasifika featuring exhibitors from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue displaying traditional handicrafts such as embroidery, weaving, shell jewellery and wood carving.

Agriculture is at the heart of the New Zealand economy so it's no wonder that one of the country's most important festivals covers farming and rural life. It's the Royal New Zealand Show held over three days each November. With the theme of 'Bringing the country to town', the Show is held at Canterbury Agricultural Park, Wigram Road, Christchurch.

Featuring both indoor and outdoor displays and exhibitions, the Royal New Zealand Show attracts well over 100,000 visitors each year. Displays include marquees and pavilions showcasing the very best of New Zealand farming and rural life, top entertainment, and numerous other attractions. The event draws 5000 livestock entries and more than 400 exhibitors.

The Royal New Zealand Show was first held in 1924. Formerly held in rotation with Palmerston North, Hawke's Bay, Hamilton, Invercargill and Christchurch, the show has been held at the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch since 2006.

New Zealand is a fascinating country but attending a festival can give you special insights into this antipodean nation

There are a number of options in New Zealand real estate to make it a solid and profitable investment. There are basically three things to look at in the New Zealand real estate market that will aid you. Think about investing in rental properties, beach front living, or you may even want to consider a vineyard for your international real estate investment.

In terms of rentals in New Zealand real estate, you will want to start your search in or near a larger city, since this is where most of New Zealand's population resides. Auckland is the most modern and well known of the New Zealand regions and is really the only one with an active market for real estate.

With little or no effort, your international real estate investment may be a New Zealand rental which can fairly easily return 12% annually. Rentals will give you an annual and continual return on your investment and with New Zealand being a fairly hot rental property market right now, New Zealand real estate may just be your best rental investment property bet.

Another thought is the idea of New Zealand real estate as an investment for resale. This is not a bad idea if you are trying to diversify your international real estate investments. Looking around Auckland, in the Bay of Islands, or in Queenstown, you should be able to find New Zealand real estate that is not only affordable, but also increasing in value and easy to purchase. Ease of purchase is important since in many countries international real estate investment is frowned upon.

In New Zealand, you will likely only run into trouble if you try to purchase a large piece of land on the ocean or close to Auckland. New Zealand real estate of this type will require you to get the approval of an Overseas Private Investment Council. The council was set up to prevent US and Japanese investors from buying all of the good New Zealand real estate and pushing out the natives.

Now if you are not really looking for New Zealand real estate as an international real estate investment, so much as a place to live or retire, then you may want to consider areas other than Auckland. Larger, more isolated, and enjoyable homes are located in regions where the New Zealand real estate market may not be increasing so quickly.

Lastly, if you are considering New Zealand real estate investments, you may want to think about a vineyard. The Marlborough region of New Zealand offers some of the best wine making in the world. Since the rest of the globe is just now catching on to this, an international real estate investment in New Zealand vineyards may be just the way to go.

New Zealand real estate offers buyers an opportunity to make money in a number of ways. However, it is important to understand the value that may be there when considering a move or retirement in New Zealand. With the US dollar's strength, good property prices and a beautiful country, you will likely profit in some way whether it is through a rental property, a vineyard or a resale property.

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Both Richard Greaves & Dave Klein are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Richard Greaves has sinced written about articles on various topics from Destinations, Real Estate and Destinations. Richard has over 20 years experience in the travel industry and writes for . Cheaper Than Hotels offers cheap. Richard Greaves's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.

Dave Klein has sinced written about articles on various topics from Hair Care, computers and the internet and Computers and The Internet. Dave Klein is a successful investor. Make great returns with. Dave Klein's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.