In the South Pacific Ocean lies New Zealand, which consists of two main islands—North Island and South Island Much of New Zealand is mountainous In the north there are volcanoes(火山) and places where hot springs are found The climate ranges from warm in the north to the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps in the south
The first settlers were the Maoris, who reached New Zealand after sailing across the Pacific from the islands of Polynesia Later the country became a British colony, and people moved to New Zealand from Europe Today farming is still the most important occupation(职业), employing 10 percent of the population New Zealand is one of the world's leading exporters of beef, mutton and wool
In the Pacific there are thousands of islands Some islands such as New Zealand, are quite large, but most are small Together these islands form what is called Oceania Many of the islands are the tips of mountains or volcanoes which rise up from the ocean floor Other islands are made of coral Coral is formed from the hard shells of tiny sea creatures, called polyps(珊瑚虫) Over thousands of years the polyps die, and their shells become cemented(黏合) together to form reefs
Many of the smaller island groups in Oceania are covered with tropical(热带的) plants The high temperatures and heavy rainfall mean that the main crops are coconuts, bananas and rice On some islands, such as Fuji, tourism is becoming more and more important
Choose Your One-Day Tours!
Tour A—Bath & Stonehenge including entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge—￡37 until 26 March and ￡39 thereafter
Visit the city with over 2, 000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum Stonehenge is one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments dating back over 5, 000 years
Tour B—Oxford & Stratford including entrance fees to the University Church of St Mary the Virgin and Anne Hathaway's house—￡32 until 12 March and ￡36 thereafter
Oxford: Includes a guided tour of England's oldest university city and colleges Look over the “city of dreaming spires(尖顶)” from St Mary the Virgin Stratford: Includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder
Tour C—Windsor Castle & Hampton Court including entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace—￡34 until 11 March and ￡37 thereafter
Includes a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry Ⅷ's favourite palace Free time to visit Windsor Castle(entrance fees not included) With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four Kings and one Queen Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze(迷宫) where it is easy to get lost!
Tour D—Cambridge including entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great—￡33 until 18 March and ￡37 thereafter
Includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century
