Story: New Zealand identity

C. N. Baeyertz's Guide to New Zealand, which first appeared in 1902, presented the country as 'the scenic paradise of the world'. The guide reflected a hope at the time that New Zealand's natural scenery would attract international tourists. A Department of Tourist and Health Resorts had been established the previous year. As suggested by the cover, the two areas which were particularly promoted were the 'hot lakes' of the Rotorua region, where Māori culture was presented as exotic, and the fiords and mountains of the South Island.