The territory of New Zealand started to be inhabited quite late, only in the second half of the 14th century, when the first Polynesians came here. The first Europeans who reached the coast of New Zealand were Dutch navigators led by Abel Tasman. They boarded the coast in 1642. Europeans were welcomed by the belligerent tribes of aborigines, which forced them to stop colonizing the distant islands.
Then, the islands were visited by James Cook. In 1769, he created the first accurate map of the coastal line of New Zealand. At the end of the 18th century, the islands started attracting whalers and seal hunters. Europeans imported products, water, metal items, and weapons to the islands. In 1841, the islands were officially recognized as a British colony. Later, in 1856, they got a right of the partial self-government. The country became completely independent from Great Britain in 1986.
Today, New Zealand is a homeland of the extreme tourism. There are perfect conditions for different sports, most of which are really extreme. They include rap jumping, bungee jumping, air surfing, and gliding. Nature here created excellent conditions for these kinds of sport.
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