Discuss the following text.

I. READ THE TEXT USING A DICTIONARY IF NECESSARY:

NEW ZEALAND'S MAIN CITIES

The majority of New Zealanders live in cities and towns, which have changed in their importance relative to each other. The main New Zealand's cities and towns are: Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Dunedin, Whangarei, Rotorua, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Napier/Hastings, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Nel­son, Blenheim, Westport, Greymouth, Hokitika, Timaru, Wanaka Queenstown, Oamaru, Invercargill.

Early in the 20th century, the "big four" cities — Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin — shared leadership, but Auckland and Hamilton grew rapidly while Dunedin ceased to grow. A persistent drift to urban centres and to the north set in, and 85 percent of the people now live in cities.

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city. It is a modern cos­mopolitan city with a beautiful, clear harbour where people go boating or swimming many months of the year. It has a population of over a million people. Twenty percent of the population is Maori and Polynesian. It is home to one quarter of the country's inhabit­ants, the chief industrial, commercial, and international transpor­tation centre. Near Auckland are forests, farms, beaches, thermal pools and geysers, marine reserves and scuba diving locations.

Auckland was established in 1840 as the capital of the British colonial government. It was named for George Eden, earl of Auckland, first lord of the admiralty, and, later, governor-general of India. Auckland remained the capital until it was replaced in that role by Wellington. Auckland was officially made a city in 1871. It is the major industrial and commercial port of New Zealand. The port serves overseas and intercostal shipping.

Wellington is the country's second-largest city and a main port. It is situated on the southern coast of North Island. Wellington is the nation's capital, its administrative centre and the seat of the government with a population less than 200,000 people. Wellington is the transport link between the islands. It was settled by the first group of British immigrants to New Zealand in 1840. It was called by them Nicholson after a navy captain and it is sometimes called by this name. It is the third capital of New Zealand: its first capital was Russel, then the capital moved to Auckland. The city became the capital of New Zealand in 1865. The two most striking features of the city are its winds and constant danger of earthquakes. It is situated at the crossroads of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman sea and is known by its piercing winds. Its nickname is "The Windy City". Wellington is the centre of finance and commerce. It has a beautiful harbour. Most businesses locate their head office in Wellington. The city contains commercial areas, docks, and gov­ernment buildings, including the Houses of Parliament (the Bee­hive²).

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island. It is an in­land city with an English atmosphere and many parks, gardens and Oxford-style buildings. ^The water in Christchurch is totally un­treated and is supposed to be the purest domestic water supply in the world... Near Christchurch are mountains and ski fields, lakes, hot pools and beaches. It's population is 300,000 people.

Dunedin is the principal city of the Coastal-North Otago dis­trict on the southeastern shore of South Island, New Zealand. The second largest city of South Island, it has a population of 110,60(3. Dunedin was founded in 1848 by Scottish Presbyterians as a Scot­tish Нее church sertlement. It was called Dunedin for the Gaelic word for Edinburgh It is also called the "'Edinburgh of the South" and ctill conveys Scottish values. The site was chosen because of timber resources and farming potential The discovery of gold in 1861 in central Otago district brought prosperity to the town. Dur­ing the second half of the 19th century, it was the largest town in New Zealand. Its population today is 116,524.

North Island, which has larger cities, more intensive farming, and most of the Maori people, has more than twice the population of the larger South Island.

(Ощепкова В.В. Вкратце об Австралии и Новой Зеландии, 1998.)

NOTES:

/1/ Auckland - Окленд, кр\пнейший портовый юрод на Северном острове Новой Зеландии: до 1865 г. — сто­лица страны; население — более 1 млн.

² the Beehive — букв. "Пчелиный улей", здание парламента Новой Зеландии в г. Веллингтоне (получило наз­вание из-за его формы, напоминающей пчелиный улей).

II. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

1. When did Wellington become the national capital?

2. What does the word Ounedin mean?

3. Which city wa^ New Zealand capital for a long time before Wellington?

4. Who was Auckland named after?

5. Why is Dunedin called the "Edinburgh of the South"?