New Zealand

The natural beauty of New Zealand is no secret these days, but back in the 1800s, there was a site so breathtaking, even compared to the rest of NZ, that it was spoken of as the 8th wonder of the world: the long-lost Pink and White Terraces.

With the backing of aviation giant Boeing and a pilotless 13-rotor transitioning VTOL airframe from Kitty Hawk, Wisk Aero is preparing to launch an autonomous air taxi service trial on the South island of New Zealand, complete with actual passengers.

New Zealand was not only home to prehistoric giant parrots, but monster penguins as well. A set of bones found at the Waipara Greensand fossil site in 2018 have been confirmed as belonging to a new species of extinct penguin standing 1.6 m (5.2 ft) and weighing up to 80 kg (176 lb).

Palaeontologists in New Zealand have now uncovered the remains of Heracles inexpectatus, an extinct giant parrot that would have stood hip-high to most people and packed a beak powerful enough to crack open pretty much whatever it wanted to.

The winners of the 2018 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year have been crowned. Designed to celebrate the natural beauty of Australia and surrounding regions, the competition includes some stunning shots of animals and stark reminders of the impact humans are having on the world.

Scattered around New Zealand's famed southern island, PurePods are off-grid cabins offering remote getaways with opportunity to explore, along with glamping-like comforts and uninterrupted views when it comes time to put the feet up.

Pushing the boundaries of what we're used to seeing in a tiny house, the Pohutukawa home has been designed to accommodate up to six people; a big move considering most tiny houses only accommodate two to four guests.

Medical X-ray scans have long been stuck in the black-and-white era. Now Mars Bioimaging has developed a bioimaging scanner that can produce full color, three dimensional images of bones, lipids, and soft tissue, thanks to a sensor chip developed at CERN for use in the Large Hadron Collider.

The US-based private space firm Rocket Lab and its wholly owned New Zealand-based subsidiary have announced plans to go ahead with its first fully commercial mission, with the launch window to open later this month.

When the Electron rocket lifted off from its New Zealand launch complex on January 21, it carried a surprise payload. Along with its three commercial satellites, it deployed a geodesic sphere that's designed to reflect the Sun's rays and make it the brightest manmade object in the sky.

New Zealand officially joined the ranks of spacefaring nations today as Rocket Lab's Electron booster reached orbit in the first successful commercial space launch in the southern hemisphere.

Scientists have discovered that the waters off New Zealand were once the home of a penguin so large it could look a human in the eye. The 60 million year old remains of the flightless bird was one of the largest penguins ever found, standing 1.77 m (70 in) and weighing over 100 kg (220 lb).