This is a photo of me fishing
Hello, Kia Ora and 안녕하세요! My name is Miro Thomas and I am delighted to represent Aotearoa New Zealand (뉴질랜드).
Last year I was priveliged to visit the Republic of Korea and attend the 25th World Scout Jamboree. During this visit I really enjoyed getting to learn about Korean history and geography. So much so that it now occupies a large part of my conscience.
Me (right) along with other New Zealand scouts at Saemangeum
I enjoyed visiting the DMZ and Infiltration tunnel museum. The active military presence was a large contrast to a New Zealander.
This experience gave me a heartfelt appreciation for humanity, geography and Korean culture. Now that I have this great opportunity to return and share aspects of my country with you, I feel humbled and appreciative.
Where I come from, Aotearoa New Zealand is an isolated island nation in the South Pacific. Our foreign relations are pro-western and we mostly handle foreign affairs between smaller pacific islands.
New Zealand's pristine geography is some of the most rugged in the world.
Personally, I live in Wellington, the capital city. It is a metropolitan and cultural hub. I enjoy visiting cultural expos such as the Korean, Polish and Ukranian festivals.
Wellington City. Whilst small in comparison to Korean cities, this is one of the largest population centres in New Zealand.
This building is the national parliament of New Zealand, located in Wellington.
New Zealand is geographically composed of many small and two large islands. The majority of Kiwi's (Slang for a New Zealander) reside on the largest two, North and South.
New Zealands Islands
Some of our smaller islands, the Mokohinaus. Photo taken from a national racing yacht through scouts.
New Zealand has diverse and unique species due to its isolation. Because of this, we have interesting types of birds.
A Kiwi. The national animal of New Zealand.
A Takahe. Very endangered flightless parrot.
I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, camping and water activities.
So overall, thank you for considering me. 안녕, 고마워요. 곧 뵙길 바랍니다. If you have any questions about New Zealand please let me know in a comment.
Here are some photos from both my life and time in Korea:
NZ flag at Saemangeum
DMZ
HBAF almond store in Seoul
Me and my cat.
New Zealand at the KPOP Super Live Concert.
Me (Left) after returning from WSJ.
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~Introduce active communication on Whats App~ 2025.03.10
Introducing the beautiful natural scenery of my GG friends, Miro shared the wonderful natural scenery of wellington, New Zealand
Hi I'm Teresa Han from South Korea. I am glad that you had fun experiences in Korea. Also, your cat is sooooo cute!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Teresa, It was an absolute pleasure to visit your country. As for the cat, Thank you! His name is Toastie and he is two.
DeleteMiro
How cute!
DeleteHi! I'm Chaeyoon Kang from South Korea. I loved your blog. I hope you had a wonderful time in Korea. I was surprsied to read that you visited DMZ, since I haven't been there even if I'm living in Korea. Where was your favorite place that you have visited?
ReplyDeleteHi Chaeyon,
Deletemy favorite place in Korea that I visited was the Golgusa Buddhist temple. My contingent conducted a temple stay. Nestled in the mountains of Korea, I felt it gave me a better understanding of how Korea's rugged geography contributed to it's culture and an interest in the history of Korea. The DMZ was a great highlight too, as I'm keenly interested in Geopolitics and Strategic Studies, so who could turn down a chance to see the biggest fortification in the world?
Best Regards,
Miro
Hello, I’m Jenny from GG Club. I live in Seoul, South Korea. I major in elementary education at GINUE. I am interested in your country. Can you tell about your country? Let’s be friends~ I look forward to your reply. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny,
DeleteWhat would you like to know about New Zealand? We are a Commonwealth country and the last major habitable body settled by humans. Additionally, we are a developed country that majorly exports agricultural goods!
Miro
Hi Thomas :)
ReplyDeleteI'm Jinuk Oh! You can call me Mr. Jin! I live in Seoul, Korea.
I really enjoyed your blog! I have some questions! What is your favorite food? I wonder what you liked the most in Korea! Also, please recommend some tourist attractions in New Zealand!
p.s. I hope you can visit my post.
https://saebeomi.blogspot.com/2025/04/ginue-friend-jin-from-seoul-to-canada.html
Hello Jinuk, my favorite Korean food is Bindaetteok. I liked the use of simple ingredients to make a complex dish. I was enamoured by the history of Korea, and my favorite location was the national war memorial. It was cool to see the New Zealand flag among the United Nations.
DeleteIf you were to visit New Zealand, I'd highly reccomend going to a thermal spring in the backcountry. Water is heated by geothermal energy, and has healing properties for skin. Thanks for indroducing yourself Mr. Jin!
Hi! My name is Haeden Cho, and I am attending Bundang High School in Korea. I am currently the president of a club called Global Grounding. I want to interact with you! Nice to hear that you visited Korea! How was your trip to Korea?
ReplyDeleteHi Haeden, I found it eye-opening regarding international travel. For a boy from smalltown New Zealand, it has kickstarted an interest that is still burning. The most notable thing I remember was the extremely robust public transportation system. The Seoul metro is in my opinion a modern wonder of the world.
DeleteWhat would you like to know about New Zealand?
Best Regards,
Miro Ireson from New Zealand.
Thank u 4 your reply! I really want to visit New Zealand, can u introduce me to a travel course or a good restaurant??
DeleteHi! My name is Soyeon Bae from South Korea. I read the post well. Is there any other city or region in Korea that you would like to visit?
ReplyDeleteHi Soyeon, good to talk to you again. I've been really interested in the planned development of Sejong city because of it's artificial nature. From a historic standpoint, I would really like to visit areas of significance to the Korean War like Ulsan with TF Smith, Chuncheon and it's surroundings including the Hwacheon reservoir and most of all, Gapyeong. I'm interested in the geographic nature of these sites and how that affected the course of the war.
DeleteWhat interests you most about the geography of New Zealand? I'm keen to spur your interest!
Miro Ireson -- New Zealand Friend
Hi Nicole's here!! from malaysia hope to have the chance to meet u one day miro, here is my blog https://saebeomi.blogspot.com/2025/02/gg-friend-nicole-from-chinese-world.html and my experience in chungnam https://saebeomi.blogspot.com/2025/08/2025-gg-summer-school-ambassador_4.html
ReplyDeleteHi! I’m Yubin Lee from Korea, and I just wanted to say how much I love reading your posts about New Zealand. The landscapes there look absolutely stunning — the mountains, lakes, and forests seem like a dream! And I’ve always been curious about everyday life in New Zealand. Do people often go hiking or camping as part of their routine, since nature is so close by? I’d love to learn more about how locals enjoy the outdoors.
ReplyDeletep.s. By the way, your cat is so adorable! I wonder people usually have dogs or cats in New Zealand.
Hi Yubin, high accessibility to these landscapes facilitates easy outdoorsmanship. It's quite common to go for a weekend tramp or escape to a holiday home for the summer. Cat ownership is controversial in NZ because they destroy the native wildlife, but it's as common as anywhere else.
DeleteNice to meet you!
Miro Ireson/ New Zealand Friend
Hi Thomas,
ReplyDeleteI’m Jinpyo Kim, a friend from GG Ginue.
It’s amazing that you even explored the DMZ area!
I’ve always been interested in the Oceania region. If you know a lot about it, could you help me learn more? In return, I can also share more about Korea with you.
Feel free to visit my blog and contact me anytime. Thanks!
Hi Jinpyo, what would you like to know about Oceania?
DeleteMiro Ireson / New Zealand Friend.
Hello I am a student who want to learn about NewZealand to be a good teacher. Would you help me? I will leave my introductions and questions on NewZealand Whatsapp Group talk. Here is my blog link https://saebeomi.blogspot.com/2025/09/ginue-friend-lee-soo-min-from-gwacheon.html
ReplyDeleteHi Lee SooMin,
DeleteI'll contact you.
Miro Ireson/New Zealand friend
Hello. I am Sara and a future teacher of Korea.
ReplyDeleteI posted a comment on your link. Would you please read my comment and reply?