My Aotearoa state of mind

I spent the morning sipping coffee, gazing out the window at a steady rain, listening to bands such as Straitjacket Fits, The Able Tasmans, The Chills and The Clean and thinking about New Zealand.
I have never been to Aotearoa (the country's Maori name), but I feel like I have been to "En Zed."
With its relative lack of people, snow-capped peaks, lush forests, green-draped cities and... oh yeah... rain, New Zealand seems a lot like Oregon, where we lived for 5-1/2 years and where my dad's side of the family settled after leaving Sweden.
Thanks to the excellent Little Hits Web site, located here, I have been listening to a bunch of great Kiwi tunes this morning.
For some reason (perhaps its remoteness), countless bands seem to have sprung from New Zealand in general and the southern college town of Dunedin in particular. This morning I have been enjoying the sounds of Tall Dwarfs, Space Waltz and the Doublehappys. All good music which resonates on a rainy day.
PS -- Cheers to the NZ rugby league team, which embarrassed Australia, 24-0, last night in Leeds to win the Tri-Nations tournament. Take that, Kangaroos.