Which Oceanian country is known as the 'Land of the Long White Cloud'?

New Zealand is known as the “Land of the Long White Cloud,” a translation commonly associated with its Māori name, Aotearoa. The phrase evokes the long cloud formations that can appear above the islands and may have helped Polynesian navigators identify land from the ocean.

Aotearoa is the Māori-language name for New Zealand, although the name’s original meaning is not completely certain. It is often analyzed from words associated with cloud, white or bright, and long. Some traditional accounts connect the name with the explorer Kupe and the cloud his crew saw while approaching the country.

The expression is poetic rather than New Zealand’s formal English name. In modern New Zealand, Aotearoa is widely used alongside New Zealand in public institutions, cultural settings, and bilingual references. The national anthem is also commonly presented in both English and Māori.

The nickname can be confused with descriptions of other Pacific islands, but it specifically refers to New Zealand’s Māori name and its longstanding cultural associations with clouds, navigation, and discovery.