New Zealand’s landscape taxes the vocabulary. Especially, the greens.

Cobalt green turquoise waters of Milford Sound — or is it aqua green?

Fern fronds are the national symbol, and they are frequently represented in Maori art.

Fern frond, NZ national symbol

Maori symbolic form, in jade

New Zealanders call themselves Kiwis — it’s because of the bird, not the fruit — but kiwi is everywhere on offer, including kiwi juice.

Kiwi green

Jade is everywhere.

Precut jade

It comes in lots of colors, all of them green.

Transparent jade

And it’s used for all sorts of things, even benches. Decided this is pthalo green.

Even inspires the architecture, on occasion. Lime green?

And if that’s lime green, what’s this? Squishy wet grass in Franz Josef Glacierland.

Forest green, grass green, pthalo green, jungle green, moss green, laurel green, cinnabar green . . . they’re all here.

— Sarah