Tourism New Zealand’s Carolyn Pope is promising that those who visit her homeland of New Zealand will find people and non-people alike amiable. “What makes New Zealand unique is the people,” Pope said while praising “Kiwi culture” during a Tuesday Goway reception in Toronto. But Pope added that visitors can get “really up-close and personal” with bird life in a country that counts the likes of penguins and albatrosses among its feathered friends. As well, “even the animals are very friendly,” Pope continued, adding visitors can get within six feet of sea lions. Pictured at the event are (l-r) Chris Allison, Air New Zealand; Steve Martin, Aubrey Schmidt and Shirley Rourke of Goway; Pope; Bruce Hodge of Goway; and Paul Rec of Creative Resort Marketing, which reps New Zealand’s Edgewater resort.