Driving Directions New Zealand
NEW ZEALAND lies over 2,000 kilometers or 1,242 miles southeast of Australia in the South Pacific. It comprises two major islands – North Island and South Island – Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands and many smaller islands. The country’s features vary from extensive grassland and alpine meadows to mountains, fjords, and subtropical rainforests.
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North Island is hilly with isolated mountains, active volcanoes, hot mineral springs, and geysers. Earthquakes occur, and in 1987 considerable damage was caused by one at Edgecumbe.
On South Island, the Southern Alps run north to south, and the highest point is Mount Cook at 3,753 meters or 12,313 feet. The Canterbury Plains lie to the east of the mountains, while there are fjords and glaciers in the southwest island. The three main cities are Auckland and Wellington on North Island, Christchurch on South Island, and the vast majority of the population live on North Island.
New Zealand enjoys very mild winters with regular rainfall and no extremes of heat or cold. The North Island tends to a sub-tropical climate while the south is more temperate.
The wildlife is perhaps unusual in that man has introduced many species. Land mammals, including chamois, rabbits, hare, possum, and deer, were brought in by Europeans for their fur. In addition to several smaller mammals, there are the flightless kiwi and kakapo and many endemic bird species such as warblers, flycatchers, parrots, rails, penguins, shags, and dotterels.
Several marine mammals, including varieties of the whale (killer, sperm) and dolphin (dusky, common, bottlenose), can be seen in New Zealand waters. The fur seal can be found all around the coast, and although they were the focus, along with whales, of an entire industry in days gone by, numbers have now stabilized.
The country depends heavily upon its land for the major industries of agriculture, mining, and forestry. Two-thirds of New Zealand is suitable for agriculture, with meat, wool, and dairy goods being the main products.
Forestry supports the pulp and paper industry, and hydroelectric power produces cheap electricity for the manufacturing industry, accounting for 30 percent of New Zealand’s exports.
Mining is also an important industry with petroleum, natural gas, limestone, gold and iron ore being exploited.
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New Zealand is very mountainous; more than 75 percent of its land exceeds 200 meters (656 feet). The South Island covers an area of 149,883 square kilometers (57,870 square miles). Its major regions are the Canterbury Plains to the east; the central mountain highlands, which cover much of the island; and a narrow western coast. The North Island, which spans 114,669 square kilometers (44,274 square miles), is characterized by hill country. The mountain highland here is narrow and lies to the east. North and west of the Kaimanawa Mountains is a volcanic plateau. There is little coastal lowland; even in Taranaki, where it is widest, Mount Egmont (also called Mount Taranaki) rises well over 2,438 meters (8,000 feet). The narrow northern peninsular section of the North Island is mostly low-lying, though its surface is broken and irregular in many places.
New Zealand lies in the South Pacific Ocean to the southeast of Australia, across the Tasman Sea. At the Tamaki Isthmus on the North Island, these two bodies of water are separated by only 2 to 3 kilometers (1 to 2 miles) of land.
Did you know about New Zealand?
New Zealand has several species of flightless birds, of which the most famous is the kiwi, the national emblem. These birds were able to evolve and survive on the islands because the environment lacked predators.
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