Introduction

The term "New Zealand" is used usually to relate simply to three islands - the North Island, the South Island and Stewart Island - tucked away in a remote southwestern corner of the Pacific. But the term may also be applied to an extension, mainly oceanic, which includes a number of scattered islands, a substantial portion of the Pacific's broad face, as well as a part of the Antarctic continent. The area of New Zealand is 104,453 square miles. The capital of the country is Wellington. Auckland is the largest city.

North Island is the warm, volcanic, dairy region, the home of the Maoris; while South Island is the cooler, wetter, more mountainous land, where the farmer raises fat lambs and cultivates grain crops.

New Zealand is 12 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) making it one of the first places in the world to see the new day.

LOCATION

New Zealand lies midway between the equator and the South Pole, and about 1200 miles to the south-east of Australia. The country spreads over almost the same latitudes in the southern hemisphere as does Italy in the northern hemisphere, and there are indeed many points of comparison the physical environments of the two states.

CLIMATE

New Zealand lies within the Temperate Zone and the belt of westerly winds. In winter the whole country lies in the path of the westerlies; but with the southward migration of the wind belts, North Island is brought under the influence of the high-pressure zone in summer. Milford Sound on the south-western coast of South Island, with a mean annual rainfall of 220 inches, is one of the world's wettest spots.

In short, the climate is generally wet and mild, although there is plenty of sun, and the rain is distributed throughout the year.

VOLCANOES/MOUNTAINS

New Zealand is a generally mountainous country with several large regions of plains. Two-thirds of the area is between about 650 and 3,500 ft above sea level; the country has more than 220 named mountains exceeding 7,500 ft in height.

The principal mountain ranges of North Island extend along the eastern side. A volcanic range in the north central region has three active volcanic peaks: Mount Ruapehu, the highest point on the island; Mount Ngauruhoe; and Tongariro. Mount Taranaki, a solitary, extinct volcanic cone, is situated near the western extremity of the island.

The chief mountain range of South Island is the Southern Alps, a massive uplift extending in a south-western to north-eastern direction for almost the entire length of the island; 17 peaks in the range exceed 10,000 ft in elevation. Mount Cook (12,316 ft) is the highest point in New Zealand.

Click here (http://www.channel8.net/newzealand/images/mountain.htm) to view pictures of the mountains in New Zealand.

RIVERS/LAKES

North Island has numerous rivers, most of which rise in the eastern and central mountain. The Waikato River (270 miles), the longest river of New Zealand, flows north out of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, and empties into the Tasman Sea in the west. Numerous mineral hot springs are in the Lake Taupo district.

Most of the rivers of South Island, including the Clutha River (210 miles), the longest river of the island, rise in the Southern Alps. The Clutha is formed by the confluence of two branches originating, respectively, in Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka and empties into the Pacific Ocean. The largest lake on the island is Lake Te Anau in the southern part of the Southern Alps. Lake Wakatipu is the deepest and one of the largest glacial lakes in New Zealand.

Click here (http://www.channel8.net/newzealand/images/rivers.htm) to view pictures of the rivers in New Zealand.

OCEANS

Like Australia, New Zealand is cut off and isolated by the sea from other parts of the world. It lies near the center of what is sometimes known as the water hemisphere - that half of the world which contains most ocean and least land. With the Pacific Ocean to the north and east, the Indian Ocean stretching away to the west and the chilly waters of the Antarctic seas to the south.

NATURAL RESOURCES

The land is the most important resource of New Zealand. It is ideal for crop farming, dairy farming, and the raising of sheep and cattle, all of which predominate in the economy. Forest products are also important. Numerous mineral deposits are found throughout the main islands, including coal, gold, pearlite, sand and gravel, limestone, bentonite, clay, dolomite, and magnesite. Large natural-gas fields are on North Island and off its south-western coast. Deposits of uranium and thorium are believed to be present on the islands, because these minerals have been found in isolated boulders.