New Zealand

Mount CookIslands New Zealand is a country of rare seismic beauty, glacial mountains, fast-flowing rivers, deep, clear lakes, hissing geysers and boiling mud. There are also abundant forest reserves, long, deserted beaches and a variety of fauna, such as the kiwi, endemic to its shores.


White water rafting Any number of vigorous outdoor activities - hiking, skiing, rafting and, of course, that perennial favourite, bungy jumping - await the adventurous.


You can swim with dolphins, gambol with newborn lambs, whalewatch or fish for fattened trout in the many streams. The people, bound in a Maori artifact culture that melds European with Maori ancestry, are resourceful, helpful and overwhelmingly friendly. The extraordinary place names - try Te Awamutu, Whangamomona or Paekakariki for tongue-trippers - are resonant and, with a modicum of practice, easy to pronounce. Because it's such a compact place, travel within New Zealand - whether by plane, bus, rail, car or campervanAuckland Harbour Bridge - is affordable and efficient. Accommodation too is cheap and varied. And the culinary promise of venison, fresh seafood, sublime ice cream and award-winning wines should more than whet the appetite.


New Zealand has a diverse and multicultural society with those of European extraction accounting for approximately 80% of the population. Approximately 10% of the population is Maori, 3% Polynesian and the balance is made up of a wonderful variety of ethnic peoples. Dutch, South Africans, Chinese, Indians are just a few who have settled in New Zealand over the years 

Auckland skyline Auckland is the largest city, (and is the world's largest Polynesian city) with a population of over 1 million people, Wellington is the second largest with approximately 300,000 citizens. Christchurch is the largest of the South Island cities with a population of 300,000.1996 statistics indicate that the North Islands population was 2.71 million, while the South Islands was 899,000.

Recent surveys suggest that the population of Auckland will continue to outstrip the rest of the country and growth over the next decade is expected to be in excess of 37%. Scenic lands This growth is in part at the expense of other centres, but while there is a drift of population from the South Island to North Island the largest factor is immigration from overseas. As a comparison it is anticipated that Southland, our southern most province will see a decline in population of over 6%., while the South Islands population will grow only 5.8% over the period.




Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 S, 174 00 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: 266,171 sq km (102,374 sq miles).

Population: 3,800,000 (official estimate 1998).

Capital: Wellington.

Geography: New Zealand is 1930km (1200 miles) southeast of Australia and consists of two major islands, the North Island (114,470 sq km/44,197 sq miles) and the South Island (150,660 sq km/58,170 sq miles), which are separated by Cook Strait. Stewart Island (1750 sq km/676 sq miles) is located immediately south of the South Island, and the Chatham Islands lie 800km (500 miles) to the east of Christchurch. Going from north to south temperatures decrease. Compared to its huge neighbour Australia, New Zealand's three islands make up a country that is relatively small (about 20% more land mass than the British Isles). Two-thirds of the country is mountainous, a region of swift-flowing rivers, deep alpine lakes and dense subtropical forest. The country's largest city, Auckland, is situated on the peninsula that forms the northern part of North Island. The southern part of North Island is characterised by fertile coastal plains rising up to volcanic peaks. Around Rotorua, 240km (149 miles) south of Auckland, there is thermal activity in the form of geysers, pools of boiling mud, springs of hot mineral water, silica terraces, coloured craters and hissing fumaroles which make Rotorua a world-famous tourist attraction. The South Island is larger, although only about one-third of the population live there. The Southern Alps extend the whole length of the island, culminating in Mount Cook, the country's highest peak. In the same region are the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.

There are also four Associated Territories: The Cook Islands, about 3500km (2175 miles) northeast of New Zealand; Niue, 920km (570 miles) west of the Cook Islands (area 260 sq km/100 sq miles); Tokelau, three atolls about 960km (600 miles) northwest of Niue (area 12 sq km/4 sq miles) and the Ross Dependency, which consists of over 700,000 sq km (270,270 sq miles) of the Antarctic.

Note: Cook Islands and Niue have separate individual sections.

Language: English is the common and everyday language, but other languages are also spoken, including Maori, which is New Zealand's second official language (spoken by approximately 10% of the population).

Religion: 60% Christian: Anglican, Presbytarian, Roman Catholic and Methodist are all represented.

National holiday: Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty)