New Zealand Geography

New Zealand has breathtaking scenery, and what is notable about this fascinating country is that there is such a wide variety of terrain so close to each other. You can visit beautiful sandy beaches, mountain ranges, glaciers, sounds and fiords, rugged coastline, and farmland.

New Zealand is made up of two main islands – the North Island and the South Island, of course enough north and south of each other. There is also Stewart Island to the south of Invercargill, and many other smaller islands
offshore.

The main characteristic of the North Island is the mountain range ‘spine’ that runs through the middle. In the centre of the North Island is the Volcanic Plateau, which is an active volcanic and thermal area.

The South Island is dominated by the enormous Southern Alps – a beautiful mountainous region. In the east of the Southern Islands is the large flat area of the
Canterbury Plains and the beautiful farmland of the Otago peninsula and
Southland.

New Zealand is an isolated country and it was once part of the Gondwana continent and separated from it about 80 million years ago. As a result New Zealand is straddled across 2 tectonic plates (the Pacific and Australian), which due to their movement results in a lot of geological action – with volcanoes, earthquakes and other natural occurrences. This also results in amazing geothermal areas and hot springs. The oldest rocks in the country are over 500 million years old.

If you want to visit the hotbed of geothermal activity, then Roturua on the North Island is the place to go. It may smell strongly of sulphur, but also boasts a wealth of hot springs, geysers and mud pools. The hot springs were originally used by the Maori for cooking and bathing, but the European settlers soon came for the reputed health benefits. Hot springs and thermal activity can also be found north of Turangi in the North Island, and Hamner Springs and the west coast of the South Island.

Or you can visit New Zealand’s mountainous areas, comprising twenty per cent
of the North Island and about two thirds of the South Island. This includes the Southern Alps, the spectacular mountains in the South Island. These have some incredible glaciers here, including the Franz Josef, the Fox and Tasman glaciers. These can be hiked up, or heli-hiked – which is flying up by helicopter and walking down.

There are also ‘sunken mountains’: high mountains which have sunk into the
sea and created some incredible landscapes of sounds and fiords. Notable examples are the Marlborough Sounds and Fiordland in the South Island, with
still water surrounded by hills – perfect for sailing and kayaking.

The coastline of New Zealand is 15,000 kilometres long. The far north and east of the North Island have beautiful sandy swimming and surfing beaches, for example the Coromandel. The north of the South Island also boasts sandy beaches, and other areas of the South Island are a bit more rugged and wild.