See And Do New Zealand

Main Travel Information and Facts About New Zealand

About New Zealand

New Zealand is made of two main islands, simply called the ‘North Island’ and ‘South Island’ - with more than 700 smaller islands, covering a total area of 268,021 square kilometres. Located in the South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is located approximately 1,500km east of Australia and about 1,000km from the Pacific Islands.

New Zealand was one of the last countries in the world to be found and settled. The New Zealand people are friendly and welcoming with a Western culture influenced by the unique environment with a history of Māori, European, Pacific Island, and Asian immigration. This rich blend of cultures has come together over the years to create a distinctive "Kiwi" culture with its own ‘Pacific flavour’ to enrich New Zealand’s extraordinary diverse and stunning landscape.

English is the predominant language in New Zealand, spoken by 95.4% of the population.

New Zealand Wildlife and plants

New Zealand has been isolated from the rest of the world for over 80 million years and has evolved a unique flora and fauna with many indigenous plants, insects and birds. New Zealand has a large proportion (33.4 per cent) of its land area legally protected for conservation purposes. New Zealand has no native land animals other than native bats (no snakes!) and has evolved an incredible and diverse birdlife including the native Kiwi that is large and flightless. There are several dozen species of whales and dolphins including the small endemic Hector's dolphin and Seven species of seal or sea lion. There are many wonderful activities and things to do based on these unique attractions both on land and around the New Zealand coastline.

What are New Zealand's Main Cities

New Zealand's largest cities are Auckland and Wellington in the North Island, and Christchurch in the South Island and 17 other cities most of which are in the North Island. The North Island of New Zealand is the most populated island with a total of 3,519,800 people. Second is the South Island with 1,076,300 people and the third is the Waiheke Island with the population of 8900.

New Zealand cities boast a great mix of culture, history, nature and cuisine. With world-class shopping, phenomenal dining, local award-winning wine and craft beer along with night markets and food trucks. There are always many attractions, fun activities and great things to do with museums, art galleries, theatres and boutique galleries, sky diving, zoos, boating and many other water activities, hiking, biking and more all never too far from harbours, beaches, islands, native bush or stunning mountain vistas.

New Zealand Landscape

New Zealand is long and narrow—over 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) long with a maximum width of 400 kilometres (250 mi) and has an incredible 15,000 km (9,300 mi) of stunning and often totally isolated coastline with incredible marine life. Being a relatively small country with a hugely diverse landscape it possible to experience many different types of landscapes in one day. You can be skiing in the morning in the mountains, and swimming in the sea in the afternoon.

With miles of coastline covered in gorgeous sandy beaches and towering rocks, huge stands of rugged mountains, spectacular glaciers, picturesque fiords, vast plains and rolling hillsides, subtropical rain forest and native bush and an incredibly unique volcanic plateau, New Zealand is an incredible adventure to be experienced.

New Zealand’s South Island

The South Island is the largest landmass of New Zealand and is divided along its length by the magnificent Southern Alps complete with glaciers, deep fiords, lakes and stunning waterfalls. The highest mountain is Aoraki / Mount Cook at 3,724 metres (12,218 ft) and the largest glacier is the Tasman glacier, which you can view by taking a short walk from Mount Cook village. New Zealand’s most famous glaciers are the Franz Josef and Fox on the South Island’s West Coast. Gouged out by moving ice over thousands of years, these spectacular glaciers are excellent for many different adventures and activities from guided ice hiking and climbing to scenic helicopter flights. There are many ski resorts in the South Island mountains, ice skating, lake kayaking on mirror smooth lakes all with stunning photo opportunities.

New Zealand’s North Island

The North Island is less mountainous and is incredibly unique with its thermal activity and many volcanos. The highly active Rotorua and Taupo areas form a Volcanic Zone in the central North Island. This large volcanic plateau includes North Island's highest mountain, Mount Ruapehu (2,797 metres (9,177 ft)). The plateau also hosts the country's largest lake, Lake Taupo, created in the depression formed from one of the world's most active super volcanoes. These volcanic areas are famous for natural hot springs, bubbling mud, geysers and these attractions have full guided experiences for tourists and are a must-do to visit while in New Zealand.

New Zealand’s Climate

New Zealand's climate is predominantly temperate with January and February being the hottest months. The top of the North Island being hottest at average 26/16 ˚C (75/59˚F) and the bottom of the South Island the coolest area at average 19/11 ˚C (66/53 ˚F) in the summer. Winter is July and gives an average in the North of 14/7 ˚C (58/45 ˚F) and 10/3 ˚C (50/37 ˚F) in the south.

Skiing and winter sports are best from July – September and the high season of Summer from December – March. The middle shoulder months are stunning in the Autumn being not too hot with plentiful autumn colours, and Spring with relatively warm weather and less crowds is also a great time of year to visit.

New Zealand Economy and Governance

New Zealand has an advanced market economy, ranked third in the 2020 Index of Economic Freedom. It is a high-income economy with a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of US$36,254. The currency is the New Zealand dollar, informally known as the "Kiwi dollar".

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy under England and while the Queen is the head of state, New Zealand effectively governs itself through its parliamentary system with a Prime Minister. The public votes every three years which often sees a change in government. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote in 1893.

Māori Culture

The indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand are the Māori. Originally from the eastern Polynesian islands arriving in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages at some time between 1250 and 1300. Māori settled the islands and developed a distinct culture over several hundred years. Oral history tells of a long voyage from Hawaiki in large ocean-going canoes (waka). Māori mythology has many gods and heroes, sharing some Polynesian themes.

Central to many cultural events is the marae, where families and tribes gather for special occasions, such as pōwhiri or tangi. Māori often call themselves "tangata whenua" (people of the land), placing particular importance on a lifestyle connected to land and sea. Communal living, sharing, and living off the land are strong traditional values.

The distinct values, history, and worldview of Māori are expressed through traditional arts and skills such as haka, tā moko, waiata, carving, weaving, and poi. The concept of tapu (meaning taboo or sacred) is also a strong force in Māori culture, applied to objects, people, or even mountains.

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