About New Zealand

New Zealand is a spectacularly picturesque country with its steep mountains, steaming volcanoes, fiords, crystal clear lakes, lush rainforests, volcanic geysers and boiling mud. New Zealand is one of the adventure capitals of the world offering visitors numerous activities that will get the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing.

In New Zealand you can try white water rafting, jet boating, bungee jumping and down hill skiing or snowboarding all in the one day. For those after a more relaxing holiday you can sip wine at one of the many local vineyards, swim with dolphins, watch the whales migrate, or fish for trout in one of the many pristine rivers.

There is an abundance of native forests, deserted, clean, sandy beaches, and a variety of unique fauna, such as the kiwi.

Located in the south western Pacific Ocean New Zealand comprises two large islands the North Island and the South Island along with numerous smaller islands, including Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands.

New Zealand is also known as Aotearoa, in Maori, which is translated into English as "The Land of the Long White Cloud". New Zealand is geographically isolated, with Australia its neighbour lying to the northwest across the Tasman Sea, approximately 2000 kilometres (1250 miles) away. Its closest neighbours to the north include New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. New Zealand compares in size to Great Britain, Japan, or the state of Colorado in the USA. But with a small population it one of the world's least crowded countries.

A range of accommodation can be found in New Zealand including luxury hotels, and houses, to stylish bed and breakfasts, country farm stays and friendly backpackers hostels. There is sure to be a choice of accommodation to suit every budget.

If you are looking for a truly unique holiday experience then New Zealand is the ideal place to go. And whilst your there visit "Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu" which is a hill located a in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island. And yes you guessed it is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as having the longest place name in the world.

Environment

New Zealand's separation from other land masses approximately 100 million years ago has allowed many ancient plants and animals to survive and evolve. About a quarter of the country remains forested providing habitat for the unique creatures mainly birds including the best known, the flightless Kiwi, along with the also flightless Weka and the endangered Kakapo, which is the world's largest parrot. The Kakapo scrambles up into shrubs and small trees. Another unique bird, although capable of flight, is the inquisitive kea. The Kea is a native alpine parrot, which is renowned for its fearlessness of humans and cheeky personality. it can often be found in car parks at ski resorts ripping the wiper blades of parked cars. Why you ask? Because it can.

About 80% of the flora in New Zealand occurs only in New Zealand, because of its long isolation from the rest of the world.

Most of the forests found in New Zealand forest are temperate, evergreen rain forests with an abundance of giant tree ferns. The giant kauri tree can also be found in small pockets of forests in on the North Island around the regions of Northland and Coromandel. The Kauri is one of the largest trees in the world.

Climate

In New Zealand most of the country lies close to the coast, which means mild temperatures, moderate rainfall, and abundant sunshine. Its climate is dominated by the two main geographical features, the mountains and the sea.

The far north has sub-tropical weather during the summer, with the average maximum temperature ranges between 20-30ºC, whilst the inland alpine areas of the South Island can be as cold as —10°C in winter.

In summer, the average maximum temperature ranges between 20-30ºC and in winter between 10-15ºC, however, the weather in New Zealand can change unexpectedly as cold fronts or tropical cyclones blow in quickly.

The seasons are:
Summer starting in December and finishing in February.
Autumn starting in March and finishing in May.
Winter starting in June and finishing in August
Spring starting in September and finishing in November

New Zealand’s average rainfall is high, between 640mm and 1500mm, and evenly spread throughout the year. This high rainfall produces stunning rainforests and makes New Zealand an ideal place for farming.

Getting there

By Air
The majority of visitors arrive in New Zealand by air and consequently there are seven international airports: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Queenstown and Wellington.

By Boat
Cruise ships visit New Zealand, but there are no regular passenger ship services so this is not any easy method of travel to New Zealand

Getting around

By Air
Although New Zealand is fairly compact, flying is a great way to get around and provides some excellent views of the mountains and volcanoes.

By Bus
New Zealand has an extensive bus network, offering daily services on main bus routes.

By Car
Car travel is an ideal way to see the scenic countryside of New Zealand. The roads are good and well signposted and the distances short. Rentals of cars, motorcycles and campervans are all popular methods of getting around.

By Train
There are very few train routes these days, although the trains that do run offer a reasonably fast and comfortable service.

By Boat
Frequent ferry services operate between the North and South Islands

More information

For more information about New Zealand visit the official New Zealand Tourism web site www.newzealand.com/

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