New Zealand Geography

The picturesque landscape of New Zealand is a popular location for the production of innumerable films and television shows. The country is a part of Zealandia which is a continent that is 93% submerged under waters. The narrow and the long Zealandia is almost half the size of Australia. The country's biogeography boasts an extraordinary collection of flora and fauna that makes the place very distinct.

Location
The country is 1,250 kilometers south east of Australia. The Tasman Sea separates Australia from New Zealand.

New Zealand comprises of two islands namely the North Island and the South Island. In addition to these two main islands there are innumerable small islands located at the centre of the water. Of all the smaller islands the most important ones are the Stewart Island, Waikehe Island, Hauraki Gulf in Auckland, Great Barrier Reef and the Chattam islands. All these islands are inhabited.

Area

The total area of the land is 268,680 square kilometers. The total area is little more than that of united kingdom and is somewhat less than that of Italy and Japan. The total coastline of the country is 15,134 kilometers.

General information
The geography of New Zealand is blessed with an extensive range of marine resources that makes it the seventh largest Economic Zone in the world. The total area included is 4 million square kilometers which is 15 times more than the total area of the country.

North and the South islands
The largest land mass of the country is that of the South Islands that is divided along its length by the Southern Alps. The highest peak of the island is Mount Cook or Aoraki that towers to a height of 3754 meters. Most of the peaks are snow covered and thy together stretch to a length of about 500 kilometers.
Compare to the south, the North Islands is less mountainous but quiet dangerously prone to volcanic activity. The tallest mountain of the North Island is Mount Raupehu that is an active volcano. This part of the country also has a number of hot springs and geysers.

The North and the South Islands are separated from each other by the 32 kilometers wide Cook Strait.

Water bodies
The longest river of the country is Waikato that lies on the North Island. The river flows across some 425 kilometers. The largest inland stretch of water is Lake Taupo.

Accommodation in New Zealand
Accommodation in Christchurch	Accommodation in Auckland
Accommodation in Wellington	Accommodation in Queenstown
Accommodation in Gore	Accommodation in Gisborne