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About New Zealand, our Culture and our Region
About New Zealand
New Zealand is a self-governing country in the Southern Pacific Ocean and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It comprises two large islands—North Island and South Island—and numerous smaller islands, including Stewart Island, to the south of South Island. the capital city is Wellington which is located ant the souther end of theNorth Island
New Zealand is a generally mountainous country with several large regions of plains. Two-thirds of the area is between about 200 and 1070 m (about 650 and 3500 ft) above sea level; the country has more than 220 named mountains exceeding 2286 m (7500 ft) in height, including: Mount Ruapehu (2797 m/9175 ft); Mount Ngauruhoe (2291 m/7515 ft); and Tongariro (1968 m/6458 ft). Lake Taupo (606 sq km/234 sq mi), the largest lake in New Zealand.
New Zealand lies within the Temperate Zone; the climate is generally mild, and seasonal differences are not great. The north end of the Auckland Peninsula has the warmest climate; the coldest climate occurs on the southwestern slopes of the Southern Alps. The average temperature at Auckland varies between 24‹ C (80.2‹ F) in January and 10.6‹ C (51‹ F) in July; the average rainfall is 1245 mm (49 in). In Dunedin, on the southeastern coast of South Island, the average January and July temperatures are 14.7‹ C (58.5‹ F) and 4.2‹ C (39.5‹ F), respectively; the annual rainfall is 762 mm (30 in).
New Zealand Places of interest
The following are links to pages with interesting history and information about some of the places we recommend visiting in New Zealand:
Additional Resources
