New Zealand is a country of stunning and diverse natural beauty: jagged mountains, rolling pasture land, steep fiords, pristine trout-filled lakes, raging rivers, scenic beaches, and active volcanic zones. These islands are one of Earth's most peculiar bioregions, inhabited by flightless birds seen nowhere else such as a nocturnal, burrowing parrot called the kakapo and kiwi.
Kiwi are not only one of the national symbols β the others being the silver fern leaf and koru β but also the name New Zealanders usually call themselves. These islands are sparsely populated , particularly away from the North Island, but easily accessible.
There are sparklingly modern visitor facilities, and transport networks are well developed with Airports throughout the country and well maintained highways. New Zealand often adds an adventure twist to nature: it's the original home of jet-boating through shallow gorges, and bungy jumping off anything high enough to give a thrill.
New Zealand has been called " God's own country " and the " Paradise of the Pacific " since the early s. New Zealand is the fifth largest wholly island nation on earth, its land area surpassed only by Australia, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines; NZ's maritime Exclusive Economic Zone EEZ is fifteen times larger, being exceeded only by Australia in the preceding list. With a population of nearly 4.
Be sure to allow sufficient time to travel in New Zealand. Distances are larger than you probably think and many roads wind along the coast and through mountain ranges particularly on the South Island. It's rewarding to tour for three or four weeks on each of the main islands, although you can certainly see some of the highlights in less time. Lying on the margin of two colliding tectonic plates the Pacific and Indo-Australian , earthquakes are common, particularly in the southwest of the South Island and in the central North Island, and the North Island's scenery is marked by several active and dormant volcanic cones.
