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GEOGRAPHY

New Zealand lies in the Pacific Ocean, 1,600 km east of Australia. It is made up of the North and South Islands and a number of smaller islands, with a total land area of 266,171 sq.km. Mountain ranges and hill country dominate New Zealand's landscape; one of the most striking physical features is the Southern Alps. These, along with fiords, glaciers, lakes and the coastal plains of Canterbury and Southland, add to the variety of the South Island scenery. In the North Island, the volcanic interior contains New Zealand's largest lake, Lake Taupo, and most of the country's active volcanoes - Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro. Hot springs, geysers and mudpools also form part of the volcanic system centred around Rotorua, a major attraction to visitors from all over the world.

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CLIMATE

Seasons are opposite to the Northern hemisphere, with January and February the warmest months and July the coldest. The climate is temperate - averages range from 7°C (approx 24F) in July to 26°C (approx 80F) in January - but summer temperatures reach the low thirties in many places. The mean average rainfall varies widely - from less than 400 mm in Central Otago to over 12,000 mm in the Southern Alps. For most of the North Island and the northern South Island the driest season is summer. However, for the West Coast and much of inland Canterbury, Otago and Southland, winter is the driest season.

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