Welcome to BuyAssociation.co.uk

New Zealand: Geography & Cities

GEOGRAPHY

New Zealand lies in the South Pacific Ocean south-east of Australia and comprises two main islands, called the North Island and the South Island (they were named in the 19th century by the British, who obviously exercised a great deal of imagination in christening them), plus numerous smaller islands (of which Stewart and Chatham are the most important). Associated with New Zealand are Ross Dependency (in Antarctica) and Niue, Tokelau and the Cook Islands (in the Pacific Ocean). The capital of the country is Wellington, although Auckland is the largest city. Contrary to popular belief (and much to the relief of most New Zealanders), New Zealand isn’t just off the coast of Australia, but some 2,000km (1,250mi) away across the Tasman Sea. New Zealand covers an area of 270,534km2 (104,461mi2), which makes it comparable in size to the UK.

New Zealand is a mountainous country, some 60 per cent of which is between around 200m (655ft) and 1,070m (3,500ft) above sea level, including over 220 mountains above 2,000m (6,550ft). The principal mountain ranges in the North Island extend along the eastern side, where the north central region has three active volcanic peaks: Mount Ruapehu (2,797m/9,176ft), the highest point on the island, Mount Ngauruhoe (2,291m/7,516ft) and Tongariro (1,968m/6,456ft). Mount Taranaki (2,518m/8,261ft), a solitary extinct volcanic cone, is situated near the western extremity of the island. The North Island has numerous rivers, most of which rise in the eastern and central mountains, including the Waikato River (435km/270mi), the longest river in New Zealand. It flows north out of Lake Taupo (606km2/233mi2), the country’s largest lake (where mineral springs are also found), into the Tasman Sea in the west. The North Island has an irregular coastline, particularly on its northern extremity, the Auckland Peninsula, where it’s just 10km/6mi wide.

The South Island has a more regular coastline than the North Island and in the south-west is characterised by deep fjords. The chief mountain range of the South Island is the Southern Alps, a massive range extending from the south-west to the north-east for almost the entire length of the island (17 peaks in the range are over 3,000m/9,842ft high). Mount Cook (3,754m/12,316ft) is the highest point in New Zealand and rises from the centre of the range, which also contains a number of glaciers. Most of the rivers of the South Island, including the Clutha River (338km/210mi long), the longest river on the island, rise in the Southern Alps. The largest lake is Lake Te Anau (342km2/132mi2) in the southern part of the Southern Alps. The Canterbury plains in the east and the Southland plains in the extreme south are the only extensive flat areas on the South Island.

The islands of New Zealand emerged in the Tertiary period and contain a complete series of marine sedimentary rocks, some of which date from the early Paleozoic era. Much of the topography of New Zealand has resulted from warping and block faulting, although volcanic action has also played a part in its formation, particularly that of the North Island, where it continues to this day. Geysers and mineral hot springs occur in the volcanic area, particularly around Rotorua. New Zealand is within an earthquake zone and minor (usually unnoticeable) tremors occur almost monthly, although records show that serious earthquakes occur, on average, only once every 210 years.

Much New Zealand plant life is unique, and of the 2,000 indigenous species some 1,500 are found only here, including the golden kowhai and the scarlet pohutukawa. The North Island is home to predominantly subtropical vegetation, including mangrove swamps in the north. The forest, or so-called bush, of the North Island is mainly evergreen with a dense undergrowth of mosses and ferns. Evergreen trees include the kahikatea, kauri (the traditional wood used for house building in New Zealand), rimu and totara, all of which are excellent timber trees. The only extensive area of native grassland in the North Island is the central volcanic plain. The eastern part of the South Island is, for the most part, grassland up to an elevation of around 1,500m, while most forests are situated in the west (consisting mainly of native beech and Alpine vegetation at high altitudes).

With the exception of two species of bat, New Zealand has no indigenous mammals. The first white settlers (who arrived early in the 19th century) found a kind of dog and a black rat, both of which had been introduced by the Maoris around 500 years earlier and are now almost extinct. All other wild mammals are descended from deer, ferrets, goats, opossums, pigs, rabbits and weasels, all of which were imported by early western settlers. No snakes and few unusual species of insects inhabit New Zealand (unlike Australia, which is infested with them), although it does boast the tuatara, a lizard-like reptile with a third eye believed to be a distant relative of the dinosaurs. New Zealand has a large population of wild birds, including 23 native species which include the songbirds bellbird and tui and flightless species such as the kakapo, kiwi (from which New Zealanders take their colloquial name), takahe and weka. The survival of flightless birds is attributed to the absence of predatory animals (with the exception of domestic cats). The blackbird, magpie, myna, skylark, sparrow and thrush are among the most prevalent imported species.

New Zealand’s rivers and lakes contain a variety of native edible fish, including eel, freshwater crustaceans (particularly crayfish), lamprey and whitebait. Trout and salmon have been introduced and are found in waters throughout the country. The surrounding ocean waters are the habitat of blue cod, flounder, flying fish, hapuku, shark, snapper, swordfish, tarakihi and various species of whales, in addition to a variety of shellfish including mussels, oysters and toheroas.

Auckland

Auckland and its neighbouring cities (Manukau, North Shore and Waitakere) make up the Auckland urban area (Auckland, or Auckland City, is the territorial authority covering the Auckland isthmus, which is less than 2km/1.25mi wide at its narrowest point). Although it isn’t the country’s capital, Auckland is most new arrivals first introduction to New Zealand, with most flights from Europe and North America landing there. It’s also New Zealand’s most prominent city and home to almost a third of the country’s population (around 1.3 million people live in the Auckland area).

Auckland isn’t simply New Zealand’s largest city, it’s also, geographically, one of the world’s largest cities, nearly twice the size of London, but with only a seventh of the population. The Auckland area is the country’s fastest growing region and around 70 per cent of New Zealand’s overseas migrants settle there. The population is set to reach 1.6 million in the next 30 years. The majority of Aucklanders (around 60 per cent) claim European (mainly British) descent, although there are also large Maori and Pacific Island communities (the city has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world).

Auckland is regularly acclaimed as one of the world’s best cities in which to live, with plenty of attractions, including a mild climate, lots of jobs, good educational opportunities, many leisure facilities and a modest cost of living. It’s known as The City of Sails (appropriately, it hosted the America’s Cup in 1999 and 2003), with an abundance of beaches and offshore islands, and a lifestyle centred on the sea. It’s also the country’s economic centre: the Auckland area is home to around a third of New Zealand’s workforce and nearly 40 per cent of all business enterprises. Most of the major international corporations operating in New Zealand have their head offices in Auckland and the city’s main industries include distribution (45 per cent of New Zealand’s wholesalers are based there), education, manufacturing and services.

Auckland is particularly well situated, spread out on a narrow stretch of the North Island. The Pacific surrounds much of the city, complimented by the lush, subtropical forests of the nearby hills and islands. It has a temperate climate, with warm, humid summers and cool, damp, sometimes quite long winters. The climate varies somewhat across the city due to the local geography, particularly hills and trees.

The term Jafa is a (mainly) joke term of abuse for Aucklanders. The people of Auckland and other New Zealanders have a generally jovial love-hate relationship. The stereotypes dictate that Aucklanders see the rest of the country’s inhabitants as unsophisticated bumpkins, while other New Zealanders see Aucklanders as arrogant yuppies.

The Quarter Acre bungalow (a three or four-bedroom house or bungalow, sitting on around a quarter of an acre of land) is the most common type of home in Auckland, which is one of the reasons why the city has grown so large and has an over-reliance on the motor car. The regional council is trying to address this issue by building more apartments and townhouses and by banning the subdivision of properties on the city fringes. In order to curb Auckland’s severe traffic congestion, recent investment has been made in local rail services to try to encourage people out of their cars. Some Aucklanders commute by ferry to avoid the increasing traffic congestion, particularly on the Harbour Bridge.

Christchurch

Christchurch lies on the east coast of the South Island and has a population of around 375,000. It’s the main city of the Canterbury region and is known as the Garden City due to its abundance of public parks and residential gardens. Christchurch derives its name and existence from a colonisation programme operated by members of Christchurch College, Oxford, which not surprisingly has given it a distinctly English feel. It used to have a reputation as a dull place, but in recent years it has been livened up by an influx of Asian students and tourists. Christchurch now has a wide selection of bars, karaoke bars and sushi restaurants, is increasingly popular with young people and apparently has the liveliest gay Japanese nightlife outside Tokyo (which is quite a boast).

Christchurch is a very flat city, only a few metres above sea level, with a generally temperate climate and summer temperatures which are often kept in check by a north-east breeze. A regular feature of the weather is the Nor-wester, a hot wind that can reach gale force and cause substantial property damage. Christchurch is subject to smog in winter and this sometimes gives air pollution readings higher than World Health Organisation recommendations. Winters can be quite cold, with regular frosts and snow a few times a year.

Agriculture, new technologies and tourism are important to Christchurch’s economy, with the latter boosted by the city’s proximity to ski resorts and the Southern Alps. Christchurch has also played an important role in the history of Antarctic exploration.

Dunedin

Sitting at the far south end of the South Island, Dunedin is the largest city in Otago and the second-largest in the South Island. It’s situated on the hills and valleys around the head of Otago harbour and has a population of around 125,000. Dunedin was settled by Scots in the mid-19th century, giving it a distinctive air, with some beautiful Edwardian and Victorian architecture (some of it a legacy of Dunedin’s gold-rush affluence).

The city was the site of New Zealand’s first botanical garden, newspaper and university (the University of Otago), and is surrounded by spectacular scenery. It still has a slightly staid image, but that’s changing, driven by a vibrant music scene, a growing boutique fashion industry, an increasing population of artists and a growing number of students. Dunedin College of Education, Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago are the major educational institutions. Dunedin’s climate is moderate. Winter can be frosty and there’s significant snowfall every few years. Spring weather can be very changeable, but between November and April, the weather is usually mild and settled.

The city offers the advantages of a metropolitan lifestyle without the drawbacks of a high cost of living, traffic jams, long commutes and a high crime rate. It also has plenty of natural attractions close by, including miles of white beaches, golf courses, excellent fishing and good trekking country. Dunedin is famous as a centre for ecotourism, and the world’s only mainland royal albatross colony and several penguin and seal colonies lie within the city boundaries. Employment is provided by Dunedin’s vibrant niche industries, including biotechnology, engineering, fashion and software engineering, and its deep-water port.

Dunedin has two minor claims to fame: it has the world’s most southern motorway, a 10km (6mi) section of State Highway One; and is home to Baldwin Street which, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the steepest street in the world with an incline of an alarming 1:2.9.

More pages

Page 1: GEOGRAPHY
Page 2: Gisborne
Page 3: Nelson
Page 4: Tauranga
Page 5: The North Island
Page 6: Bay of Plenty (BoP)
Page 7: Wanganui-Manawatu
Page 8: Nelson
Page 9: Otago

Calculate how much you can earn - rent out your holiday home here

The best villa holidays from James Villas with our hand-picked villas and all the support you need in resort, we're the number one choice

Holiday home insurance from intasure - Click Here UK insurance for your property overseas

Discounted Airport Parking - available across the UK