New Zealand lies between 34 and 46 degrees of latitude in the Pacific
Ocean, in the Southern Hemisphere of the globe. Nearest big neighbor of
Newzealand is Australia, located 1500 km to west. Standard time of New
Zealand is 12-13 hours ahead of Western Europe and 18-21 hours ahead of
continental USA. The total land area is 270,535 sq Km / 104,453 sq miles.
The Pacific Ocean lies to the north and east while Tasman Sea separates New
Zealand from Australia.
New Zealand's comprises of the North Island and the South Island,
segregated by Cook Strait. The North Island (115,777 sq km) is 829 km long
and volcanic in its south-central part. The area is known for many hot
springs and beautiful geysers. South Island (151,215 sq km) hosts the
Southern Alps along its west coast. The highest point is Mount Cook (3754
m). Other inhabited islands are Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, and
Great Barrier Island. The longest river in the country is the Waikato on
North Island (425 Km ), the largest inland stretch of water is Lake Taupo
also on North Island (607 sq Km) and the highest point is Mount Cook on
South Island (3754 m).
