If you look 2150 k/m (1335) across the Tasman Sea to the South East of Australia you will find the small country of New Zealand.

New Zealand is comprised of two large islands rather unimaginatively named the NORTH and SOUTH islands, separated by a body of water called the "Cook Strait". Below the South Island is a much smaller island called Stewart Island, and it is these three Islands that make up what is normally known as New Zealand. There are also are a number of even smaller Islands in the NZ protectorate such as the Chatmam Islands, however most of these are rather sparsely populated.

As mentioned, we live in Hastings, which is on the East Coast of the North Island. If you look at the map above, note the large "Bite" half way up the East Coast. This is called "Hawke Bay", and the province itself is known as "Hawke's Bay" which I will call "HB" from here. Because of scale limits, only Napier is shown but Hastings is about 20 k/m (12.5 miles) inland as you will see on the next page.

New Zealand has a land mass greater than the United Kingdom (270,990 sq k/m or 104,630 sq/mls) and has thousands of kilometres of sandy beaches, rugged coastlines, snowy peaks, rainforests, glaciers, and fiords. NZ's large span of latitude results in a climate ranging from sub-tropical in the North to near artic in the Deep South. In fact for those interested in statistics, the furthest north part of New Zealand is called Cape Reinga and this is located at 34.24 degrees S and 172.48 E. The southern most point is the bottom of Stewart Island and this is 47.12 S and 167.30 E.

With minimal travel, it is easy to experience world class sking, white-water rafting, climbing, hiking, fishing, surfing, caving, and sea kayaking. However it is not simply an outpost of wildlife delights. NZ also has a proud tradition of artistic, cultural and sporting achievement. Home to the Maori for centuries, NZ received its mainly British settlers in the mid 19th Century. A member of the British Commonwealth, NZ also has strong links with other pacific nations and Asia. An increasingly eclectic population makes NZ an exciting place to live.

If you study the map of New Zealand above, it may appear very tiny, particularly when compared with the huge size of Australia, but it should be pointed out that, as it is very long and narrow, the distances can be rather deceptive. Most main roads in NZ are sealed, but apart from near the main cities, we have few true motorways, and as NZ is 1500 k/m (932 miles) long 'as the Crow flies', distances and travelling times are very much greater than may at first appear. In fact from Cape Rienga in the North to Bluff at the bottom of the South Island is about 1800 k/m (1130 miles) by road, much of which is quite hilly and winding.

Although a small country with a population of only 3.6 million, we have a vast diversity of scenery and our small size means that no New Zealander lives more than about 150 k/m (95 k/m) from the sea. The enormous influence the ocean has on our culture is one reason why NZ is such a major force in world Boating circles. (You may remember the "Americas Cup") In fact the NZ boating industry is renowned for building yachts of world beating standard and one Auckland boat yard recently produced the largest sloop with the longest mast ever produced.

Other geographical features vary from Wetlands and mangrove swamps in the far north, large alluvial plains, geothermal areas, deserts and volcanoes. We have mountain ranges in excess of 3655 metres (12,000 feet), fiords that almost equal those in Norway, and in the extreme south we have rain forests with rainfalls measured in excess of 30 metres (100's of feet) a year.