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GEOGRAPHY OF NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand is located in Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia. Its geographic coordinates are 41 00 S, 174 00 E. Almost 90 percent of the population lives in cities and over three-quarters on North Island; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world. New Zealanders call their wilderness areas "the bach"—an expression that is similar to the Australian outback. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Area: total: 268,838 square kilometers; land: 264,537 square kilometers; water: 4,301 square kilometers. note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands; ranking compared to other countries in the world: 77. It is about almost twice the size of North Carolina; about the size of Colorado.
Land Boundaries: total: 0 kilometers; Coastline: 15,134 kilometers; Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nautical miles; contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles; exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles; continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin.
Land Use: agricultural land: 43.2 percent (2018 estimate). Arable Land: 1.8 percent (2018 estimate); permanent crops: 0.3 percent (2018 estimate); permanent pasture: 41.1 percent (2018 estimate); forest: 31.4 percent (2018 estimate); other: 25.4 percent (2018 estimate). Irrigated Land: 7,000 square kilometers (2014)
The longest place name in the world according to U.S. Board of Geographic Names is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoroonukupokaiwhenuakitanatasha—an 83-letter variation of a 57-word name for hill in the Southern Hawke's Bay district of the North island defined in Maori dictionaries as "the brow of the hill where Tamatea who sailed all around the land played his nose flute to his lady love."
Geographical Features of New Zealand
New Zealand consists of two main islands and a number of smaller islands; South Island, the larger main island, is the 12th largest island in the world and is divided along its length by the Southern Alps; North Island is the 14th largest island in the world and is not as mountainous, but it is marked by volcanism. East Cape, New Zealand is very close to the International Dateline. It is sometimes touted as the first place on earth to experience the sunrise.
Topography: predominately mountainous with large coastal plains. Elevation: highest point: Aoraki/Mount Cook 3,724 meters; note: the mountain's height was 3,764 meters until 14 December 1991 when it lost about 10 meters in an avalanche of rock and ice; erosion of the ice cap since then has brought the height down another 30 meters; lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 meters; mean elevation: 388 meters. Major Lakes (area square kilometers): fresh water lake(s): Lake Taupo: 610 square kilometers.. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Mt. Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Selected as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is 12,315 feet high and lies at the center of an Alpine area with 27 other peaks, 22 of which are over 10,000 feet. Huge snowfields and glaciers descend from the summits of the mountains. Over millions of years these glaciers have carved out jagged crests and chiseled peaks and other awesome alpine features similar to those in the European Alps.
The glaciers are fed by moist air which blows in from the Tasman Sea and cover both the east and west slopes of the mountains. Even though the eastern slopes receive less precipitation, the glaciers are bigger there because the slopes on the western slope are steep and glaciers slide down more quickly and end abruptly in the forests on the mountain's flanks. The eastern slopes by contrast are less steep and it is easier for snow and ice to collect into massive glaciers.
Tasman Glacier (on Mt. Cook) is the largest glacier in New Zealand. Over 18 miles long, two miles wide and 2,000 feet thick in some places, it moves quite rapidly for a glacier, sometimes covering two to three feet a day. Even so, the glacier is not getting longer but is actually getting shorter due to melting at lower elevations. Tasman Airplanes runs flightseeing tours with ski-outfitted planes that land on the glacier allowing visitors to stroll around on the ice.
Lake Taupo (50 miles south of Rotorua) is New Zealand's largest lake at around 100 square miles. Produced by one of the largest known volcanic eruptions, in the A.D. 2nd century, it is a massive crater filled with water. Today, it is famous for its large rainbow trout and golf courses. On the north side of the lake are Wairakei Park and Huka Falls. The later is where the mighty Wairekei River gets channeled into a narrow crevasse. Attractions around Taupo include 1) Craters of the Moon (a thermal area with steam vents and boiling mud; 2) Aratiatia Rapids, which at times supplies water for powerful turbines; 3) the Tiki Te Tamamutu meeting house (a Maori marae that dates back to the early 1800s; and 4) the famous Maori rock carvings in Mine Bay, which can be viewed only from a boat. Whitewater rafting is done on the Tongariro and Rangitaki Rivers.
Geology of New Zealand
The two major islands and the multitude of small islands that make up New Zealand are located on geologically-active earth fold that rises up out of the ocean. New Zealand New Zealand lies along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters on the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean; up to 90 percent of the world's earthquakes and some 75 percent of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire
The nuclei of present-day New Zealand was formed between 90 million and 65 million years ago when pieces split off from Gondwanaland, the southern megacontinent that was originally part of Panangea. Most of what is now the North Island was produced by volcanic eruptions that occurred in last 10 million years or so. The South Island is older geologically but many its features were carved by glaciers within the last million years.
New Zealand continues to evolve geologically. Within last few thousand years, which is very recent geologically, evolution is still occurring in New Zealand. Volcanic eruptions have created new mountains, river have been diverted and glaciers have retreated revealing picturesque valleys.
New Zealand, Gondwana and It Unique Ecosystem
New Zealand broke off from the supercontinent Gondwana about 85 million years ago. This event initiated the formation of the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia, and by 55 million years ago, New Zealand had drifted to its current position, becoming isolated in the Pacific Ocean. In contrast, Australia broke away from the supercontinent Gondwana in stages, with the initial separation occurring around 130-100 million years ago as India and Antarctica began to drift away, and the final definitive separation from Antarctica happening around 45-55 million years ago. Australia then continued its journey northwards as a separate continent.
Derek Grzelewski wrote in New Zealand Geographic: New Zealand was once an island Eden, an ark that broke off the ancestral supercontinent of Gondwana and never quite arrived anywhere, but stayed afloat in the South Pacific, becoming a world unto itself. [Source: Derek Grzelewski, New Zealand Geographic. January-March 2000]
There are several such arks anchored around the planet — Mauritius, Hawaii, Galapagos — which, though distant and distinct from one other, all have one thing in common. Life on them evolved in isolation from a pool of original stowaways, and subsequent immigrants were few, usually birds and insects. According to eminent American naturalist Edward 0. Wilson, such islands are the key to our understanding of how nature works, because the links between species are simpler and clearer than in continental ecosystems. The ecological tapestry of islands is woven more coarsely and contains fewer threads.
In 1967, Wilson and mathematical ecologist Robert MacArthur published their findings in a book entitled The Theory of Island Biogeography, which has become a canon of evolutionary biology. Each island, they proposed, could sustain only so many species, so if a new species arrived and colonised the island, an older resident would be forced into extinction. The arrival of human settlers to such islands — along with the entourage of vermin that accompanied them — typically unleashed a wave of extinctions and set the ecological tapestry unravelling.
Volcanoes in New Zealand
Significant volcanism occurs on the North Island; Ruapehu (2,797 meters), which last erupted in 2007, has a history of large eruptions in the past century; Taranaki has the potential to produce dangerous avalanches and lahars; other historically active volcanoes include Okataina, Raoul Island, Tongariro, and White Island.
Mt. Ruapehu is the tallest peak and southernmost volcano in Tongariro National Park. Standing 9,175 feet high and getting taller, it has erupted several times this century, releasing boulders and causing ice-bock avalanches that have swept sweep away buildings and bridges. An eruption in the 1950s released ash and lava 1,000 feet into the air. In the winter Ruapehu's glacier-covered slopes attract large numbers of skiers. There is a special warning system in place to alert skiers in the event of an eruption.
Mt. Ngauruhoe (in Tongariro National Park) is regarded as New Zealand's most active volcano. The northernmost peak in the park, it features a smoking, ash-covered cone that rises 2,000 feet above numerous smaller volcanos. According to legend the mountain became volcanic at the beginning of time when a holy man climbed to the summit and complained he was cold and asked the gods for help. The gods obliged and sent fire up to him through the mountain and the mountain have been filled with fire ever since.
The first man to climb the mountain was a British climber who ignored Maori taboos and scaled it in 1839 only to flee down its slopes after peering into the crater and viewing "the most terrible abyss ever seen or imagined." His tale deterred anyone from attempting to climb it for another 14 years. In some places the magma is very close to the surface and he soil is hundreds of degrees hot. People who are a little nervous about the volcanic activity aren't encouraged by the guides who tell them things like the Maori volcano god, will "do his best to shake you lot off the mountain" and "scientists say he'll blow like a bomb next time." [Source: New York Times]
White Island (in the Bay of Plenty) is the top of a very active volcano that penetrates the surface of the Pacific. Inside the crater are mud pots, geysers, bubbling hot springs and fissures that emit gases and steam. The largest of these fissures is known as "Roaring Jimmy," so named because it releases steam with a deafening sound. Named by Captain Cook, probable after the large amounts of white guano found on its slopes, White Island is 1,075 feet high and covers 800 acres.
Volcanic Eruptions in New Zealand
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the most violent volcanic eruption ever was the Taupo eruption in New Zealand that occurred around A.D. 130. It produced an estimated 33 billion tons of pumice that moved at 400mph and flattened 6,200 square miles. Less than 25 percent of the material fell within 125 miles of the crater, which now is the home of 100-square-mile Lake Taupo. Volcanic dust from the explosion circled he globe and affected the weather as far away as China and Rome. [Source: Guinness Book of Records]
When the North Island's Mount Ruapehu erupted on June 17, 1996 it produced an ash plump that climbed 18 miles into ski and appeared as a long white line on orbiting weather satellites. When it erupted on September 24, 1995 it spit out ash and boulders from a crater lake and an area within a 100-kilometer radius of the volcano was evacuated.
White Island erupts violently from time to time, often when Roaring Jimmy gets clogged with debris and explodes. In 1914, this happened, causing a huge landslide, which drove an entire sulfur-mining camp into the sea.
Hot Springs and Geysers in New Zealand
The Roturo area is famous for its geysers, which occur in volcanic areas where the magma is close enough to the surface to heat ground water. In places where there is an unobstructed passage a hot spring is formed. In places with a narrow passage and a hole for the water to escape geysers sometimes form.
Whakarewarewa Thermal Area (near Rotorua) is famous for its bubbling mud pots, rainbow-colored silica terraces, steaming hot springs, and geo-thermal spas. It attracts over 800,000 visitors every year. The only down side is that almost the entire area reeks of sulfur.
Whakarewarewa Thermal Area lies on the Taupo Volcanic Plateau, one of the most geologically active places on earth. Like Yellowstone Park, it is well known for its geysers, and the first place many tourists head is Geyser Flat, a cluster of seven geysers that erupt fairly frequently and are situated on a terrace platform of mineral deposits.
A short walk from Geyser Flat is the Prince of Wales Feathers group, which has one geyser that shoots water 40 feet into the air. The largest geyser in New Zealand, however, is Pohutu, which sometimes thrusts a column of water 100 feet into the air. The only problem with Pohuta is that it is very unreliable for a geyser. Zealand. Usually it erupts every 20 minutes but between April 1932 and June 1934 it didn't erupt once, and in 1920 it erupted continuously for 12 hours.
The activity of geysers is all inter-twined. Just before Pohuto erupts, for example, nearby hot springs begin to bubble over. When the geyser starts to shoot the water level in the springs drop. Activity as a whole has decreased in recent years because homeowners and geothermal companies have taken out too much water.
A geyser is characterized by intermittent explosive eruptions of steam and hot water. It forms where water collects in a tube but doesn't boil immediately because of pressure caused by water in the upper reaches of the tube raises the boiling point. When the water finally does reach its boiling point some of it vaporizes which causes the remaining water to first bubble out of the tube and then explode violently as the pressure from vaporization is released. After the water is expelled, more ground water fills up the tube and the process begins all over again.
Waimangu Hot Springs
Waimangu Hot Springs (near Rotorua) is another popular thermal area. In the 19th century, when it was regarded as New Zealand's premier tourist sight, it contained two magnificent sets of fan-shaped terraces: one pink and one white.
Formed from mineral deposits, these terraces were said to be the most beautiful geo-thermal formations in the world. The pink terraces covered five acres and contained striking azure pools of water. The white terraces resembled a giant alabaster staircase. They covered 7½ acres and contained pools of water fed by erupting geysers.
All that changed on June 10, 1886, when a nearby volcano, which was thought to be extinct, erupted with a violent explosion that could be heard hundreds of miles away. In the months that followed, twenty-two vents opened up and spewed out 6,000 square mile of lava, covering up the white and pink terraces and many nearby villages (the excavated village Te Wairoa can visited today).
Almost as if the earth was trying to make amends for the disaster, a geyser sprouted up out of the debris in 1900. When it matured in 1903, it thrust boiling water and mud 1500 feet into the air, a world record that has never been equaled according to the Guinness Book of Records. But it too didn't last, in 1904 it sputtered to a mere dribble and by 1908 it dried up completely. In 1906, another volcanic eruption occurred, destroying a hotel and leaving behind a 10-acre boiling lake.
Waimangu Hot Springs sits on an area where magma is particular close to the earth's surface. Although it is not as impressive as it once was, Waimangu is still an incredible area. It contains jagged volcanic features, bold-colored mineral deposits, boiling and hissing lakes, steaming cliff faces, and psychedelic moonscape features.
Earthquakes in New Zealand
Earthquakes are common, though usually not severe. High magnitude earthquakes sometimes rock New Zealand and oceanic areas around New Zealand. Large deep earthquakes under the North Island occur at a rate of about one every two years. Catastrophic earthquakes average about one a century. In some places on the North Island, small earthquakes occur every few minutes.
Napier (150 miles southwest of Gisborne) is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities on the North Island. The small city's commercial center, waterfront and many of its beautiful gardens were rebuilt after a devastating 7.9 Richter-scale earthquake that occurred at 10:47am on February 3, 1931 and leveled the city and killed more than 250 people. It also caused the earth to rise seven feet and create almost two square miles of new land.
A man-made earth quake was created in Wairakei in 1960. Technicians drilling for underground steam somehow triggered an uncontrollable eruption that continued shaking the earth around the site until 1973.
Weather and Climate in New Zealand
New Zealand has temperate climate with sharp regional contrasts. The latitude numbers for New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere are about the same as those in the United States in the Northern Hemisphere. Parts of New Zealand, especially those that lie the furious forties wind belt in the southern part of the country, are extremely windy. There are areas around Milford Sound in the southwestern part of the South Island that receive 25 feet of rain a year. The record rainfall in New Zealand for a 24 hour period is 22 inches.
The ozone hole over Antarctica is usually more pronounced on the South American side of Antarctica than on the Australia and New Zealand side. The hole is still a concern, however, although New Zealanders generally worry about it less than Australians because the weather in New Zealand is often cloudy and thus there is less of a risk of ozone-hole-caused skin cancer and excessive sun than in Australia.
The 1997 El Niño caused droughts in Australia and New Zealand. Crop and livestock losses associated with the drought there exceeded $130 million.
Environment Issues in New Zealand
Environmental Issues: water quality and availability; rapid urbanization; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
International Environmental Agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation.
Revenue from Forest Resources: 0.5 percent of GDP (2018 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 65. Revenue from Coal: 0.03 percent of GDP (2018 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 38.
Air Pollution: particulate matter emissions: 5.73 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 estimate); carbon dioxide emissions: 34.38 megatons (2016 estimate); methane emissions: 34.3 megatons (2020 estimate).
Carbon Dioxide Emissions: 40.344 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 estimate)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 5.139 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 estimate)
from petroleum and other liquids: 25.76 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 estimate)
from consumed natural gas: 9.445 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: emissions 64.
[Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Recycling and Waste: municipal solid waste generated annually: 3.405 million tons (2016 estimate)
Total Water Withdrawal: municipal: 500 million cubic meters (2020 estimate); industrial: 1.18 billion cubic meters (2020 estimate); agricultural: 3.2 billion cubic meters (2020 estimate); Total Renewable Water Resources: 327 billion cubic meters (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New Zealand Tourism Board, New Zealand Herald, CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated August 2023