New Zealand is a fairly narrow strip of land, bisected by the sea just a few miles south of where I live. There is a line of mountains down the center of the South Island and a smaller range in the North Island
Summer is warm rather than hot, and very pleasant. As no part of new Zealand is further than 2-300 miles fromthe ocean, we aviod the extremes of very hot and very cold weather.
The largest city is Auckland, located in the northern part of the North Is. It has a population of about a million. It is like a small US city in that it spreads out a long way, with lots of suburban shopping centers, and not much happening in the Downtown.
Auckland is the biggest Pacific Island center anywhere.. more Samoans than in Apia, more Cook Islanders than in Rarotonga, etc
The other major cities are Christchurch (South Island) and Wellington. With a population of about 370,000, Christchurch is by far the largest South Island city. It is a very English looking place and is known by many US servicemen who have been there as part of Operation Deepfreeze.. the US Antarctic program. Growth in Tourism to the beautiful mountains and lakes nearby, much of it from Asia, has made the city grow.
I live about 15 miles north of Wellington, which is New Zealand's capital city, with a population of about 380,000. The city, at the south end of the North Island, is built around a very attractive, deep and sheltered harbor. Many people live in houses perched on the steep hills around the harbor. These are mainly made of wood, as we get a lot of small earthquakes, and many people are reminded of San Francisco when they visit here.
New Zealand is a beautiful country, with a great variety of landscapes: we have cities with tall buildings and multi-floor apartment blocks .. there is lush green farmland and huge areas of forestry. we have mountains covered in snow for much of the year, and land that never feels frosts.. boiling mud pools and active volcanoes.. and a varied coastline that is never far away.
We enjoy most of the benefits of a modern society.. yet our air is Clean! We can always see the horizon! And, we can always safely drink the water from any tap!
If the mood takes us, we can buy KFC or McDonalds or Burger King .. such is Progress! Satellites allow us to watch CNN and other International TV, and link to the Internet... we may be a long way from most places, but we don't miss much!
And you may know that we make Yachts and develop yachtsmen who are able to beat the best in the world. Not only has a New Zealand team and yacht won several Round the World events, but New Zealand won the America's Cup in 1995 and held it against the challenges last year! An amazing achievement to win against the enormous funding and techology of the International syndicates from the USA and Europe!