I love the country I live in. Scenes change. Even though it is a country surrounded by sea,
there are wide contrasting environments. Subtropical to Alpine. Also see Native Birds,Native Flowers and Further scenes.
Sand Dunes to Wet Lands .
A two hour flight east of Sydney, Australia……or from the States you loose a day somewhere….
coming to New Zealand……….or going back to the states arrive in LA you have a chance to have
2 days the same date! And remember while you are in New Zealand it is you who has the accent.
Population is 3.5 - 4 million, most live in the upper quarter of the country.
Auckland is a huge urban sprawl!
The country is long and narrow.
Latitude. Almost 34s (north cape) to about 47s (Stewart Island) equal to about 34n
(Los Angeles) and 47n (about Seattle). It is made up of two main islands and a number of smaller ones.
All tend to be in a line (ish). The land exists because it is the place where two tectonic plates meet.
As a result of this, we have the Southern Alps where the plates meet and push against each other
and BOTH plates have gone up. The highest point is Mt Cook about 12,340 feet above sea level.
(If there wasn't the rain fall and erosion, these southern alps would be as high as the Himalayas!)
The Southern Alps are in the back bone of the South Island. In the North Island the Tectonic plates
do it differently - One plate goes up while the other goes under it.
One result of this, is we have thermal activity
(Rotorua) in the North Island and the land is more wrinkly and fractured.
There are a number of volcanoes most of which are(?) extinct.
