New Zealand is nestled in the South Pacific Ocean 2,162 km (1,343 miles) from Australia, our closest neighbour and friend. There are two main islands in New Zealand, creatively named the North and South Islands.
The total land area of New Zealand is 270,000 square kilometres (104,000 square miles), which means it could fit into Australia 28 times and fit into the United States or Canada around 34 times. However, we are slightly bigger than the United Kingdom.
New Zealand is a three and a half hour flight from Eastern Australia and around a 10 hour flight from most places on the Pacific Rim, such as Singapore, Hong Kong or Tokyo. Flying time between Los Angeles and Auckland takes just under 13 hours and double that between London and Auckland.
Well over three-quarters of New Zealand’s population live in the North Island and a significant percentage of those live near our largest city, Auckland.
Distance is not a significant factor here. The coastline is two hours drive at the most from any part of New Zealand. It would take 10-12 hours to drive the length of each island, but if you wanted to really experience the country it would take much longer as there are so many interesting and exciting places to visit within New Zealand.