New Zealand Geography About NZ - Geography New Zealand Geography New Zealand consists of two large islands, North Island and South Island, plus several smaller ones of which Stewart Island is the largest and often referred to as 'our third island'. To the north and east lies the Pacific Ocean and between ourselves and Australia lies the Tasman Sea.
North Island is volcanically active with a central plateau.
Sheep and cattle graze on the rich farmland around Hamilton and New Plymouth in North Island and around Dunedin and Invercargill on South Island.