This region has a sub-tropical climate and is bounded to the south by New Zealand's largest city, Auckland.
Northland is New Zealand's third largest dairy producing region.
The climate and soils of the Waikato make it one of the most productive grass growing regions in the world. For this reason, the Waikato is New Zealand's most important dairy region and is the site of the Ruakura Research Centre, internationally known for dairy research. The beautifully symmetric cone of the dormant volcano, Mount Taranaki, dominates this region. Taranaki is also the site of New Zealand's petrochemical industry, an important producer of natural gas and oil. The region is an important fine wool producer, and New Zealand's second most important horticultural region.