It's closest neighbour is Australia. New Zealand and Australia together make up the area called Australasia or Oceania. New Zealand is a highly developed westernised country even though it is probably the most isolated country in the world. It's not much larger than the United Kingdom, yet within New Zealand's shores lie wildly varied climates, from alpine to subtropical. New Zealand has active volcanoes and thermal activity in contrast to land that is permanently covered in ice and snow.
Travellers can see thunderous waterfalls and rivers as well as tranquil lakes and fiords.
There are also bleak and barren areas here, reminiscent of the Australian Outback, but it is the clean green image that comes to mind when thinking about New Zealand. New Zealand is a made up of two main islands called the North Island and the South Island. The North Island has a warmer climate and is home to the country's volcanoes and most of the thermal activity such as geysers, boiling mud pools and thermal rivers. The island is hilly with a major chain of mountains that run from East Cape to Wellington. Aided by regular rainfall and volcanic soil the North Island is very green and lush.