After my short visit to New Zealand, I realized why it is no ordinary place!  It's not that huge of a place-  a small nation in the South Pacific, with a population of about four and a half million people. But I was shocked at the diversity in both landscape and people. New Zealand is largely made up of the cleverly named North Island (which is in the north, just north of the South Island), and the South Island, which is located – you guessed it – in the south. The Southern Alps is a massive mountain range, which neatly bifurcates the entire South Island. The North Island, while less mountainous, is home to hundreds of volcanoes - many of which are still active.

New Zealand manages to be both a small country in terms of square mileage and pretty spread out in terms of straight line distances which means there's a great deal to do and see! You can happily spend a lot of time here checking out all the sights and doing everything there is to do. Both the North Island and the South Island are each about 800 kilometers (500 miles) long, so the entire country stretches for about 1600 kilometers (1000 miles). The country is characterized by mountains, glaciers, rainforest (sometimes glaciers and rainforest in the same place!), lakes, farmland, and above all, a huge coastline. For the outdoor enthusiast keen on hiking, biking, and paddling, New Zealand is a truly wonderful place to live.