New Zealand
Take an adventure holiday to NEW ZEALAND with World Expeditions, one of the world’s leading travel companies.
Stretching North to South for over 2000 km and split into two main islands, New Zealand is a country of diverse landforms. From the Pacific Island beaches and rolling farmlands in the north, to the volcanic plateau and then onto the soaring mountains within view of the sea and the sub-Antarctic islands that dot the South Island coastline, the contrasts are many. The Southern Alps in the South Island contain more mountains than the European Alps altogether and the Main Divide, the chain of peaks that forms the backbone of the Alps from Arthurs Pass to Fiordland, splits the island into east and west. Several ice ages and the fact that two continental plates are sliding past each other forming the Southern Alps means that the scenery is as rugged as the New Zealand fauna and flora is unique.
With a population of 4.0 million people, the wilderness areas of New Zealand are many as most 'Kiwis' now live in an urban situation near the coast. The Maori are the indigenous people of the land and they named it Aotearoa 'Land of the Long White Cloud' upon their arrival 1000 years ago. Europeans settled in the early 1800s and the country is alive today with a market driven economy and a blend of European and Asia/Pacific influences to create a buoyant South Pacific culture.
