New Zealand, with its capital at Wellington, is 1,930km southeast of Australia and consists of two major islands, North Island (116,031 sq km) and South Island (153,540 sq km), which are separated by Cook Strait.

New Zealand was first settled at least 1,000 years ago by the Polynesian Maori, a tribal society. The first European arrival was Dutchman Abel Tasman in 1642, and when Captain James Cook, undertook his voyages in 1769 and 1779, the islands were charted and explored.

New Zealand is one of the cleanest, greenest, most popular places to live and visit. Tourist numbers rocketed around the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which showcased New Zealand’s fantastic scenery to a worldwide audience.

New Zealand is an exceptional land of incredible scenery. Rocky coastlines, beautiful beaches, lush rainforests, snow-capped alpine mountains, amazing volcanic pools, as well as active volcanoes vie for attention with sparkling rivers and glacier-fed lakes. The country is proud to boast of a prosperous indigenous culture, busy cosmopolitan cities, traditional towns and friendly people. And all of this makes New Zealand a place well worth visiting and settling in.

Several small islands comprise New Zealand. North Island, which is more developed, has the main cities, while the vast empty spaces of South Island are best for escaping the crowds.

Getting around is easy as the country has a modern and efficient transport network, efficiently laid out roads, plenty of flights and two scenic rail journeys. The country inspires outdoor activity and not surprisingly, some of the world’s most cutting-edge adventure activities originated in New Zealand like bungee jumping, caving or white-water rafting.