Geography of New Zealand Geography of New Zealand New Zealand ("") is an island country located in the south-western Pacific Ocean, near the centre of the water hemisphere. It is a long and narrow country and comprises around 600 islands. The two main islands by size are the North Island (or "Te Ika-a-Māui") and the South Island (or "Te Waipounamu"), separated by the Cook Strait; the third-largest island, Stewart Island (or "Rakiura"), is located off the tip of the South Island across Foveaux Strait. Significantly smaller islands include Waiheke Island, Chatham Island, Great Barrier Island and more, although many are uninhabited. New Zealand's landscape
Geology of Canterbury, New Zealand Geology of Canterbury, New Zealand Canterbury in New Zealand is the portion of the South Island to the east of the Southern Alps, from the Waiau River in the north, to the Waitaki River in the south (this is smaller than the area administered by the Canterbury Regional Council). To the west of the Southern Alps lies the Alpine Fault, a major fault boundary, that passes through the South Island from Fiordland in the south, to the Marlborough Region in the north, where it divides into multiple faults. The Pacific Plate lies to the east of the Alpine Fault and