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
HMS New Zealand (1904) became the 2nd Division, Home Fleet, and "New Zealand" became a Home Fleet unit in that division. To release her name for use by the new battlecruiser HMS "New Zealand", which had been presented to the Royal Navy by the government of New Zealand, it became necessary to rename "New Zealand" in 1911. At first the name "Caledonia", the Roman name for northern Great Britain, was favoured, but this met opposition in New Zealand. Eventually, the name "Zealandia", a personification of New Zealand, was agreed upon, and "New Zealand" was renamed "Zealandia" on 1 December 1911. Under a fleet reorganisation