" On the map the physical geography of New Zealand looks simple, yet in content it is incredibly diverse and complex. The three islands - North Island, South Island and Stewart Island - all are very different in looks and personality. The North Island is home to over two-thirds of New Zealanders - or kiwis - who live life to the beat of a faster rhythm than their countrified neighbors to the south.

The South Island, however, is said to provide the 'true essence' of New Zealand. Vast empty beaches where you feel almost guilty leaving footprints; endless mountain ranges blanketed in snow and rainforest, lakes, waterfalls and fiords, glaciers, volcanoes and hot pools, vast limestone caves and arches, massive crystal clear spring, the list and variety is endless.