Films are often made in New Zealand, because the landscapes are so varied and beautiful – there are high snowy mountains, green forests, sandy beaches, active volcanoes and more.

Formation of landscapes

The landscapes were formed by:

• the Pacific and Australian plates (huge, slow-moving blocks of the earth’s crust) colliding and pushing up mountains
• erosion caused by rainfall and ocean waves
• volcanic eruptions building cones, and leaving depressions which now hold lakes
• glaciers in the ice ages, which dug out valleys and lake basins
• rivers cutting into the land.

Northern New Zealand

• Northland has sandy beaches, rocky islands and giant kauri trees.
• Auckland is built around two great harbours. Its many volcanoes have formed cones, craters and lava flows.
• The Coromandel Peninsula has a dramatic coastline.

The volcanic region

• The Taupō Volcanic Zone is an area of active volcanoes – Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngāuruhoe are the largest cone volcanoes. In the past, volcanic eruptions created lake basins, and there are geothermal areas with geysers and hot pools.
• Taranaki is dominated by Mt Taranaki (Mt Egmont), a beautiful dormant volcano.

Central and southern North Island

• Mountain ranges form a barrier between the east and west sides of the North Island.
• Flatter areas such as Wairarapa are used for farming.
• Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, is built on hills around a harbour.

Top of the South Island

• The Marlborough Sounds have steep ridges, islands and waterways.
• The north-west corner has dramatic limestone landscapes and caves.

Central South Island

• The Southern Alps are New Zealand’s highest mountains.
• On the West Coast, Franz Josef and Fox glaciers reach almost to sea level.
• The Canterbury Plains are a huge flat area, crossed by braided rivers.

Otago

• In the west, lake basins were dug out by glaciers in the ice ages.
• Central Otago is New Zealand’s driest area.
• The coastal area gets more rain, and is much greener.

Southland and Stewart Island

• Eastern Southland is rolling country, mainly used for farming.
• Fiordland is a huge area of wilderness, with lakes, fiords and mountains.
• Stewart Island (Rakiura) is mostly a forested wilderness.

Offshore islands

• The Kermadec Islands, more than 1,000 kilometres north-east of New Zealand, are part of a chain of volcanoes.
• The Chatham Islands, 800 kilometres east, are low-lying and windy.
• The five groups of subantarctic islands, south of New Zealand, are nature reserves.

How to cite this page:

Eileen McSaveney, 'Landscapes – overview', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/landscapes-overview (accessed 10 December 2023)

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 24 Sep 2007, updated 1 Jul 2015