10 Facts
1. The North Island can be divided into three main land regions: (1) the Northern Peninsulas and Waikato Basin, (2) the Volcanic Region and Western Hill Country, and (3) the Eastern Hills.
2. The North Island's warm coastal waters provide excellent line fishing and spear fishing. Boating offers the additional attraction of deep-sea fishing for marlin, shark, or tuna. The chief game birds for hunters are duck, swan, pheasant, quail, and geese.
3. New Zealand is a beautiful country of snow-capped mountains, green lowlands, beaches, and many lakes and waterfalls. No place is more than 80 miles (130 kilometers) from the coast, and most places have striking views of mountains or hills.
4. New Zealand is the first place on earth that receives the first ray of light. It specifically glints first on the small town of Rangitukia in North Island.
5. New Zealand established a state-run tourism department in 1901 – the first in the world.
6. The world’s smallest marine dolphin and the rarest sea lion thrive only in New Zealand’s waters.
7. Wellington’s old Government Building is the biggest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere.
8. In 1893, New Zealand gave women the right to vote. It was the first country to do so.
9. Only three countries in the world have two official national anthems – Denmark, Croatia, and New Zealand.
10. New Zealand has a ratio of 400 golf courses for every four million people. It has the greatest number of golf courses in the world.