VOLCANOES, GLACIERS AND GEYSERS
On North Island, divided from South Island by the 35 km wide Cook Strait, there are still active volcanoes in Rotorua National Park. Geysers, sulphur pits and hot springs are the trademarks of this stark landscape, swathed in sulphurous smoke. Mount Cook, at 3764 metres New Zealand’s highest mountain, is the trademark of South Island. South Island, with its high mountains, glaciers and clear lakes, is reminiscent of Switzerland, were it not for the sea, in which alongside the whales in Kaikoura, dolphins, seals and penguins swim frolic beneath the cormorants nesting on the cliffs. A hike through the moss-draped forests brings the visitor into a landscape where time seems to stand still. Unique and typical of the native fauna are the flightless birds, such as the kiwi, New Zealand’s emblem. New Zealanders have the bird- and the countless kiwi fruit plantations- to thank for their nickname of Kiwis.