New Zealand Vacations Topics

North Island

It is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is 113,729 square km in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island. It has a population of 3,250,700 (June 2008 estimate).
Eight important cities are in the North Island, notably New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Wellington, the capital, located at the southern extremity of the island. Approximately 76% of New Zealand's population lives in the North Island.

Although the island has been known as the North Island for many years, the New Zealand Geographic Board has found that, along with the South Island, it has no official name. The board intends to make North Island the island's official name, along with an alternative Maori name.

The North Island has an extensive flora and bird population, with numerous National Parks and other protected areas.

Regions of the North Island:
Nine local government regions cover the North Island and all its adjacent islands and territorial waters.

Northland
Auckland
Bay of Plenty
Gisborne
Waikato
Taranaki
Manawatu-Wanganui
Hawkes Bay
Wellington

Cities and towns in the North Island:

Auckland
Gisborne
Hamilton
Hastings
Masterton
Napier
New Plymouth
Palmerston North
Rotorua
Taupo
Tauranga
Wanganui
Whangarei
Wellington

• New Zealand
• New Zealand map
• Flag
• North Island
• Ninety Mile Beach
• South Island
• Image of South Island NZ
• Islands of New Zealand

Also see:
• Accommodations
• Activities and Things to Do
• Snow Skiing
• Tours

• History of New Zealand
• Sports in New Zealand
• Islands of New Zealand
• Cook Islands

• Explore New Zealand's Diverse Culture

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "North Island ".