I am almost at the top of the North Island. We live in a little village called Onerahi (ownaraaahee) about 10 minutes from Whangarei. That's pronounced Fawngaray..most everything up here has Maori names and the largest amount of Maoris live here at the far north. The South Island is very British with the dramatic alps and lots of snow. It's the closest place to Antartica you can get without being there.We get those  cold southerly winds sometimes and brrrrr..At the very top of the North island there is a huge lighthouse resting on a point that looks out over the Tasman Sea and the South Pacific.  You can actually see the two seas meet. The water is two different coulours and it crashes against each other making spectacular waves. It almost doesn't seem real. I hope to get up there by the end of the summer and I will try to get some pics to show you. The whole country is about the size of Oregon with a population of about 31/2 million, maybe 4..And the furthest you can be from the sea is about an hour. Thanks for asking..lol..as you can see I love the subject..