New Zealand is located in the South Pacific Ocean, 1,900 kilometres east of Australia. With a land area of 268,000 square kilometres, it is similar in size to Britain and Japan. There are two main islands – North and South – a third, smaller island called Stewart Island, and a number of small satellite islands. More than half of New Zealand is farmland, and more than a quarter is forested. Thirteen percent is alpine terrain, with many peaks over 3,000 metres.

New Zealand separated from the prehistoric continents at an early stage, resulting in an extraordinary blend of native species. Land mammals were virtually non-existent and the main predators were birds, so the safest place to be was often close to the ground. That’s why New Zealand’s national icon, the Kiwi, is flightless and nocturnal.