About New Zealand and Waikato

New Zealand is in the south-western Pacific Ocean and comprises the North and South Islands and numerous smaller islands. The indigenous Maori named New Zealand Aoteatoa, which is usually translated into English as ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’. New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation, being separated from Australia to the northwest by the Tasman Sea. Its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful countries in the world with unique native animal and plant life and spectacular coastal and inland regions. The North Island The island is 113,729 square km in area, and that makes it the world’s 14th largest island. Several important cities are in the North Island notable New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, and the capital Wellington, which is located at the southern extremity of the island. Approximately 76% of New Zealand’s population live in the North Island. Lake Karapiro is located in the Waikato region on the western side of the North Island. The nearest town to Lake Karapiro is Cambridge, 24km southeast of Hamilton. Hamilton is the country’s seventh largest city. New Zealand has a population of 4,290,347 (July 2011 est.) of which around 3,148,400 live in the North Island and 387,700 in the Waikato region.