GENERAL INFO ABOUT NEW ZEALAND
No, New Zealand is NOT Australia, a state of Australia or an island just off of the mainland of Australia (that by the way is Tasmania). The closest point between Australia and New Zealand is nearly 1500km (a similar distance from New York to Oklahoma City or London to Vienna) with a flight time of at least 3 1/2 hours so it's not exactly a hop, skip and jump away. And YES it is true, there are more sheep in New Zealand then people (about 20x as many sheep)
New Zealand or Aotearoa (The Maori name the Land of the Long White Cloud) consists of two main islands the simply named North and South Islands and many small ones, and lies in the Southern Hemisphere, surrounded by the Tasman Sea on the west, the Pacific Ocean on the east and Southern Ocean in the South.
New Zealand has a population of about 4.5 million people, with 3/4s of the population living in the North Island. The capital of New Zealand is Wellington with a population of about 210 thousand and the largest city is Auckland with a population of 1.5 million. Christchuch, with a population of about 380 thousand is New Zealands 2nd largest city and the largest in the South Island, and even though the 2011-12 earthquakes destroyed a lot of the city, the city is being rebuilt and transformed and is welcoming tourists. And for the thrill seekers Queenstown in the South Island is the place to go for bungee jumping, canyon swinging and mountain biking just to name a few (along with some great skiing in resorts all over the Southern Alps)
New Zealand is known for it's amazing and diverse scenery. It has majestic fjords, mountains, volcanoes, mud pools and geysers, beautiful beaches and islands. If you are a Lord of the Rings or Hobbit fan you may want to visit just to see how many places you can spot from the movies.
New Zealanders (or Kiwis) despite the rather 'terrifying' haka (ancestral war dance) that is performed at most of their international sporting events are friendly and laid back and most are willing to lend a helping hand.
Getting to New Zealand may not be the cheapest airfare you'll ever pay for as it is so far away from anywhere else (unless you are coming from Australia) but once you get there you'll find that travelling the length and breadth of it is affordable and even more so with the exchange rate if you are coming from Europe (€1 = $1.62NZ) or the US ( $1US = $1.47 NZ) the exchange rate from Australia is $1 AU= $1.05. Again it is a matter of what you want out of your trip as to how much you spend, you can stay in decent hostels, expensive hotels, hire a motor home, stay in a caravan park the choice is yours. Eating out is the same; cafes, restaurants, fast food the choices are unlimited and diverse, as a country with migrants from all over the world you will find any sort of food you could possibly imagine but you may want to try a traditional hangi, which is food cooked in an earth oven.
The official languages of New Zealand are English, (although some slang may confuse other English speaking natives) Maori and NZ sign language. Maori became an official language in 1987 while in April 2006, New Zealand became the first country to declare sign language as an official language.
The currency is the dollar, with notes of $5, $10,$20, $50 and $100 and coins of 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2.
Credit cards are widely accepted in most major cities, but like most places in the world may not be accepted in smaller places so make sure you have enough cash on you. ATM machines can be found in most places but like anywhere be careful about when and where you use them.
Enjoy, explore and embrace everything that New Zealand has to offer. If you get the opportunity get off the beaten path- do it. Most importantly where ever you go in New Zealand-ENJOY it and have fun.
Check out My 7 Wonders list to get more detailed information about different parts of New Zealand.