ZEALAND, NEW, ono of the British colonies, consists of a group of islands situated in the Paciflo Ocean and in the southern hemisphere. Tide group includes two largo islands and a small island at the south ern cud of them. Many other islands still smaller are scattered along the shores. The northern of the two large islands is called by the natives Eaheinoinauwe, and the southern Tavai-Poenammoo ; they are separated bj a wide strait, called from its discoverer, Cook Strait. The northern island Is called by the colonists New Ulster; the central large island is called New Munster, and the small island is New Leinster, or Stewart Island. The islands lie between 166' and 178° 35' E. long., 34• 2.:?' and 47° 20' S. lat. The entire length of the two Large islands is about 1200 miles, and the mean breadth about 140 miles. The area Is about 95,000 square miles. Stewart Island is about 60 miles long and 60 miles wide. The native population in 1350 was estimated at 120,000. In 1351 the census taken in the settled districts gave a population of 26,656, of whom 14,906 were males and 11,660 females.
Coast-line, Harbours, dc.—New Ulster, the most northerly of the islaials, is of a very irregular shape, extending north-east and then north-west, with a large prornontorial projection near the middle on the east. It lies between 34' 25' and 41' 40' S. lat., 172° 30' and 178' 49' E. long. The most northern portion is a narrow tongue of land about 40 miles in length, but hardly anywhere more than 8 miles across, except at the most northern extremity, where it expands in the form of a dovetail, and where it is more than 20 miles from west to east. This is chiefly occupied by a ridge of hills of moderate eleva tion, which extends from the western cape, called Cape Maria Van Diemen, by Tasman, to the North Cape. or Cape Otou. About 4 miles from Cape Maria van Diemen, on the western coast, begins a oliff which rises almost perpendicularly from the sea, and continues for 6 miles. From this place the ridge of bills recedes from the shore, and runs inland towards the harbour of Pa-reinga on the eastern coast ; but It sends short offsets to the north and south, so that it is inter aectsd by several small valleys. North Cape is high and bold, pre
senting steep sides to the northern and eastern coast, but a flat and swampy tract about 3 square miles in extent runs from the northern to the eastern shores, separating the promontory from the hilly tract, sahib!' terminates on the outran, coast in perpendicular cliffs of volcanic conglomerate. A narrow isthmus 30 miles in length, con sisting of low hills and swamps, connects this promontory with the broken part of the peninsula. On the western shore of the isthmus Is Pa-reiniat Bay, which has always two fathoms of water, and a rise of 10 feet at high tide. On the eastern shore is an isolated hill, called Mount Camel, or Houhoura, which rises 500 feet above the sea. On its southern side is a harbour capable of receiving the largest vessels, with anchorage close to the eastern shore • but the entrance is not more than 40 or 50 yards wide. Where the isthmus terminates on the south there is an extensive alluvial district, which stretches from the western to the eastern coast, and follows the serpentine course of the Awaroa, a river which empties itself into the testuary of Ran ganui. The Awaroa, though a small river, is navigable for boats at high water to the distance of about 10 miles ; the tides rise 10 feet, and the river has little fall in its lower course. There are several European settlements in this district, and the natives have made roads to the shores of the sea and for internal communication.
On the south of the Valley of the Awaroa extends a hilly region from sea to sea. The coast on both sides of this region is indented by several inlets, and some of them contain good harbours. On the eastern coast are Doubtless Bay and Wangaroa Harbour, and on the western coast Whangapi and Hekianga.