New Zealandi

Regional Level Types
New Zealand	Country

New Zealand is divided into sixteen regions. These form the highest level of local government. New Zealand is also divided into 67 territorial authorities, consisting of 13 city councils, 53 district councils, and the Chatham Islands Council. Most territorial authorities are wholly within one region, but there are a few that cross regional boundaries.

New Zealand consists of two main islands (North and South), Stewart Island just south of South Island, sub-antarctic territory islands Snares, Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes and Bounty, Chatham islands to the east and Kermadec islands to the north. There is an extensive continental shelf mainly to the east, the total area including that above water called Zealandia.

The North Island is politically divided into Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Taranaki, Manawatu-Wanganui, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, and Wellington, while the South Island is split into Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury, West Coast, Tasman, Otago, and Southland.

New Zealand sits astride the Australian and Pacific plates, its position having a profound effect on its geology. The North Island is part of the Australian plate, with the boundary off the east coast. The plate boundary then swings south-west across the north of the South Island, marked by a series of faults, the main one being the Hope Fault. This joins the 800 kilometre long Alpine Fault which travels down the western side of the Southern Alps. Most of the eastern and southern parts of the South Island is part of the Pacific plate.

New Zealand is geologically very active, with earthquakes a common occurrence, over the past one hundred years the cities of Napier, Christchurch, and Kaikoura partly or fully destroyed, with several other major earthquakes in rural areas. Wellington sits on several faults, which at some stage will shift and cause damage to the city.

The tectonic forces have seen the development of the Southern Alps, the fastest rising mountain range in the world, somewhat offset by glacial action, and erosion from the copious rainfall the ranges receives on its western side.

The North Island has an area presently volcanically active, being a belt from the centre of the North Island, north-north-east into the Bay of Plenty and White Island. The southern section of the belt contains several high cone-shaped, and intermittently active volcanoes. Large lakes in this region mark a number of calderas, which have seen catastrophic explosions in the past; the last 26 000 years ago, covering large portions of the island with ash and pumice. The district contains several geothermal areas incorporating hot springs, mud pools, and geysers.

From a pure geology viewpoint, the landscape is raw, with geological actions observed in a short timeline, even as it happens if the visit is timed to coincide with a volcanic eruption or earthquake.

Mining is mainly confined to coal and gold. Coal has been mined extensively around the northern west coast of the South Island, centred on Greymouth and Westport, and is presently mined around Huntly in the central north of the North Island. Gold mining is mainly historical, the main areas being the Coromandel peninsula, west coast of the South Island, and Central Otago region. Neither types of mining tends to produce a variety of species, with gold specimens largely only seen for sale from around Queenstown. Industrial scale gold mining only occurs at Macraes in Otago and until recent times Waihi and Reefton. Minor modern mining continues near Ross. Two large scale iron sand mines are found on the west coast of the North Island, most of the remaining mining concentrated on small quarries producing road aggregate and construction material.

The country has a very interesting coal and gold mining history. Being one of the most organised countries in the world when it comes to tourism, many of these sites contain information signs and relics which have been preserved. These range from highway photo stops to three-day hikes up a mountain through virgin rainforest and everything in between.

The country has provided thirteen type locality species, most rarely available to overseas collectors, and for several reasons, difficult to obtain as specimen quality.

The country generally speaking lacks top-shelf mineral specimens, largely the result of a lack of copper, manganese, nickel, etc mines, which could produce interesting species in the oxide zones. Specimens for sale to overseas collectors from the county are relatively uncommon. Local collections tend to focus on various zeolite species, found in cavities in basalt in road aggregate quarries, and along the coastline in places like Northland, Auckland, the Rotorua district, and east coast of the South Island. These specimens are often thumbnail to miniature in size. Beachcombing is a popular pass time, especially along certain coastlines on the South Island where low-value agate, carnelian, quartz, jade, etc can be picked up and is usually tumbled. Calcite and quartz specimens are also found commonly in local collections.

The country lacks high-value gemstones with the exception of nephrite jade, found mainly on the west coast of the South Island. Most of this material is found as isolated boulders in stream beds, and is invariably carved or made into jewellery for the tourist trade, and is commonly found for sale in New Zealand. Most is not sold rough or comes with location details. Northland was the centre historically of amber mining, principally Kauri gum. Again most that is sold in this region is made into jewellery, but some is sold as individual lumps. It is becoming increasingly rare and more expensive. Most do not come with location details.

Some geological highlights which can be visited in the country include:
1. Geothermal active areas around Rotorua, including hot springs, geysers and bubbling mud pools. Some are free, others close to town require an entrance fee, of varying value for money. The town is not good for people with breathing difficulties.
2. Waitomo Caves and glow worms.
3. Milford Sound
4. Franz Josef Glacier and the Southern Alps.
5. The Tongariro National park with active volcanoes and White Island.
6. Panakaiki Pancake Rocks and blowholes
7. Moeraki boulders, looking like giant bowling balls littering the beach.
8. The sunken valleys of the Marlborough Sounds.
9. The Tasman National Park, with karst landscapes, caves, and Split Apple Rock.
10. Coal and gold mining history, highlights including Thames, Waihi, Greymouth, Westport, the Coromandel Peninsula, Reefton, the Central Otago region.

Geochronology

Mineralization age: Phanerozoic : 319 ± 8 Ma to 11.9 Ma

Important note: This table is based only on rock and mineral ages recorded on mindat.org for this locality and is not necessarily a complete representation of the geochronology, but does give an indication of possible mineralization events relevant to this locality. As more age information is added this table may expand in the future. A break in the table simply indicates a lack of data entered here, not necessarily a break in the geologic sequence. Grey background entries are from different, related, localities.

Geologic Time				Rocks, Minerals and Events
Phanerozoic
	Cenozoic
		Neogene
			Miocene	ⓘ Nephelinite 11.9 Ma Tokatoka, Kaipara District, Northland Region, New Zealand ⓘ Gabbro 16 ± 1 Ma Campbell Island, Campbell Island group, New Zealand Outlying Islands, New Zealand ⓘ Ouachitite (youngest age) 20.02 ± 3.64 Ma Haast River, Westland District, West Coast Region, New Zealand ⓘ Ouachitite (oldest age) 22.51 ± 0.62 Ma Haast River, Westland District, West Coast Region, New Zealand
		Paleogene
			Oligocene	ⓘ Microsyenite 24.1 ± 1.2 Ma Haast River, Westland District, West Coast Region, New Zealand ⓘ Zircon (youngest age) 24.6 Ma Haast River, Westland District, West Coast Region, New Zealand ⓘ Glass (youngest age) 33.6 ± 1.8 Ma NE Otago Volcanic Field, Canterbury Region, New Zealand ⓘ Kaersutite (youngest age) 33.6 ± 1.8 Ma NE Otago Volcanic Field, Canterbury Region, New Zealand
			Eocene	ⓘ Glass (oldest age) 39.5 ± 1.8 Ma NE Otago Volcanic Field, Canterbury Region, New Zealand ⓘ Kaersutite (oldest age) 39.5 ± 1.8 Ma NE Otago Volcanic Field, Canterbury Region, New Zealand
	Mesozoic
		Cretaceous
			Late/Upper Cretaceous	ⓘ Zircon (oldest age) 93 ± 10 Ma Tapuaenuku Plutonic Complex, Kaikoura District, Canterbury Region, New Zealand ⓘ Trachyte 93.4 ± 1.9 Ma Mandamus intrusive complex (Hurunui Peak), Culverden, Hurunui District, Canterbury Region, New Zealand ⓘ Syenite 95.8 ± 2.0 Ma Mandamus intrusive complex (Hurunui Peak), Culverden, Hurunui District, Canterbury Region, New Zealand ⓘ Diorite 97.0 ± 3.1 Ma Mandamus intrusive complex (Hurunui Peak), Culverden, Hurunui District, Canterbury Region, New Zealand
			Early/Lower Cretaceous	ⓘ Titanite 103 ± 11 Ma Tapuaenuku Plutonic Complex, Kaikoura District, Canterbury Region, New Zealand
		Triassic
			Late/Upper Triassic	ⓘ Riebeckite 226 ± 1.1 Ma Sams Creek, Cobb Valley, Tasman Region, New Zealand ⓘ Arfvedsonite (youngest age) 226 ± 1.1 Ma Sams Creek, Cobb Valley, Tasman Region, New Zealand
	Paleozoic
		Carboniferous
			Pennsylvanian	ⓘ Arfvedsonite (oldest age) 319 ± 8 Ma Sams Creek, Cobb Valley, Tasman Region, New Zealand

Fossils

This region is too big or complex to display the fossil list, try looking at smaller subregions.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand
Wikidata ID:	Q664
GeoNames ID:	2186224

Localities in this Region

References