The mountains of New Zealand

The mountains of New Zealand are geologically young. Today the mountains of the Southern Alps are still being thrust upwards at a slightly greater rate than erosion can wear them down. New Zealand is made up of two main islands the South and the North. The North Island's mountains are mainly volcanic and support a much lower diversity of alpine plants than the South Island. The South Island is dominated in the West by the Southern Alps which form a backbone along the length of the Island. These mountains form a barrier to the prevailing westerly weather systems. This means that the West Coast and the Southern Alps receive the majority of any rain coming off the Tasman Sea. The center of the South Island is in contrast quite arid. In other words a large variety of climates and landscapes exist in a very small area.