>Terry,
>
>>>it can get pretty cold in the winter, esp. S Island.
>
>Yes, it snows sometimes in the South Island! ;-)
>
>More northern parts are defined as "sub-tropical" which makes you think of balmy beaches, which I presume is why so many houses were built by settlers without any insulation. But it can get uncomfortably cool.

John

It rarely snows where I live on the s. coast. But the N. hemisphere is chock full of land masses and ocean currents, and we benefit from the Gulf Stream, but you're all alone out there in a huge ocean, with Antarctica as a neighbour. Brrr! Mind you, what a country - to go from sub-tropical, through "Middle Earth", to snowy mountains, in a space I think, not much bigger than GB. And the extreme sports. :-)

Terry