As for the geological aspect of these two big islands, they have probably never been part of the Australian mainland, for the Tasman Sea which separates them is more than 15,000 feet deep and 1,200 miles wide. They are probably the remnants of a high mountain-range which once upon a time formed the western shores of the Pacific. But the changes have been so numerous that it is difficult to state precisely how the present islands came into being. What makes their case even more difficult is the fact that they have so little in common with each other. Whereas the North Island is a tremendously volcanic region (a sort of Yellowstone Park of the Pacific), the South Island, separated from the North Island by the Cook Strait, which is only 90 miles wide, is a replica of Switzerland with a few Norwegian fjords thrown in for good measure.
New Zealand is not in any way tropical. It is as far removed from the equator as Italy and enjoys the same sort of climate. This means that it is much more likely to become a permanent European establishment than Australia. All sorts of European fruits, such as peaches and apricots and apples and grapes and oranges, can be cultivated in the valleys, while the mountain sides provide excellent grazing for cattle. Flax grows as well here as in the moist climate of the old Zeeland and the slow growing trees of the North Island, exported chiefly from Auckland, make excellent timber.