Earthquake struck off New Zealand’s South Island:
A strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand’s South Island recently.
- South Island is the larger and southernmost of the two principal islands of New Zealand, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
- It is separated from North Island to the north by Cook Strait and from Stewart Island to the south by Foveaux Strait.
- Mountainous terrain occupies almost three-quarters of South Island, with a central mountain chain, the Southern Alps, trending southwest to northeast and culminating at Mount Cook (3,754 metres).
- The Southern Alps separate the narrow coastal strip of the Westland Plain (west) from the broad Canterbury Plains (east).
- Fiordland National Park in the southwest is a distinctive area with its numerous coastal fjords (inlets) and high lakes.
- The park is part of the Te Wāhipounamu (South West New Zealand) area of protected wilderness along the west side of the island that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990.
- Lakes: Includes Lake Tekapo, Lake Wakatipu, and Lake Pukaki.
