File:New Zealand (MODIS 2015-12-29).jpg

English: Clouds were clinging to the coast of New Zealand�s South Island on December 9, 2015, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite captured this true-color image of the region.

December 1 marks the official first day of summer in New Zealand, although the warmest temperatures typically come during January and February. Despite the balmy summer days, snow and glacial ice cling to the mountaintops of the Southern Alps year round. The highest peak in the range (and in New Zealand) is Aoraki/Mt. Cook, which lies near the upper right corner of this image. Mt. Cook rises to 3,754 meters (12,316 feet). The glaciers give rise to glacial lakes that sparkle with the colors of sapphire and aquamarine. Rivers drain the melting snow from the south side of the mountains into the Pacific Ocean.

The southwest corner of South Island has been shaped by successive glaciations into dramatic and rugged landscape, and is filled with fjords, rocky coasts, towering cliffs, lakes, and waterfalls. A portion of this large and nearly pristine natural ecosystem has been named as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Known as Te Wahipounamu � South West New Zealand, it contains the best intact modern representation of the ancient biota of Gondwana, the more southerly supercontinent which gave rise to most of the landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere. Some of the unique species considered to be living representative of the ancient biota include the flightless kiwis, carnivorous land snails and 14 species of podocarp � a type of plant.