New Zealand is the proud title of a 1922 tour de force by J. G. (John George) Bartholomew and the Edinburgh Geographical Institute, issued by The Times of London at the very moment the newspaper embraced Bartholomew’s maps for its transformative Times Atlas. Supplanting the Andree plates that had guided earlier editions since 1895, this sheet announces a new standard of clarity and authority. It unites scientific method—hypsometric color scales to express altitude, precise spot heights, and bathymetric washes for surrounding seas—with the poised, ornamental discipline of early twentieth‑century British cartography. The composition reads as both an elegant portrait and a working instrument, distilling the landscape and seascape of an ocean nation whose ports, ranges, and settlements were being plotted into the global web of routes and measured distances.

Across the North and South Islands, elevation tints step from shore to summit, turning relief into an instantly legible narrative. The Southern Alps surge like a coppery spine, with Mount Cook (spot height emphatically noted) dominating a procession of glaciated massifs, while the Kaikoura Ranges and Otago–Southland ridges are crisply shaded. Northward, the volcanic plateau asserts itself: Ruapehu, Tongariro, and Ngauruhoe rise from a field of ochres, with the isolated cone of Mount Egmont/Taranaki anchoring the west. Between uplands, pale greens spread across the Canterbury Plains and the lower Waikato, broken by braided rivers—the Clutha/Mata-Au, Waitaki, and Wanganui—whose courses are meticulously traced. Coastal physiography is equally expressive: Banks Peninsula bites into the sea, the Coromandel shelters the Hauraki Gulf, while the Marlborough Sounds and the fiords of the south‑west articulate a coastline of extraordinary complexity; Stewart Island anchors the far south beyond Foveaux Strait.

The surrounding seas receive equal attention through finely graded bathymetric tints that trace the continental shelf’s pale collar before it plunges into the Tasman Sea and South Pacific. Maritime comprehension is furthered by clearly drawn shipping lanes, each annotated with distances—arcs that link Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers to Sydney and Melbourne across the Tasman, and to Pacific waypoints opened to steamship modernity after the Panama Canal. The strategic narrows of Cook Strait and the weather‑beaten approaches to Foveaux Strait are set in spatial context, emphasizing the nautical realities that shaped inter‑island commerce. Five large‑scale regional panels at 1:250,000 zoom in on busy harbor districts and hinterlands, offering navigators, traders, and scholars alike a detailed grasp of coastlines, headlands, and approaches that complement the national frame.

Bartholomew balances physical truth with the political geography of the day. Regional boundaries are cleanly inscribed, clarifying the administrative order that governed towns and countryside, while the typographic hierarchy distinguishes cities, boroughs, and smaller settlements. The urban constellation is unmistakable: Auckland straddling its isthmus; the capital, Wellington, framed by its steep amphitheater; Christchurch set on the Canterbury Plains near Lyttelton’s harbor; Dunedin commanding Otago; with Hamilton, Tauranga, Napier, Palmerston North, Nelson, and Invercargill rounding out the network of growth. Place‑names reflect early twentieth‑century usage, a ledger of exploration, migration, and industry inscribed upon river valleys and coasts. Patterns of settlement and communication follow the logic the relief dictates, a quiet reminder that in New Zealand, as this map makes clear, topography is destiny.

Behind this synthesis stands Bartholomew’s philosophy: to render the earth’s form intelligible at a glance without sacrificing rigor. The palette—graduated, purposeful, and unfailingly legible—embodies the Bartholomew lineage’s mastery of hypsometric coloring, while crisp linework and restrained ornament carry the hallmark of the Edinburgh Geographical Institute. In The Times Atlas of 1922, this sheet not only re‑charted New Zealand; it exemplified a new editorial standard that married data density to elegance. For historians and geographers, it captures the state of knowledge between exploration and modern surveying; for connoisseurs of cartography, it is a bravura performance where every spot height, shaded valley, and numbered sea route contributes to a coherent vision of an island nation poised between mountains and ocean.

Cities and towns on this map

• Auckland
• Wellington
• Christchurch
• Dunedin
• Hamilton
• Tauranga
• Napier
• Palmerston North
• Nelson
• Invercargill

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Insets: Five insets providing detailed maps of specific regions at a scale of 1:250,000.
• Topographical Representation: Hypsometric tints highlighting elevation changes across the islands.
• Bathymetric Tints: Visual representation of ocean depths surrounding the islands.
• Shipping Routes: Clearly marked routes with distances for maritime navigation.
• Major Geographic Landforms: Mountains, valleys, and coastal features are distinctly labeled.
• Political Boundaries: Borders of provinces or regions are clearly indicated.
• Relief Features: Spot heights marking significant peaks and elevations.

Historical and design context

• Creation Date: 1922.
• Mapmaker/Publisher: J. G. John George Bartholomew with the Edinburgh Geographical Institute; published by The Times (London).
• Historical Context: First Times Atlas to use Bartholomew’s maps, replacing Andree’s 1895 edition and setting a new cartographic standard.
• Design Style: Ornate early 20th-century cartography with vibrant colors and clear delineations between geographical features.
• Historical Significance: A key resource reflecting early 20th-century geographical knowledge and cartographic practices, documenting the evolution of New Zealand’s representation.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 16in (40cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.