Colin, yes, we have been to New Zealand, one of my sisters lived there for 10 years during which time we visited on 4 occasions, and I was most upset when she and her husband moved back to Australia
. It is a beautiful country, much smaller than Australia with a wonderful diversity of scenery, and one I would be more than happy to revisit.
Many tourists find the sheer size of Australia quite intimidating, particularly those from Europe and the UK, and some have difficulty comprehending the distances involved. I remember one young couple we met some years ago asking if it was possible to do a day trip from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef. They didn't realise that it was over 2000 km away. Americans and Canadians are more used to long distances and don't feel so overwhelmed. Excellent airline services help reduce travel times between major centres, making it easier for tourists to cover more territory.
I have lived in Australia all my life, and like most Aussies I am used to the distances. I love to go in to the outback where the view seems to go on forever, although I have no desire to live there - I am quite content where we are. I have been to the UK on 3 occasions and love driving there, so much can be seen in such a short distance and the history is, to me, absolutely fascinating, but it's always good to come home.
To give an idea of Australia's size - my wife and I are going on a cruise in June starting in Sydney, initially travelling northwards to the tip of Australia. We then follow the coast in an anti-clockwise direction ending in Fremantle. The trip on the ship takes 17 nights. We return from Perth to Sydney on board the Indian Pacific, one of the world's great rail journeys covering 4352 km, or 2704 miles. More info here
http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/trains/the_indian_pacific/Peter.