In addition to contour lines, relief shading helps visualise the terrain. Hills and valleys are shaded as if they were illuminated from the north-west.

Relief layers were generated for each sheet, and specifically for use in the Topo50 map series. There may be subtle differences in the relief shading of adjacent map sheets. Where no contour information exists, relief shading has not been produced.

The Topo50 map series provides topographic mapping for the New Zealand mainland, Chatham Islands, offshore islands, and offshore dependancies at 1:50,000 (some of the islands at 1:25,000) scale. For some small islands the printed map scale is 1:25,000. Although presented at 1:25,000 this layer, for all intents and purposes, forms part of the Topo50 map series.

Further information on Topo50: http://www.linz.govt.nz/topography/topo-maps/topo50