Native speakers may correct me, but I think:
"Noord" rhymes with "bored"
For "zij," think of "ij" as a vowel that is probably closest to "eye" but colored with a hint of "ay"

This native speaker agrees.

The tendency is to pronounce the syllable "zij" as "zay", which is much to close to "aye" -- you should aim towards something like "zey".

Or listen to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=583p49lm3CE ("Radio Noordzij"; unrelated the typographer!), and be sure to close your eyes for the tacky more-than-a-hint-of-that-old Amiga video editing software from the '80s :0)

Thanks