Aotearoa II - Te Ika a Maui

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. What northern town has a steam locomotive on display, but has never had a railway? Kaitaia Kaimanawa Kaikohe Kaipara

2. Ninety Mile Beach is probably the foremost tourist attraction north of Waitangi. But it's not actually ninety miles long. How long is it, precisely? 45 miles 55 miles 68 miles 41 miles

3. Many people think of Western Springs as the centre of motor racing in Auckland. But there is a motor racing circuit south of the city, less famous today than in years gone by. What's it called? Pukemanu Pukeiti Pukekohe Pukemoana

4. Name the famous cave system in the Waikato which features glowworms among its attractions. Thousands visit this place every year. Answer: (It's just west of Te Kuiti ...)

5. Of all the interesting things to see at the geothermal sites around Rotorua, the Champagne Pool must be one of the most visually stunning hot pools. Do you know which reserve it is in? Orakei Korako Waimangu Whakarewarewa Waiotapu

6. The North Island Main Trunk Railway sounds grand, but in fact it is a single-track narrow-gauge railway which really doesn't meet modern transportation needs. However, there is a world-famous feat of engineering just south of Taumaranui which allows the railway to rise 132 metres (429 feet) from the Waikato to the Volcanic Plateau in only 2km in a straight line. What is it called? National Park Turnout Raurimu Spiral Waikato Spiral Raurimu Turnout

7. Of the three volcanos on the Volcanic Plateau, only one, Ruapehu, is not dormant. True or False? True False

8. Which town in the southern Waikato has animals made out of corrugated iron on the main street? Tirau Te Kuiti Taipo Te Aroha

9. One of New Zealand's most remote national parks lies to the west of Gisborne and contains the traditional home of the Tuhoe tribe. Lake Waikaremoana is contained within it. What is its name? Te Aroha Te Kaimanawa Te Tongariro Te Urewera

10. Cape Kidnappers, east of Hastings, is an amazing place to visit because of the bird colony there. What kind of seabird uses it? Puffin Gannet Albatross Kittywake

11. Taihape, once a little-regarded backwater, is now a go-ahead town despite its apparent isolation. This is mostly due to its location on State Highway 1, servicing the tourists passing through. But it has one peculiar institution - an annual clothing-throwing competition. What kind of clothing is thrown? Answer: (One word - You have to be strong to foot it with the champions!)

12. The interestingly-named Bulls is a service town for local agriculture, but also for the nearby RNZAF base. What is the base called? Whenuapai Hobsonville Wigram Ohakea

13. There is a town in the Wairarapa which is a byword for "boring, rural nothingness" throughout New Zealand. The name of this town is synonymous with "Timbuktu", as in "a long way from anywhere". The name also means "I have a chicken" in Afrikaans! What is the town? Pahiatua Tararua Eketahuna Ruahine

14. A commuter suburb on State Highway 1, just at the beginning of the Wellington Northern Motorway has a Maori-sounding name which, if spoken aloud, sounds remarkably like the name of a town in Australia with an Aboriginal name. What is the name? Paremata Whitby Porirua Plimmerton

15. Where Wellington is now was not the original town on Port Nicholson. The first settlement was at what is now Petone. However, Britannia, as the township was called, was hastily abandoned after only a few months in favour of the current location. What was the reason? Disease Wind Storms Fire Flooding