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Quiz about Aotearoa  Coasting Around the Country
Quiz about Aotearoa  Coasting Around the Country

Aotearoa - Coasting Around the Country Quiz


Well, we've done the touristy stuff, the political stuff and the general stuff. This quiz is about coastal features around New Zealand. Good for Kiwis or map lovers. Have fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by capfka. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
capfka
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
310,035
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
10 / 15
Plays
347
- -
Question 1 of 15
1. What is the name of the bay on the east coast of the South Island which stretches gently from Banks Peninsula some 100 miles north? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. Wellington sits on a huge, almost circular, harbour usually thought of as Port Wellington or just Wellington Harbour. But that's not its only name. Do you know what its other name is? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. When you travel south from Haast in the South Island, you eventually cross the Arawhata River, turn right, and half a mile later you reach a bay at the end of the road. Where are you?

Answer: (Think of Michael the singer (two words, no plurals))
Question 4 of 15
4. Mitre Peak is the most striking feature of the shoreline in which large South Island inlet? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. Captain James Cook of the HMS Endeavour named Hawkes's Bay after Admiral Hawke, who had given some ships of the French navy a hiding a few years before. In 1931 an event occurred which probably made the locals regret moving there. What happened? Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. This nearly-enclosed bay in the north of the North Island saw the beginnings of European immigration and of colonial government in New Zealand. The first capital, Russell, was built on its shores. Which bay is it? Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. At the bottom of the South Island there is a bay which looks as if a monster has taken a nearly semi-circular bite out the land; or that a small meteorite landed locally. The Waiau River flows into it and the town of Tuatapere is slightly inland of it. What is it called? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. The lower part of the western North Island can be regarded as one huge bay, as the coastline curves around from Waikanae in the south to Taranaki in the north. And it has a name. Think of teeth ... What is the name? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. In November 1990 a local man went on a shooting spree in this township, killing thirteen people and wounding three others. He was eventually shot by police and died on the way to hospital. Where was this? Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. In 1642 Abel Tasman attempted to land at this bay at the northern end of the South Island. However, his boat was attacked by Maoris in canoes and four of his seamen died. Tasman called the inlet Murderers' Bay, but it now has a different name. What is it? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Young Nick's Head was named by that busy fellow, Captain Cook, after the lookout who first spotted landfall in New Zealand in 1769. Cook received a very cold welcome when he landed shortly afterward. The headland marks the southern end of Poverty Bay. Yet the district was far from "poor". What is it best known for today? Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. This bay is bounded by the Coromandel Peninsula on one side, and the mainland on the other. At the southern end is the town of Thames. What is the name of the bay? Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. Doubtful Sound, in Fiordland (South Westland) was originally named Doubtful Harbour by Captain Cook. Why did he choose this name? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. What is the name of the town at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound which is the southern terminal for the Cook Strait ferry service? Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. This "bay" is really a wide river estuary on the west coast of the northern North Island. It has mangroves growing along its shores and is surrounded by forests, including Waipoua kauri forest. It played a prominent part in Maori mythology. Which bay is it? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What is the name of the bay on the east coast of the South Island which stretches gently from Banks Peninsula some 100 miles north?

Answer: Pegasus Bay

Pegasus Bay was named after an early nineteenth century survey ship, the Pegasus. The Pegasus' survey was one of the first serious attempts to chart the coast of New Zealand "properly". The survey corrected a number of major and minor survey errors from James Cook's survey some 35 years earlier. One of the major errors that Cook made, and the Pegasus survey corrected, was establishing that Banks Peninula was, in fact, not an island, as Cook had suggested. Banks Peninsula was, incidentally, named after Joseph Banks, the naturalist who sailed with Cook.
2. Wellington sits on a huge, almost circular, harbour usually thought of as Port Wellington or just Wellington Harbour. But that's not its only name. Do you know what its other name is?

Answer: Port Nicholson

Captain Cook first entered Port Nicholson in 1773, having failed to recognise the entrance as anything but a shallow bay on his previous voyages. The bay was named after John Nicholson, the then-Sydney Harbourmaster, in 1826. The entrance to Port Nicholson is partially obstructed by Barrett Reef, which has
claimed several ships over the years, most notably the Wanganella in 1947 and the Cook Strait ferry Wahine in 1968. Other than that it is probably one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Except for the wind, of course!
3. When you travel south from Haast in the South Island, you eventually cross the Arawhata River, turn right, and half a mile later you reach a bay at the end of the road. Where are you?

Answer: Jackson Bay

Crayfishing is still the main industry at Jackson Bay. It's a marvellous place to live ... except for the sandflies. It used to be a sleepy and very unbusy place, with just a few huts and caravans. However, the last time I was there coach loads of tourists infested the place! Hector's dolphins use the bay as a nursery because it's open but well-sheltered from the southerly swells.

Not a place to be handling a boat in a nor'wester, however.
4. Mitre Peak is the most striking feature of the shoreline in which large South Island inlet?

Answer: Milford Sound

Milford Sound is the destination many tourists who travel to New Zealand are keen to see because of its spectacular (and often near-perpendicular) scenery. It has one of the diciest airports in the country, and most people arrive by car or bus. However, land access to Milford is via the Homer Tunnel from the Hollyford Valley and is often closed during winter due to snow and avalanche danger.
5. Captain James Cook of the HMS Endeavour named Hawkes's Bay after Admiral Hawke, who had given some ships of the French navy a hiding a few years before. In 1931 an event occurred which probably made the locals regret moving there. What happened?

Answer: An earthquake

Despite being a very active area for earthquakes, Hawkes's Bay appeals to people who love its dry, warm climate. Its weather makes it one of the two most ideal areas of New Zealand for growing grapes and Hawke's Bay wines are famous the world over. Napier and Hastings are the two biggest towns on the bay and in fact run into each other these days. Napier was nearly flattened by the earthquake in 1931 and over 200 people died. Land rose out of the bay as a result of the earthquake and part of it is used as the local airport. Napier is known as the "Art Deco Capital" of New Zealand, because when the central business area of town was rebuilt, the art deco style of architecture was used for a lot of the new buildings.
6. This nearly-enclosed bay in the north of the North Island saw the beginnings of European immigration and of colonial government in New Zealand. The first capital, Russell, was built on its shores. Which bay is it?

Answer: Bay of Islands

The bay received its European name from that great explorer and cartographer, James Cook, in 1769. Much of the first thirty or forty years of European contact with the Maori occurred in the bay. Karorareka, the first "town" on the bay became a rip-roaring place of wild partying and every kind of vice.

It was also the site of some of the first "battles" in the Maori Wars in the later 1840s. The government abandoned it for Auckland at the first opportunity!
7. At the bottom of the South Island there is a bay which looks as if a monster has taken a nearly semi-circular bite out the land; or that a small meteorite landed locally. The Waiau River flows into it and the town of Tuatapere is slightly inland of it. What is it called?

Answer: Te Waewae Bay

When we were kids, we'd hunt toheroa (a rather succulent shellfish) on Bluecliffs Beach at Te Waewae, digging madly in the sand to catch the elusive creatures. The whole of the bay is now a marine sanctuary, and I understand that toheroas can only be harvested for special Maori occasions.
8. The lower part of the western North Island can be regarded as one huge bay, as the coastline curves around from Waikanae in the south to Taranaki in the north. And it has a name. Think of teeth ... What is the name?

Answer: South Taranaki Bight

The South Taranaki Bight is really just a curving coastline, but it has some very nice beaches and a place in Maori lore. The North Taranaki bight, to the north of New Plymouth, has been the scene of numerous gas and oil finds.
9. In November 1990 a local man went on a shooting spree in this township, killing thirteen people and wounding three others. He was eventually shot by police and died on the way to hospital. Where was this?

Answer: Aramoana

This was the ultimate tragedy. During a dispute with a neighbour, David Gray shot the neighbour dead. He then went on a rampage through Aramoana, shooting at anyone he saw including Stu Guthrie, the sergeant in charge of the local police station. He had a number of weapons and a lot of ammunition and could potentially have killed a far greater number of people than he did. Fortunately it appears that he was not being methodical so much as opportunistic and that he didn't really hunt for potential victims.

The massacre, as it became known, shocked and saddened the entire community.
10. In 1642 Abel Tasman attempted to land at this bay at the northern end of the South Island. However, his boat was attacked by Maoris in canoes and four of his seamen died. Tasman called the inlet Murderers' Bay, but it now has a different name. What is it?

Answer: Golden Bay

Tasman's ships appear to have been run by committee, and the incident resulted in a decision not to attempt to land in New Zealand again. The two ships sailed, with difficulty, up the western coast of the North Island without ever touching land. They then crossed the Tasman Sea again, heading back to Batavia in what is now Indonesia.
11. Young Nick's Head was named by that busy fellow, Captain Cook, after the lookout who first spotted landfall in New Zealand in 1769. Cook received a very cold welcome when he landed shortly afterward. The headland marks the southern end of Poverty Bay. Yet the district was far from "poor". What is it best known for today?

Answer: Wine making

In fact, the whole area is quite fertile. The bay also gives its name to the area surrounding the bay. Gisborne, the first New Zealand city to see the sun each day, sits on the northern edge of the bay and the surrounding countryside is famous for its wines, particularly chardonnay. Cook must have caught the local Maori on a very bad hair day because they were distinctly unfriendly ...
12. This bay is bounded by the Coromandel Peninsula on one side, and the mainland on the other. At the southern end is the town of Thames. What is the name of the bay?

Answer: Hauraki Gulf

The Hauraki Gulf has been the training location for many of New Zealand's top yachtsmen and women. Relatively shallow and sheltered, it is a playground for the people of Auckland.
13. Doubtful Sound, in Fiordland (South Westland) was originally named Doubtful Harbour by Captain Cook. Why did he choose this name?

Answer: He doubted that a ship could sail within it

Certainly the winds and tides around the mouth of Doubtful Sound would be avoided by a sailing ship captain, even today. Most yachts motor into the sound. The passages through the Shelter Islands at the mouth of the sound are narrow and piloting a relatively unhandy ship such as the Endeavour through them probably presented Cook with a challenge he felt he could not afford to take.
14. What is the name of the town at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound which is the southern terminal for the Cook Strait ferry service?

Answer: Picton

Picton has been the South Island ferry terminus for many years. There have been half-formed plans to build a new terminal near Cape Campbell on the Pacific coast at various times. This would shorten the three hour and forty minute crossing from Wellington quite considerably, but the challenges of building a port which could operate in nearly all weathers have resulted in no action on the idea.
15. This "bay" is really a wide river estuary on the west coast of the northern North Island. It has mangroves growing along its shores and is surrounded by forests, including Waipoua kauri forest. It played a prominent part in Maori mythology. Which bay is it?

Answer: Hokianga Harbour

The Hokianga was so-named because it was, according to Maori legend, discovered by Kupe. It is a lovely area with a generally mild climate and is a popular holiday destination. Waipoua is a major tourist attraction a little to the south. It also has an outrageously expensive ferry service at Rawene, in its upper reaches!
Source: Author capfka

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
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