The Long Journey to New Zealand Quiz

Answer: 13th century

By examining evidence of deforestation and radiocarbon dating of artifacts, researchers believe the first humans landed in New Zealand between 1250 and 1300.

Answer: Polynesia

DNA evidence suggests the Maori came from Taiwan and maybe south Asia to Melanesia around 1300 B.C. They slowly visited other island groups, arriving in the Cook Islands around 700 A.D. and Hawaii and Rapa Nui around 900 A.D. From evidence found it appears they arrived in New Zealand in the 13th century. Because of New Zealand's isolation they developed a culture different from other Pacific Islanders.

Answer: Water Hemisphere

The Water Hemisphere is a measurement of the area of the globe which contains mostly water, rather than land. It is primarily in the Southern Hemisphere, containing the Indian Ocean and most of the Pacific Ocean. The Water Hemisphere is composed of 89 percent water. New Zealand's Bounty Islands are almost in the center.

Answer: Tasman Sea

Named for Abel Tasman who discovered New Zealand (for Europeans) in 1642, the sea stretches from around Brisbane to Tasmania in Australia, and east to New Zealand. A Dutch explorer, Tasman named the island he found Staten Landt. In 1645, Dutch mapmakers renamed it Nova Zeelandia, after Zeeland in Holland. When James Cook arrived from Great Britain he anglicized the name to New Zealand.

Answer: 15 times

The EEZ measures 200 nautical miles from the low-tide mark on a shoreline. Since New Zealand is long and narrow, its EEZ, not including islands which are part of its territory, is about 4.3 million square kilometers, compared to a land area of 268 thousand square kilometers.

Answer: Ross Dependency

Though most nations do not recognize claims to Antarctica, the Antarctic Treaty of 1961 states that there shall be no asserting or denying of claims to Antarctic land. New Zealand bases its claim to part of Antarctica on the discovery of Victoria Land by James Ross in 1841, which he claimed for Great Britain.

In 1923, the U.K. government named New Zealand as the administrator of part of that land. Six other nations have claims to areas of the continent; none of them actively enforces territorial rights.

Answer: Zealandia

New Zealand is on the boundary of the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates. As the plates have moved, about 93 percent of Zealandia, which is half the size of Australia, eventually sank. The microcontinent was originally part of Australia and Antarctica.

Answer: No

New Zealand's climate is mostly cool to warm temperate, much like the British Isles. The mountain ranges in the middle of each island are subject to snowfall, particularly on the South Island. Rainfall is likewise dependent on location, with a few areas almost semi-arid.

Answer: almost half the vertebrate species have become extinct

After the arrival of humans, first the Polynesians and later the Europeans, three-fourths of the forested land was cleared or burned. Because of this and the introduction of rats and other rodents, over fifty bird species have become extinct, as have three frog, three lizard, one bat and one fish species. New Zealand does not have any native land turtles.

Answer: wine

Wine grapes are grown throughout New Zealand with Marlborough on South Island and Martinborough across Cook Strait on North Island producing Sauvignon Blanc wines which have received worldwide acclaim. This has led to plantings of other grape varieties and export sales have gone from 94-million (NZ) dollars in 1997 to 1.3 billion in 2014. Wool was responsible for 26 percent of the the total value of exports in 1920, but by 2011 the value of wool exports had fallen to 1.6 percent.