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Quiz about New Zealand
Quiz about New Zealand

New Zealand Trivia Quiz


This quiz should test even the most knowledgable of Kiwis.Hope you enjoy it, let me know if you don't.

A multiple-choice quiz by team rebel. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
team rebel
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
102,549
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
3871
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. What is the name of the New Zealander who allegedly flew around the same time, if not before, the Wright brothers? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which of the following New Zealanders has NOT won a Nobel Prize? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. When New Zealand's volcano Taupo erupted, some 2000 years ago, the skies were affected as far away as China and Rome.


Question 4 of 10
4. According to Maori legend, which of the following birds did Tane Mahuta NOT ask to come down to the forest floor to protect it from being destroyed by bugs? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What is the name of the marine reserve off Northland's East coast, home to the rare tuatara and rated as one of the best diving spots in the world? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. No quiz about New Zealand would be complete without a couple of questions about rugby. In 1879, which two rugby unions were the first established in New Zealand? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The city, Tamaki, is better known as? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What year did the first tour, under the name 'New Zealand Rugby Football Union' (NZRFU) take place? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In which bay, in the far north, would you find the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior, following her bombing by the French Secret Service? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. An easy one to finish with, the New Zealand national anthem is called 'God Save New Zealand'.



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 26 2024 : absrchamps: 5/10
Feb 09 2024 : zinzan12: 4/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What is the name of the New Zealander who allegedly flew around the same time, if not before, the Wright brothers?

Answer: Richard Pearse

Pearse, a farmer, was a self taught inventor and aviator.
On or around 31st March 1903 Richard Pearse climbed into a self-built monoplane and flew for about 140 metres before crashing into a gorse hedge on his Waitohi property. There is uncertainty about whether his flight met the definitions of sustained flight, but it came eight months before the Wright Brothers entered the record books at Kitty Hawk North Carolina on 17th December 1903.
Apparantly, his design is still used to some effect today, in what is more commonly called a 'microlite'.
So decide what you will!
Incidentally, the other 3 names are made up.
2. Which of the following New Zealanders has NOT won a Nobel Prize?

Answer: John Money

Alan MacDiarmid was an "Information Age Pioneer," MacDiarmid and his colleagues discovered that plastics could conduct electricity. Application of the research is seen to be the future of information technology. He was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize for chemistry.

Ernest Rutherford, possibly one of the most famous kiwi scientists, creator of modern atomic physics and forerunner of the nuclear age, one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1908.

Maurice Wilkins, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine in 1962. Research undertaken by Wilkins helped lead to the discovery in 1953 by James Watson and Francis Crick of the DNA molecule structure - the very essence of life itself. The discovery revolutionised biology and medicine.

John Money, 'sexoligist', hero or anti-hero? Pioneer in the science of human sexuality, this kiwi is "the world's leading successor to Freud, Kinsey and Masters and Johnson."
3. When New Zealand's volcano Taupo erupted, some 2000 years ago, the skies were affected as far away as China and Rome.

Answer: True

When Taupo erupted nearly 2000 years ago in the biggest volcanic eruption in history, people in Rome and China witnessed deep red sunsets and darkened skies.
In its place is New Zealands biggest lake, Lake Taupo.
4. According to Maori legend, which of the following birds did Tane Mahuta NOT ask to come down to the forest floor to protect it from being destroyed by bugs?

Answer: Wood Pigeon

According to the legend, the Kiwi was the only bird who answered Tane Mahuta's call, thus sacrificing his wings and beautiful colours, but also then becoming the most revered bird in NZ. The Pukeko, was too scared of getting his feet wet, so it was then banished to the swamp, while the Tui was scared of the dark, so then had the distinctive white feathers under his 'chin' to show him as a coward.

If you want a 're-cap' of this legend, you can read it at this link.

http://www.kiwinewz.com/html/losewing.htm

Amazing the things you remember from your childhood isn't it?
5. What is the name of the marine reserve off Northland's East coast, home to the rare tuatara and rated as one of the best diving spots in the world?

Answer: Poor Knights

Beneath the surface of the Poor Knights, a world of diving has been compressed into a relatively small area, not too disimilar to the way so many extremes are crammed into New Zealand. The caves, arches, tunnels and sheer cliffs provide a great variety of habitats to explore.
Subtropical fish living in the marine reserve are found nowhere else in New Zealand, having found their way to Poor Knights on the subtropical East Auckland current.

Although there is most definately nothing wrong with the diving at any of the others, although the Three Kings is a little far out to be a diving spot, and is more a game fishing destination.
6. No quiz about New Zealand would be complete without a couple of questions about rugby. In 1879, which two rugby unions were the first established in New Zealand?

Answer: Canterbury & Wellington

Other unions soon followed, but it was not until 1892 that the New Zealand Rugby Footbal Union was formed to administer the game at a national level.
7. The city, Tamaki, is better known as?

Answer: Auckland

Maori people are first thought to have settled in the Auckland region approximately 650 years ago. The name given by the Maori for the area, 'Tamaki', meaning 'battle', would seem relavent considering its temperate climate and fertile soils would have been sought after by the various tribes.
8. What year did the first tour, under the name 'New Zealand Rugby Football Union' (NZRFU) take place?

Answer: 1893

They played a 10 game tour of Australia, and with it, the birth of arguably the greatest rugby nation!
In many of the smaller rugby countries where people may not even know where New Zealand is, they would most certainly have heard of the All Blacks.
9. In which bay, in the far north, would you find the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior, following her bombing by the French Secret Service?

Answer: Matauri

The bay has become well known recently as the final resting place of the Rainbow Warrior. People come from around the world to dive on the Warrior and the nearby Cavalli Islands.
Apparently the French people were outraged at the bombing, not because of what they did, but because they got caught!
Prior to this, Matauri Bay was more renowned for its temperate climate, white sand beaches, and crystal clear water, and at times a great place to surf!

Matai Bay is a lovely little spot even further north, white sandy beaches, surrounded by Pohutukawa's.

Matapouri, a popular day out from Whangarei, or a stop at the 'dairy' for an ice cream on the way to Sandy Bay for a surf.

Mangawhai Heads is a popular surf beach, about 40 minutes south of Whangarei, and incidentally, a very tough 'links' like golf course!
10. An easy one to finish with, the New Zealand national anthem is called 'God Save New Zealand'.

Answer: False

Actually it's called "God Defend New Zealand", and if you need to brush up on it, or check out the full first verse, here is a link to it

http://nz.com/NZ/Culture/Music/NatAnthem.html
Source: Author team rebel

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