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Amazing New Zealand

Interesting facts about New Zealand

The Māori name for NZ, Aoetaroa, means 'land of the long white cloud'.

Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world.

No part of the country is more than 128km (79 miles) from the sea.

The national sport of NZ is rugby union.

New Zealand has three official languages: English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.

There are no land snakes, native or introduced, in NZ.

Organised commercial bungee jumping first began in New Zealand.

The lowest denomination in NZ currency is the 10 cent piece.

NZ is home to more species of penguins than any other country.

5% of NZ's population are Māori.

New Zealand is similar in size to the UK, but only has a population of about 4 million (compared to 63 million in the UK).

New Zealand is home to the world's smallest dolphin species.

Amazing Facts

About one-third of the country is protected national park.

More people live in Auckland than in the whole of the South Island.

Ninety Mile Beach is actually only 90 kilometres long.

There are more vending machines in Japan than there are people in New Zealand.

The national sport of NZ is rugby union.

In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote.

There are no nuclear power stations in New Zealand.

Lake Taupo was formed by a supervolcanic eruption 26,000 years ago. The dust from the eruption could be seen in modern-day China.

Blue Lake, in Nelson Lakes National Park, has the clearest water in the world.

There is a clock in Dunedin which has been running since 1864, despite never having been wound since it was made

Pelorus Jack was a dolphin who guided ships through dangerous and rocky waters around NZ in the early 1900s.

Two NZ rescue dogs were taught to drive a car around a track, in order to prove the intelligence of shelter animals.

Baldwin Street, in Dunedin, is the world's steepest street. The road has a gradient of 1 in 2.86 at its steepest section, a 38 percent grade.

New Zealand was the last habitable landmass to be populated.

New Zealand was the last habitable landmass to be populated.

There are no land snakes, native or introduced, in NZ.