40 Surprising Facts About New Zealand

New Zealand is a land of extraordinary and magnificent beauty. This is a wonderful place to enjoy nature. New Zealand’s culture is also quite unordinary. New Zealander’s culture represents a mix of Europeans and the Maoris. The atmosphere of relaxation and peacefulness prevails everywhere in this magnificent country.

1. Aotearoa is the 2nd other and official name of New Zealand in the Maori language. The word Aotearoa means “land of the long white cloud” in the Maori language.
2. The country is situated about 1200 miles (2,000 km) south-east of Australia across the Tasman Sea. Its closest neighbors to the north is the New Caledonia islands, Tonga islands, and Fiji islands.
3. The country comprises of two mainland masses-north and south island. Plus, the country has about 600 small islands.
4. There were instances in which the visa authorities of the country rejected many people for permanent residency due to high BMI(Body Mass Index) and even rejected visas for their heavyweight.
5. The North Island of the country has a place named Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. It is a 1,000-foothill near the township Porangahau which is the longest name in the entire planet with 85 characters. The hill name is also registered in the Guinness world record books.

   

6. The flightless Kiwi is the national bird and as well as the national animal of the country.
7. The country is situated on the Zealandia continent, out of which 93% is submerged.
8. In 1983, New Zealand became the first country in the entire planet to allow women to vote as a fundamental right.
9. New Zealand has the 3rd highest cars per capita in the world. There are 860 cars per 1000 people which is a total of 4,240,000 cars.
10. Some very important inventions took place in the country, which changed the world. Few of them are zorbing, bungee jumping, the jet boat, jogging, the jet pack, nuclear physics, the disposable hypodermic syringe, instant coffee, McLaren cars, and the electric fence.

    

11. Archaeologists had researched dates for when humans first settled in this small island country, and they have researched it to be about 750 years from now. This makes New Zealand the last major landmass inhabited by humans. They came from central east Polynesia.
12. North of Gisborne, New Zealand, witnessed the world’s first sunrise each and every day.
13. Rugby union is the national sport of New Zealand and is quite popular. The other sport which is widely played and liked is golf.
14. New Zealand has the 9th longest coastline on the planet. The country has 15,000 (9300 miles) of coastline. The coastline borders with the pacific ocean and the Tasman sea.
15. There are over 50 volcanoes in the Auckland volcano fields, out of which about 12 are active.

    

16. The first-ever rugby cup was won by New Zealand in the year June 1987.
17. Hector dolphin is the smallest species of dolphin in all the species and is found only in the waters of New Zealand. Its length is about 1.2–1.6 m (3 ft 11 in–5 ft 3 in) and can weigh anywhere around 40–60 kg (88–132 lb).
18. New Zealand is one of the few countries which is entirely free from snakes. The other countries where there are no snakes are Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, and Newfoundland.
19. The kiwi land is one of the few developed countries which does not use nuclear power plants at all for their energy needs.
20. The blue lake of the south island situated in the nelson lake national park is a small lake that has the clearest water in the world. It is as clear as distilled water and is visible to a depth of 80 meters(262 ft).

    

21. Instead, they use other renewable sources for energy production like hydropower, geothermal, and wind energy. Over 82% of total energy is produced from renewable resources.
22. New Zealand is the 4th biggest producer of wool on the planet.
23. Inferno Crater Lake, located in Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley, is the world’s largest geyser-like feature on the planet. Its depth is 98 feet(30 m approx), and the temperature ranges from 95° to 176° F (35° to 80° Celsius).
24. New Zealand is the least corrupt nation on the planet, with a score of 87 in the corruption perception index. Denmark is another country that has the same score and is on the 2nd spot in terms of corruption.
25. Aoraki or Mount Cook is the highest mountain peak in the country, with an elevation of 3,724 m(12217 ft).

    

26. According to the US news, the south islands of the country is the top tourist destination to visit in the world.
27. New Zealand is home to the most penguin species than any other country. Out of total nineteen penguin species living on the planet, nine breeds in this country.
28. Giant wētā is the biggest insect on the planet is endemic to New Zealand. It is equivalent to the size of a human hand, weighs more than 70 grams, and looks like a giant cockroach.
29. New Zealand became the 14th to legalize same-sex marriage in 2013.
30. There are 29.5 million sheep in the country which means there are six sheep for every one person.

    

31. 16.5% of the total population, or 775,836 people, are Māori in the country. The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people who first arrived on the land between 1320 and 1350.
32. New Zealand is one of the two industrialized countries to allow the advertisement of prescription medicines. The other country to allow such advertisement is the United States.
33. According to the good country index, new Zealand is the 17th best place in the world to live in.
34. The country has a national wizard who was appointed in the year 1990. His name is Ian Brackenbury Channell, and he is an educator, comedian, magician, and politician.
35. The capital of New Zealand, Wellington, is the second biggest city in the country and the southernmost capital on our planet earth.

    

36. The country is one of the two countries that have two national anthems. The other country which has two national anthems is Denmark.
37. Around 29%, or 78000 square kilometers of the total land of the country, is covered in forests.
38. New Zealand’s biggest exports include concentrated milk ($6.99 billion), sheep and goat meat ($2.79 billion), butter ($2.78 billion), frozen bovine meat ($2.71 billion), and rough wood ($2.3 billion), with the majority exported to China ($13.1 billion), Australia ($5.35 billion), the United States ($5.07 billion), Japan ($2.75 billion), and South Korea ($1.69 billion).
39. New Zealand’s top five imports are cars ($3.28 billion), crude petroleum ($2.47 billion), refined petroleum ($2.15 billion), delivery trucks ($1.34 billion), and broadcasting equipment ($954 million).
40. Baldwin Street of new Zealand is officially the steepest residential road on the planet. At its steepest, the slope of the road has a gradient of 35%.