Wonderful New Zealand Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aotearoa

Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud. was named by the first Maori immigrants to New Zealand. When approaching in their canoes they saw hovering above the land they were to call their new home, a spread of fleecy cumulus clouds.

Answer: Stewart Island

Stewart Island, its Maori name is Rakiura, is 30 km south of the South Island, divided from the mainland by Foveaux Strait. There are only 381 permanent residents on the island though that swells many times during the tourist season. Oban is the main town.

Answer: Abel Tasman

Abel Janszoon Tasman worked for the Dutch East India Company and was the first known European to reach New Zealand. According to Maori tradition, explorer Kupe had done this in the 10th century.

Answer: NZ Sign Language

New Zealand adopted Signing as an official language in 2006 and like English and Maori it has special status under the law, including the right of people to speak in Maori, English or New Zealand Sign Language (with interpreters) during any legal proceedings.

Answer: Jenny Shipley

Jennifer Mary Shipley was the 36th Prime Minister of New Zealand by virtue of ousting James Bolger, the leader of the National Party in December 1997. Helen Clark was the first elected prime minister, serving three terms from 1999- 2008.

Answer: Cooking food in an earth oven

Hangi is a traditional earth oven in which a variety of delicious meats and vegetables are cooked. A deep hole is dug in the ground and a fire (usually of Manuka twigs) lit within it. Stones are put into the fire and when the flames die down, well-wrapped parcels of food are placed onto the hot stones. Soil is then shovelled back to cover these parcels and dampened to produce steam.

After several hours, the food is brought out, succulent and tasty. I love the gently-smoked flavour of hangi food.

Answer: True

Huhu beetle larvae, or huhu grubs were an important source of protein for early Maori. The beetle lays eggs under the bark of a tree and they remain there for 2-3 years eating the wood. At the annual Hokitika Wild Foods Festival, live huhu grubs are a popular snack - they are said to taste like peanut butter.

Rotten corn or "Kaanga pirau" in Maori, still eaten today in many areas, is corn which has been placed in running water and left to ferment. Its smell, though unpleasant, belies its creamy taste.

Answer: Carrots

The Ohakune Carrot is the pride of the town and a tourist attraction. The first Ohakune market gardens were started in the rich volcanic soil, ideal for root crops, in 1925, by Chinese families.

Answer: NZ $10 note

Born of Scottish parents in Liverpool, England, Catherine Wilson Malcolm preferred to spell her first name with a 'K' and later shortened it to Kate. With her siblings, Kate emigrate to Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand in 1869 and three years later, married businessman, Walter Allen Sheppard.

They had one son, Douglas, born on 8 December 1880. An avid believer in the rights of women, Kate and other pioneering women fought hard to win the vote for women and in 1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing country to give the vote to women over 21. Kate also established the first women-owned newspaper in the country and, in the days when it was not considered 'ladylike' to do so, was an enthusiastic cyclist.

Answer: To dig or pan for gold

It began at Gabriel's Gully when someone found gold but within a very short time had spread throughout Central Otago. People came from all over New Zealand, Australia and even the United States to this 'get-rich-quick' area. It was a short-lived venture, only a few years later the towns which had sprung up were deserted and gold became the business of the mechanised businesses.