Aotearoa Trivia Quiz

Answer: (Land of) the Long White Cloud

Aotearoa is New Zealand's "other" official name.

Answer: The Sky Tower

Did you know that people have done base-jumping stunts off the tower? The tower sways in the wind quite a bit and has been evacuated because of that.

Answer: Manukau

Although it was used as a real harbour in the 19th century, it's too silted up to be really useful except to windsurfers and small boat sailors at high tide these days.

Answer: Rotorua

It may seem odd but you do stop noticing the smell after a while. Whakarewarewa is where the hot pools are south of the central business district. Rotorua is the centre of New Zealand's main geothermal area. Waiotapu and Waimaungu lie south of the town and Mt Tarawera is to the south-east.

Answer: Napier

Napier is New Zealand's San Francisco. In the 1930s, a massive earthquake levelled the place. Many people were killed during the quake and the subsequent fire. The land to the north of the city rose several feet. In fact, Napier's airport now stands on what used to be seabed.

Answer: Taupo

It's hard to believe that Lake Taupo was a volcano. Until you find that the bottom of the lake is warm when you go paddling.

Answer: Beehive

The design of the building caused traditionalists much offence when it was first unveiled. But most people rather like it now ... Wellington has a habit of giving its unusual buildings quirky names. The BNZ building at the corner of Featherston Street and Lambton Quay was a rusting skeleton for many years when the BNZ decided it couldn't afford to finish it.

It was known as the Rusting Tower of Visa. When it was finally completed decades later, sheathed in black reflective glass, it became known as The Black Hole...

Answer: Cook Strait

Cook Strait is famed for Force 8 gales which frequently stop all ferry sailings and see the closure of Wellington Airport, which is right on the coast at the southern edge of Wellington.

Answer: Sounds

Actually, you don't see very much of the Sounds on the ferry sailing, but the scenery is striking and the exit/entrance from Tory Channel into Cook Strait can be ... interesting.

Answer: grapes

What used to be rather arid pastureland is now covered with large vineyards and small boutique wineries. There are various tours and self-drive wine trails which are a good, if rather unsober, way to spend a day or two.

Answer: The Garden City

Christchurch quite justly regards itself as the prettiest city in New Zealand (and I say that as a Dunedinite). The garden displays in summer are unbeatable.

Answer: Wakatipu

Wakatipu has a slight tide, running north to south. The Maoris believed that a giant lay sleeping at the bottom of the lake, causing it to rise and fall.

Answer: Milford Track

Milford Track begins on Lake Te Anau at the mouth of the Clinton River and ends at Sandfly Point on Milford Sound. It's a nice walk for people of moderate fitness. The highest waterfall in New Zealand, the Sutherland Falls, can be seen on a short side-trip on the Milford side of the McKinnon Pass.

Answer: Gold

For a (very) short while, Dunedin was the largest city in New Zealand. It was the wealthiest city for many years, too, and it has a lot of amenities which other cities of its size are envious of because of that. A nice place, and my home town. Yay Dunedin!

Answer: Bluff Oysters

Bluff oysters are a succulent variety of Pacific oysters and ... well, they're the best. They're also horribly expensive, because the season for catching them and the allowed size of the catch is so small. But - IMHO, of course - there is simply NO substitute.