Why Is It So? - NZ Edition Trivia Quiz

Answer: New Zealand

The first European credited with discovering present-day New Zealand is the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman. He initially named this island as Staten Island believing it to be part of another Dutch discovery off the coast of South America which had been named Staten Landt (now the Argentine island of Isla de los Estados).

It was later proved that the two islands were not in fact connected or located in close enough proximity. The Dutch then renamed Tasman's find as Nova Zeelandia, after the Dutch province of Zeeland.

This name was then anglicized to New Zealand.

Answer: Auckland

In 1840, when the first British colony was established in New Zealand, Auckland was chosen as its capital. This was short-lived and the capital moved to Wellington in 1865. However, Auckland continues to be the financial center of the country. It was named after George Eden, Earl of Auckland. Eden was then the First Lord of the Admiralty, which meant he headed the British Royal Navy.

Answer: Christchurch

Human settlements in Christchurch date back to the 13th century, but it was only in 1856 that it was formally established as a city by the British Royal Charter. The city was named after Christ Church, one of the colleges of the prestigious Oxford University in England.

Answer: Mount Cook

Captain James Cook was a British explorer who contributed significantly to the mapping and discovery of various Pacific Islands. He was the first European explorer to reach the eastern coast of Australia and is credited with the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain, is named after him, as is the Cook Strait, a body of water that separates the country's North and South Islands.

The Maori name for this peak is Aoraki, a combination of the words for cloud and sky.

Answer: Wellington

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. It is located on the country's North Island. The city was named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. One of his most outstanding achievements is defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, resulting in the end of Napoleonic Wars. Wellesley later also served two terms as the Prime Minister of the UK.

Answer: Tasman Sea

The Tasman Sea lies between Australia and New Zealand and is colloquially referred to as "The Ditch". It is named after Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer who was the first European to discover New Zealand. He also discovered the Australian state of Tasmania which was originally named Van Diemen's Land by him, but later renamed Tasmania after him.

Answer: Rotorua

The city of Rotorua is located on the shores of Lake Rotorua, after which it gets its name. Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in New Zealand. The name Rotorua means "second lake" in Maori. It was thus named by Chief Ihenga, an early Maori explorer, because it was the second major lake discovered by him.

The city is famous for its geysers and mud pools which attract tourists from around the world.

Answer: Coromandel Peninsula

The Coromandel Peninsula is located on New Zealand's North Island. It was named after a British Royal Navy ship, HMS Coromandel, which itself got its name from India's Coromandel Coast. A popular tourist attraction on the Coromandel Peninsula is the Cathedral Cove, an arch-like opening in a limestone cliff.

Answer: Dunedin

Dunedin is the second largest city on the South Island. It is home to New Zealand's oldest university - the University of Otago. The city gets its name from Důn Čideann - the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.

Answer: Aotearoa

New Zealand is made up of two large islands called the North Island and the South Island, and a smaller island called Stewart Island. Aotearoa is a Maori word meaning "land of the long white cloud". This name was originally used to refer only to the North Island but later came to be used for the entire present-day country of New Zealand.

It is believed that Aotearoa referred to the clouds that guided the early Polynesians to discover these islands.