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Notable New Zealanders Trivia Quiz

Kiwis, past and present, figure prominently in science, technology, the arts and sports. These New Zealanders could be considered to be at the very pinnacle of their respective fields.

A multiple-choice quiz by avions. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
avions

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
196,424

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1275

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Did he fly before the Wright Brothers? His neighbours thought he was crazy but he invented several ingenious machines. Sometime in 1902 or 1903 his aircraft lifted off, flew for a short distance and landed on a high hedge. Hint

Scotty Scotland

Andrew Walsh

Richard Pearse

Peter McKinley

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Question 2 of 10

2. This young beekeeper scaled the world's highest mountain in 1953 and his life changed forever. Hint

Sir Peter Blake

Sir Walter Nash

Sir Edmund Hillary

Maurice Shadbolt

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Question 3 of 10

3. This scientist "split the atom." Hint

Marie Curie

Alfred Smith

Pierre Curie

Ernest Rutherford

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Question 4 of 10

4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was filmed in New Zealand. It also had a New Zealand director. Who is he? Hint

Peter Weir

Peter Jackson

Lee Tamahori

Bruno Lawrence

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Question 5 of 10

5. This Kiwi was a pioneer in plastic surgery during the Battle of Britain, successfully treating burned airmen. Hint

Christian Barnard

Archibald McIndoe

George Grey

Henry Plunket

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Question 6 of 10

6. This soprano has performed on the world's opera stage for several decades. Hint

Kiri te Kanawa

Brooke Fraser

Hayley Westenra

Yulia

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Question 7 of 10

7. A New Zealander was the first person to run one hundred sub four-minute miles. Who was he? Hint

John Walker

Peter Snell

Rod Dixon

Dick Quax

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Question 8 of 10

8. This renowned author wrote "Owls do Cry" and her autobiography, "An Angel at my Table" was made into a movie. Hint

Sonia Davies

Mabel Howard

Rachel Hunter

Janet Frame

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Question 9 of 10

9. Bill Hamilton's innovation has had an impact far beyond the shores of New Zealand. What was it? Hint

The jet boat

The electric fence

Aerial topdressing

The electric milking shed

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Question 10 of 10

10. He was an influential figure in NASA during the Apollo Project. Who was he? Hint

David Lange

William Pickering

Andrew Armstrong

Jim Bolger

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Richard Pearse

Richard Pearse worked alone on his South Island farm. He designed, financed and built his aircraft unaided. He taught himself by reading magazines and his innate understanding of engineering enabled him to design features that were introduced into aircraft decades later.

2. This young beekeeper scaled the world's highest mountain in 1953 and his life changed forever.

Answer: Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary went on many subsequent adventures, as well as returning to Nepal to work on many projects for the Sherpa people. Maurice Shadbolt was a Kiwi author and Peter Hillary is Sir Edmund's son. Sir Walter Nash was a Prime Minister.

3. This scientist "split the atom."

Answer: Ernest Rutherford

Lord Rutherford made many important discoveries in the field of nuclear physics. From his work it was possible to calculate the age of the earth. The modern smoke detector can be traced back to his discoveries in the late 19th century.

4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was filmed in New Zealand. It also had a New Zealand director. Who is he?

Answer: Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson has produced, directed and been otherwise involved in a number of movies. The Lord of the Rings trilogy netted a bag of Oscars for Jackson and his team. His latest project is King Kong, filmed, like LOTR, in New Zealand.

5. This Kiwi was a pioneer in plastic surgery during the Battle of Britain, successfully treating burned airmen.

Answer: Archibald McIndoe

After the war many honours were bestowed upon McIndoe. He was awarded a CBE in 1944, knighted in 1947 and received numerous decorations from many countries.

6. This soprano has performed on the world's opera stage for several decades.

Answer: Kiri te Kanawa

Dame Kiri te Kanawa first caught the world's attention in 1971 with her performance in The Marriage of Figaro. Since then she has acquired an extensive repertoire and has been acknowledged as one of the world's leading sopranos. The others are all talented young Kiwi singers.

7. A New Zealander was the first person to run one hundred sub four-minute miles. Who was he?

Answer: John Walker

John Walker held the world mile record with a time of 3:49.4 in 1975. This record stood until beaten by Sebastian Coe in 1979. Walker also won the gold medal for the 1500 metres in the 1976 Olympic Games.

8. This renowned author wrote "Owls do Cry" and her autobiography, "An Angel at my Table" was made into a movie.

Answer: Janet Frame

Janet spent a considerable time in a mental hospital diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was subjected to repeated electroconvulsive therapy. At one stage, she was due to have a leucotomy, a procedure where the brain is deliberately damaged. Her winning a prestigious prize for prose convinced the doctors to reconsider and Janet was reprieved.

9. Bill Hamilton's innovation has had an impact far beyond the shores of New Zealand. What was it?

Answer: The jet boat

Replacing the propeller with jet propulsion enabled boats to travel in extremely shallow water. Jet boats are used worldwide, as well as being a feature on NZ rivers. The others are all New Zealand innovations.

10. He was an influential figure in NASA during the Apollo Project. Who was he?

Answer: William Pickering

Pickering was in charge of the successful program to place the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, into Earth orbit. He then was instrumental in leading a new era of space exploration, including the first missions to the moon. He was one of the few people to appear twice on the cover of Time magazine.

Source: Author avions

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Jim_in_Oz before going online.
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