Destination Trivia: 20 Fun Facts about New Zealand

Which famous Kiwi turned down a royal wedding invite? How many islands are there in New Zealand? Do Kiwis have wings? Let’s find out!

Published on 4 min read

New Zealanders love a good bit of trivia. Whether it’s a unique stat or a fun fact, a well-chosen bit of trivia is the perfect way to spice up any yarn (that’s Kiwi for “conversation”, by the way). Today, we’ve dug up 20 of our favourite Kiwi trivia gems for you.

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  1. Dunedin’s Baldwin Street is once again officially the world’s steepest street, after an official review in April 2020. Baldwin Street briefly lost the title to a street in Wales in 2019.
Baldwin Street, Dunedin

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  1. Kiwi actor Sam Neill is also a winemaker. His vineyard, Two Paddocks, is based in Central Otago.
  2. One of the many great reasons to visit New Zealand is that there are no snakes here.
  3. On Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, TV and radio are broadcast without advertising.
  4. The mischievous Kea (a native parrot), is often found in the carparks of ski resorts, where it enjoys meddling with the rubber found on car windscreens and doors.
  5. You’re never far from the ocean in New Zealand, where the most inland point is 119km from the sea. Kiwi fish and chips taste amazingly fresh and delicious for a reason.
Nins Bin — a Crayfish and Lobster roadside cafe 20 minutes drive from Kaikōura

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  1. In 2011, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw declined an invitation to the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, in order to focus on preparations for the Rugby World Cup later that year. McCaw would go on to lead the All Blacks to back-to-back world cup titles.
  2. Kiwi Entrepreneur AJ Hackett founded the world’s first commercial bungy jump in 1988 at the Kawarau Bridge, Queenstown, where today it continues to wow thousands of visitors each year.
Kawarau Bridge Bungy, Queenstown – Photo: AJ Hackett

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  1. New Zealand is the world’s largest exporter of milk, with more than US$6b in exports in 2019.
  2. The Hobbiton movie set was developed a full year before filming of The Lord of the Rings movies began, in order to give it a lived-in look and feel. It had real vegetable patches, and sheep were used to regulate the length of the grass.
  3. Although it is a flightless bird, the native Kiwi does in fact have a pair of tiny wings.
  4. Nelson’s Blue Lake has the clearest water of any lake in the world. The lake’s water clarity is comparable to distilled water.
Blue Lake, Nelson – Photo: Nelson Tasman

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  1. The Giant Weta is the world’s heaviest insect, with some reaching 70g—that’s heavier than a tennis ball.
  2. Even though there are more humans and fewer sheep than in days gone by, there are still more than five sheep to every person in New Zealand. Around 26 million sheep at last count.
  3. The smallest dolphin in the world is the Hector’s dolphin, which is found only in New Zealand.
  4. New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote, back in 1893.
  5. The North and South Islands may be the most well known, but New Zealand actually consists of around 600 islands.
Mount Honey, Campbell Island — Campbell Island / Motu Ihupuku is an uninhabited subantarctic island of New Zealand – Photo: T. Bickford/Heritage Expeditions

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  1. New Zealand is a penguin’s paradise—there are more species of penguin found here than any other country.
  2. Molesworth Station is the largest station (high country farm) in New Zealand, covering almost half a million acres.
  3. The Moutere Inn, near Nelson, is New Zealand’s oldest pub, founded in 1850.

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Share some of this Kiwi trivia on social media and tag #anzcro to keep the conversation going. And for all your New Zealand travel needs, contact us today.

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