101 New Zealand Fun Facts To Know Before You Go (2024)

New Zealand is one of the most stunning countries in the world, but there are so many fun facts you may not know. To really understand what makes the country so awesome, you need to know a bit about its history, its wildlife, and some weird facts that shape the Kiwi mentality.

After living in New Zealand for a year, my plan to write a top 10 list of facts about New Zealand easily snowballed into 101 fun facts about the country I love.

Whether you’re moving to New Zealand, looking for a quick laugh at a Kiwi’s expense, or looking to get some more info to plan a trip, these fun facts are right for you.

Dive in an find out what records the country holds and the weirdest thing that they race every year!

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101 Fun Facts About New Zealand

1. New Zealand is made up of 3 main islands: North Island, South Island, and Stewart Island.
2. New Zealand is the only country in the world where Hobbits can legally be depicted on the official currency.
3. Only 5% of New Zealand’s population is human. The other 95% is wildlife.
4. There are no snakes in New Zealand!
5. There are 3 official languages in New Zealand: English, Maori, and New Zealand Sign Language. I’d argue there’s also New Zealand slang!
6. 50% of all dolphins and whales in the world are found in New Zealand.
7. New Zealand has one of the best tax systems in the world. It’s almost entirely automated through your IRD number.
8. There is a clock in Dunedin that has been running since 1864 without being wound once since it was made.
9. Although there are only 5 million people in New Zealand, there are 2.5 million cars on the road. It’s a testament to New Zealand’s road trip culture.
10. It does snow in New Zealand, but only in certain regions, like Dunedin.

New Zealand Fun Facts to Know Before You Visit

• New Zealand’s smallest coin denomination is 10 cents. Stores still round up or down, as some places haven’t converted over after the change a few years ago.
• Most Kiwis use cards instead of cash.
• Kiwis don’t tip. There’s a server wage that covers living necessities. If you tip, it won’t be turned down, but it isn’t expected.
• Tax is included in prices.
• Kiwis drive on the left side of the road.
• Kiwi has many meanings in NZ. Kiwi typically refers to the local people of New Zealand. A kiwifruit is a food. A kiwibird is a famous flightless bird.
• Most of the scenes in Lord of the Rings were filmed in New Zealand. Be sure to check them out when you visit!
• Avoid these common mistakes when you visit New Zealand.
• The main industrial cities are Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown, and Christchurch.
• The sun is so strong that it is possible to get a sunburn in New Zealand summers within 5 minutes.

Cool Geographical Fun Facts

• New Zealand sees the first sunrise in the world each morning at Gisborne.
• The longest place name in the world is found in New Zealand. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is located in Hamilton.
• Over 1/3 of the country is protected national land and marine areas.
• The islands are so narrow that you are never more than 128km from a beach in New Zealand.
• New Zealand was the last habitable landmass to be populated.
• The southernmost capital of the world is Wellington.
• The famous 90 Mile Beach is actually 90 kilometres long.
• Milford Sound is considered the 8th Wonder of the World, according to Rudyard Kipling.
• Until recently, the steepest street in the world was Baldwin Street in Dunedin.
• There are more than 50 volcanoes in New Zealand, some of which are still active. You can reach one, Rangitoto, on a day trip from Auckland.
• Blue Lake in Nelson Lakes National Park has the clearest water in the world, with a visibility of up to 80m deep.
• Lake Taupo is about as big as Singapore.
• New Zealand’s population is about 5 million. That’s only twice as big as the population of Toronto! That makes it one of the least populated countries in the world. For reference, it’s about the size of the UK which has 60 million residents.
• It’s home to the only glacier inside a rainforest! Take the Franz Josef Glacier Walk to see it.
• New Zealand is the 3rd closest country to Antarctica.
• The 9th longest coastline in the world, of 15,134km is New Zealand.
• The nation formed 23 million years ago due to volcanic eruptions.
• New Zealand is part of the “ring of fire”, a geographical region in the Pacific marked by earthquakes and volcanic activity.
• New Zealand’s Southern Alps are home to over 360 glaciers.
• Auckland has the most sailboats per capita in the world! It’s known as the “City of Sails”. In fact, 1 in 3 households owns a boat in Auckland.
• The tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere is the Sky Tower in Auckland.

Fun Facts About New Zealand Animals

• New Zealand has 9 sheep for every person living in the country.
• There are is only one native mammal to New Zealand: a species of bat. All others were introduced by Maori and European settlers.
• You can find the world’s smallest dolphin, Hector’s Dolphin, in New Zealand and go swimming with them in Kaikoura.
• New Zealand is home to the most species of penguins of any country. You can find the rarest and the smallest penguins in Dunedin.
• Historically, Pelorus Jack was a famous dolphin in New Zealand who guided ships through dangerous waters. He’s said to have helped Captain Cook find his way.
• New Zealand was once home to the famous Moa bird. It stood 3 metres tall, but was hunted to extinction by the Maori.
• NZ is home to the only alpine parrot in the world, the Kea. They are one of the smartest species of parrots, but often wreak havoc by tearing windshield wipers off vans. When sheep were introduced, they started hunting the sheep.
• 50% of New Zealand’s native wildlife went extinct in the last 1000 years.
• You may have seen the funny clip of shelter dogs driving cars on Youtube. This was done in New Zealand as a way to prove the intelligence of animals.
• Although there are no snakes, there are plenty of insects. You’ll find the heaviest insect in the world in NZ. The weta, which Peter Jackson named his Weta Workshop after, weighs more than a sparrow.
• Kiwibirds lay eggs that are 60% of their bodyweight. They lay 2 each season. Poor mama!
• The only flightless parrot in the world is the Kakapo in New Zealand.
• Stoats and other invasive species are a big problem in New Zealand. If you spot one, you have to report it so it can be exterminated so it doesn’t harm the native species.
• Most of New Zealand’s bird species can only be found in New Zealand.
• You can visit the Waitomo Glowworms, a species of insect larvae that glow in complete darkness in underground caves.

Interesting Facts About New Zealand’s Culture

• The Maori are the indigenous peoples of New Zealand. They are Polynesian and descended from the same ancestors as Hawaiians.
• They arrived in New Zealand from Hawaiki, a location we don’t know but is hypothesized to be near the Cook Islands.
• Maori people make up 15% of the country’s population.
• The Maori name for New Zealand is “Aoetaroa” or “land of the land white cloud”. aptly, the tallest mountain in New Zealand is Aoraki, or “cloud piercer”. It’s over 3,700m tall.
• New Zealand became a British colony in 1840 with the signing of the Waitangi Treaty. This treaty was mistranslated (potentially on purpose) to say that the British could rule over the Maori in English, while the Maori version alluded to the British more as tenants on the Maori land.
• The majority of New Zealand people are of European descent. 12% are Asian and 7% are Pacific Islanders.
• The biggest celebrations in the country are Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Hokitika Wildfoods Festival and the Lakes Festival.
• You can visit the Olympics of haka at the Te Matatini Kapa Haka Festival.
• New Zealand’s most popular sports are football (soccer), cricket, tennis, and rugby. Rugby is the most-watched sport.
• New Zealand and Denmark have a lot of similarities. They are both the least corrupt countries in the world and each has 2 national anthems. New Zealand has “God Defend New Zealand” and “God Save the Queen”.
• New Zealand legalized same-sex marriage in 2013.

Fascinating Facts About New Zealand’s Food

• New Zealand may be famous for the kiwifruit, but it’s not actually from New Zealand. Originally, kiwis were from China and were known as Chinese gooseberries.
• Every year, New Zealand produces 100kg of butter and 65kg of cheese per person!
• The most unique McDonald’s in the world is in Taupo in a decommissioned DC3 plane.
• The pavlova was invented in New Zealand.
• The traditional Maori way of cooking involves using a hole in the ground and volcanic rocks!

Read more about New Zealand food you must try!

Kiwis Making History

• The man who discovered the proton and first split an atom, Baron Ernest Rutherford, was a Kiwi.
• In 2006, all of New Zealand’s highest positions were held by women: Queen, Governor General, Prime Minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chief Justice. That makes it the first country in the world to ever have an all-female leadership in this way!
• New Zealand was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893!
• AJ Hackett was the first person to create a commercial bungee jump. You can still do this jump at Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown.
• Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Everest with his Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Hillary is a proud New Zealander.
• Although not physically near most of the countries involved in WW1, New Zealand suffered a 58% casualty rate in the war.
• The most wanted person by the Gestapo in WW2 was Nancy Wake. She once killed an SS sentry with her bare hands!

Unique Fun Facts About New Zealand

• New Zealand once appointed a National Wizard in 1990.
• A self-governed New Zealand island has Pokemon images on their currency. Visit Niue to check them out!
• Although the Kiwi is a flightless bird, it appears on the Royal New Zealand Air Force logo.
• There are more people living in Auckland than in the entire South Island!
• New Zealand’s government has prepared for shipwrecks. In 1867 and 1927 they filled huts with supplies on remote islands.
• Although New Zealand has no nuclear power stations, they have a huge hole in the ozone above them.
• All New Zealand high schools and colleges can have 1lb of uranium on hand. BUT they’ll get fined it explodes.
• In 2001, 50,000 Kiwis identified as the “Jedi” religion on the census. That made it the second most popular religion in the country.
• New Zealand hired a Minister of the Lord of the Rings to the government to take advantage of tourism opportunities from the films to help increase tourism revenue in the country.
• The first weather report in Elvish was broadcast in New Zealand in 2012.
• TV ads are banned on Christmas, ANZAC Day, Good Friday and Easter.
• The country basically closes down for four weeks around Christmas. If you’re moving to New Zealand, don’t come around this time to avoid disappointment in getting a job.
• Most Kiwis spend Christmas on the beach!
• Technically, New Zealand is listed as a state of Australia.
• Kiwi office buildings have to keep emergency rations of food and water in case of an earthquake.
• The oldest father in New Zealand was 111 when he had a child! Don’t worry – he’s a tuatara, a native lizar.
• New Zealand is home to the largest Dark Sky Reserve, offering stellar views of the stars due to a lack of light pollution.
• Did you know there are Southern Lights? New Zealand is one of the few places to see the Aurora Australias.

5 Weird Facts About New Zealand

• New Zealand is home to the world’s only jaffa race, where they throw chocolate balls down Baldwin Street. Fastest wins!
• Although most people know New Zealand for its Marlborough white wines, one of their most famous alcohols is a beer. The “Sobering Thoughts” beer became famous when it was consumed in the Lord of the Rings films.
• Freshwater eels in New Zealand have an average life span of 80 years. That’s the same as the average Kiwi!
• Pizza Hut primarily gets its cheese from Taranaki, New Zealand.
• The Pohutukawa tree is also known as a New Zealand Christmas tree due to the red blooms on its branches in December.

Closing Thoughts

Every new weird fact I learn about New Zealand makes me fall even more in love with the country. I mean where else can you see the first sunset, visit the most penguins, and see a glacier in a rainforest?

Literally nowhere!

Knowing these New Zealand fun facts will help you understand the unique Kiwi personality that’s so fun and playful. The people are some of the friendliest you’ll ever meet, and one of the major pros of living in New Zealand.

Share these interesting facts about New Zealand with your friends to help the nation be known for something other than Hobbits and rugby!

In my ideal world, they’d be known for their weird chocolate race and Christmases on the beach.

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I Think You’ll Love These New Zealand Posts:

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• Visiting the Stunning Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand

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