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(Website found by Cristina & Iris)

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Details

Written by Laura Flaunty

There are a lot of sheep in New Zealand. There are in fact an estimated 10 sheep to every Kiwi (New Zealanders, not the bird), a few years back the ratio was more like 20 sheep to every person. So if the current population of New Zealand is 4,432,174,* then that would mean the population of sheep would be... 44,321,740. Yes over 44 million sheep!

Some sheep facts from An Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966...

New Zealand's first sheep were set ashore by Captain Cook on 20 May 1773.

Rapid sheep population growth in the 1850s and 1860s was mostly attributable to permanent immigration rather than natural increase. In 1864 alone, 13,000 sheep arrived in Canterbury from Australia. Droughts meant that sheep could always be bought cheaply from Australia. Drought continues to affect Australian farmers and sheep numbers.

The first shipment of frozen lamb and mutton sailed to London from Port Chalmers aboard the Dunedin in 1882.**

In the Agrodome Sheep Show, 19 champion rams of different breeds wait on a platform before making their entrances. After all 19 rams are in place, a shearing demonstration is given with another sheep. At the end of the show, Border Collies demonstrate their agility by running over the backs of the rams.

The New Zealand Agrodome is a 160-hectare working sheep and cattle farm with 1,200 sheep and 120 beef cattle. In 1999, the Agrodome opened a woollen mill that shows all aspects of New Zealand wool processing. The Agrodome gives international visitors to New Zealand a real, hands-on, live experience of farming and a total interaction with sheep, goats, cattle, deer, and baby lambs.***

Sheep are bred for meat and wool. Some people just have them as pets. Back in the days when my mum was a little girl, she use to have a pet sheep. Its name was Taho. One day she came home from School and noticed Taho missing. My Gran told her that Taho had ran away... So of course mum was crying, her brothers and sisters didn't care. They were just excited that they were going to have an awesome dinner. My mum was 30 yrs old when she found out she ate Taho, shes 43 yrs old now and still to this day is very upset about it. I remembered the story after my Gran telling me, but I asked my mum what the sheep's name was. She didn't want to tell me. Hehehe.
References: *http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/tools/population_clock.aspx
**http://population.govt.nz/myth-busters/myth-8.aspx
***http://www.sheep101.info/interestingfacts.html

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Details Written by Laura Flaunty There are a lot of sheep in New Zealand. There are in fact an estimated 10 sheep to every Kiwi (New Zealanders, not the bird), a few years back the ratio was more like 20 sheep to every person.

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With lyrics

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Kids.Net.Au - Encyclopedia > Culture of the Maori

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Kids.Net.Au - Encyclopedia > Culture of the Maori

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The Maori were the first people to live on the islands of New Zealand. They arrived on the islands about 1,200 years ago. Their name means "ordinary people." The Maori call their neighbors of European descent pakeha.

The earliest Maori are sometimes called the Moa Hunters. Their main source of food was the moa, a huge flightless bird that is now extinct. After the moas were gone, the Maori ate smaller birds. They also caught...

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The Maori were the first people to live on the islands of New Zealand. They arrived on the islands about 1,200 years ago. Their name means "ordinary people." The Maori call their neighbors of European descent pakeha.The earliest Maori are sometimes called the Moa Hunters.

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Official website of the All Blacks rugby team of New Zealand. Get the latest news, pictures and video. Meet the team and find out about upcoming matches and past results.

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Maori Village

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maori culture geothermal authentic geysers haka pohutu performance mud-pools 
whakarewarewa  tepuia tepakira waihaio kapa tuhourangi tearawa nzmaci puarenga penny divers geysers hangi waiotapu bluey  thermal reserve institute kiwi guides  heritage educat

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Whakarewarewa The Living Maori Village | Maori Attractions Rotorua

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Maori culture through people living in a harsh geothermal environment

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Sports, games, tatoos, etc. (website found by Carla & Vero)

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The Maori - Tattoo - New Zealand in History

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New Zealand history. An overview covering the pre-historic, colonial and modern periods. Māori history and culture - the Tattoo.

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Map to place the main cities

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Compare a city (Auckland) with a village (Cuarte de Huerva)

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Coins

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Notes

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Want to know all the coolest facts about New Zealand? Well you've come to the right place. Read on for all the information you could ever want about this awesome country. You'll be so clued up you'll be just like a 'Kiwi', a nickname given to New Zealanders.

New Zealand Video

Interesting New Zealand History

New Zealand has an interesting history, from wars and ultimately peace! Take a read of these to get the lowdown.

The Maori people arrived by canoe from islands in Polynesia near Tahiti around 1,000 A.D. That is a seriously long time ago.

New Zealand was founded in 1642 by a Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. He visited the islands, but his party high-tailed it out of there over 100 years later after being attacked.

New Zealand was first called 'Nieuw Zeeland' after a region in the Netherlands.

In 1769, Captain James Cook came to the islands. He was British and they settled there. In 1840 they signed a treaty with the Maori people called The Treaty of Waitangi. This made New Zealand a colony of the British Empire, so their ruler is actually the Queen of England! But the Maori people fought the treaty as all their land was seized. That's not cool! In the 1860's war broke out and it carried on for 12 years. Luckily there was a peaceful ending in the 1870's.

New Zealand Geography

New Zealand is a really remote country, and a flight there from America would take about 13 hours and if you were flying from the UK you'd only get there about 24 hours later. This is one difficult place to get to.

This far away country has two main islands, the North and South Islands and these are separated by the Cook Strait.

It is rather small at 103,883 square miles (269,055 square kilometers). Now this is something to think about - it is about the same size as the UK. Now the UK has 63 million people living there, and New Zealand only has about 4 million. Wow. This means New Zealand is one of the least populated countries in the world.

Do you know how the islands were created? Well, 23 million years ago the land literally popped out of the ocean by volcanic forces. That's amazing.

There are over 50 volcanoes, some of which can still erupt. Watch that you don't go heading up an active volcano if you're there.

The capital city of New Zealand is Wellington; however the largest city is actually Auckland where most people live. Interestingly Wellington is the southernmost capital in the world.

The highest mountain is Aoraki Mount Cook which is 12,316 feet high (3,754 metres). It was first just called just Aoraki or "Cloud Piercer" by the Maori people as they believed that the sons of the sky father, Raki, turned to stone and became the mountains. The summits are considered sacred, as the Maoris believe spirits live there. So if you ever decided to take on the challenge of this big beast of a mountain, don't stand on the summit, as it's disrespectful.

Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, was formed by a massive volcanic eruption 26,000 years ago. It was so huge that the dust could even be seen in China...that's one mighty eruption. Lake Taupo is as big as Singapore. A swim across this lake could take some time.

New Zealand Nature

As it's really remote, New Zealand has some really cool and unusual wildlife that you won't find anywhere else in the world. Read on for some amazing nature info.

Unbelievably nearly all the land mammals are birds and most of them can't fly anymore.

This is a frightening fact! In the last 1,000 years, half of all animals on the islands are now extinct.

But there's more...other animals are also in danger of becoming extinct as forests are cut down and swamps are drained. There are fewer than 75,000 kiwi birds remaining in the wild. It may sound like a lot, but it really isn't. But there's good news too; some species are making a comeback like the kakapo, kokako, kiwi, and tuatara. Ever heard of these animals before? Wow, they've got some strange names.

Bats are the only land mammals to have made the ocean crossing.

New Zealand is home to one of the world's heaviest insects. It's called the weta and is part of the cricket family. It weighs 2.5 ounces (70 grams). That is very heavy for an insect; it weighs three times more than a mouse and looks like a giant cockroach. Yuk! It's hard to imagine an insect that size.

The world's only parrot that can't fly is found here too. It is also home to the oldest reptile, the biggest earthworms and the smallest bats. They really do have some interesting creatures on this awesome island.

So snails are herbivores right? Well not here...there is a giant carnivorous snail that lives on the South Island.

Another extinct species, the Moa bird came from New Zealand. They were 12 feet tall (nearly 4 meters) and weighted over 500 pounds (230kg). That's as heavy as a lion...whoa that's big for a bird.

There is one seriously strange reptile living here called the Tuatara, which are a species that are really closely linked to dinosaurs - awesome, it would be cool to see one of these. They've been around for about 150 million years and can live to be 300 years old. Imagine if we lived until 300? All the things we could do. But there's something even more interesting about these reptiles, they are the only creature on earth that is born with a third eye, just like the character from Captain America, only their eye gets covered with skin after 6 months.

There was a tuatara named Henry and in 2008 he became a proud father at the ripe old age of 111.

One cool thing, unless you like them of course, is that there are absolutely no snakes in New Zealand at all.

Another animal that is only found in this part of the world is the Hector's Dolphin. It's the world's smallest marine dolphin, and only grows to about 5 feet (1.5 metres) long. Let's compare that to the world's biggest dolphin, the Killer Whale (yes it's a dolphin). They grow to about 26 feet (8 meters long) and can weigh up to 6 tons. The killer whale is about 5 times bigger than the Hector's Dolphin.

The People of New Zealand

Here we've got some cool info on the people of New Zealand:

We've given you some information about Maori people, but they're indigenous to the island and descend from Polynesia.

The Maori named the country, Aotearoa, which means "The Land of the Long White Cloud." What an awesome name.

New Zealand has three official languages: English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.

There are two national anthems and everybody learns them and sings them both equally throughout the country.

There is actually a word for New Zealand English, which is a mixture between English and Maori, it's called 'Newzild'.

More Interesting Information about New Zealand

Here are some totally random facts that are hard to believe, but super interesting!

Bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand, and the world's first commercial bungee jump was a 140 foot (43 meter) jump off the Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown in 1988. That leap is just under half the height of the Statue of Liberty...that is a long, long jump. Do you think you would be up for the challenge?

The Kiwi's love their cars. There are 2.5 million cars for 4 million people which make their car ownership one of the highest in the world. That's more than half the population. When you compare it to the UK, about ¼ of households don't have a car at all!

Did you know that Sir Edmund Hillary who was the first person to climb Mount Everest was a New Zealander?

New Zealand is the very first country to see the sun every day!

There are more golf courses and book shops in New Zealand when compared to the population, than any other country in the world. So they must be super fit and pretty smart.

A huge 220 pounds (100kg) of butter and 143 pounds (65kg) of cheese are produced for each person that lives in New Zealand each year. If you're eight you would probably weigh around 57 pounds; so they're producing about 4 times your weight in butter and about double your weight in cheese. Try and pick up something that heavy...bet you won't be able to!

There are nine sheep to every person in the country! That's a whole heap of sheep.

In New Zealand you can drive when you're 15, that's pretty young.

If you want to be an official citizen you have to sing the national anthem in front of the immigration committee. Best you brush up that singing voice.

Try this for a tongue twister! The longest place name in the world is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, which is a hill in Hawkes Bay. Do you think you could pronounce that?

In the Star Trek: First Contact movie there's a scene where you can see earth from space, and guess what's missing? New Zealand of course. How weird!

There is a bird called the kea, and it does the strangest thing; it pulls windscreen wipers off cars and eats the rubber. That can't be too tasty!

Can you take a guess as to how much of the population is made up of animals? Amazingly 95%, making humans a mere 5% of the population.

You probably know this, but all three Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in New Zealand. What you might not know is that this put heaps of money into the country's pockets; around $200 million. They even created a Minister for Lord of the Rings.

Super cool fact. A man broke into a radio station in 1996 and held the manager hostage. Why? Well he really wanted to hear the Muppet song "Rainbow Connection".

To prove the intelligence of shelter animals, two rescue dogs were taught to drive a car around a track. Imagine if your dog could drive, it could take you everywhere you need to go.

Right, now this is weird but true. In 1990 the New Zealand Prime Minister actually made someone a National Wizard. Maybe it was to make up potions to bring the Hobbits back.

Ever seen a train truck running across an airport runway? Don't think so. Well at Gisborne airport there is a train track...often planes or trains have to wait their turn for the other to pass. Sounds a bit dangerous.

On the island of Niue, which is part of New Zealand, they have Pokemon on their coins, and even some with Star Wars images on them. That would be cool money to collect.

How cool would money be with Hobbit images on it? Well New Zealand is the only country allowed to do this. Awesome.

A family wanted to name their child 4Real, but guess what, the government wouldn't allow it. So what did they call him? Superman! Ha, there's a real live superhero running around New Zealand.

Can you believe this? There are more vending machines in Japan than there are people in New Zealand.

The most unique McDonalds in the world is situated in an area of New Zealand called Taupo. You eat in a decommissioned DC3 plane. That's definitely a place to visit.

For such a small and remote country, there is so much about New Zealand that is both entertaining and interesting at the same time!
Are you ready to share your new found knowledge with your friends?
Useful Websites

Lonely Planet guide to NZ.

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New Zealand Facts Want to know all the coolest facts about New Zealand? Well you've come to the right place. Read on for all the information you could ever want about this awesome country. You'll be so clued up you'll be just like a 'Kiwi', a nickname given to New Zealanders.

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Top 20 fun facts about New Zealand - facts.co

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New Zealand facts - How did New Zealand get its name - What is the national bird of New Zealand - top 20 interesting cool fun New Zealand facts for kids - Which is the tallest free-standing tower in the western hemisphere

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New Zealand Facts for Kids

Learn some interesting information about New Zealand while enjoying a range of fun facts and trivia that's perfect for kids!

Read about New Zealand's tallest mountain, its population, major cities, islands, exports, animals, popular sports and much more.

New Zealand is located in the south-western Pacific Ocean and features two main islands, the North Island and the South Island, as well as other smaller ones.

Other smaller islands include Stewart Island, Waiheke Island, Chatham Island, Great Barrier Island and more, although many are uninhabited.

The capital city of New Zealand is Wellington while the largest city is Auckland.
Other major cities include Christchurch, Hamilton and Dunedin.

The population of New Zealand was estimated to be around 4.5 million at the start of 2013.

The official spoken languages of New Zealand are English and te reo Maori, with English being the most widely used.

Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.

The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa.

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 between the British and Maori, making New Zealand a colony of the British Empire.

In 1893 New Zealand became the first country in the world to give all women the right to vote.

Due to its isolation, New Zealand has developed unique animal and plant life.

The bird species of New Zealand are particularly diverse, including alpine parrots and ground dwelling Kiwis.

The term 'Kiwi' is also used as a nickname for a New Zealander.

The Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in New Zealand.

In New Zealand they drive on the left-hand side of the road.

Located in the South Island, the highest mountain in New Zealand is Aoraki Mount Cook which reaches 3,754 metres (12,316 ft) in height.

Dairy products are New Zealand's highest earning exports.

Rugby is the most popular spectator sport in New Zealand but a variety of sports such as football (soccer), cricket, netball, golf and others are popular among participants.

For more information, check out maps of New Zealand or take a closer look at the New Zealand flag.

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Fun New Zealand Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about NZ

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New Zealand Facts for Kids Learn some interesting information about New Zealand while enjoying a range of fun facts and trivia that's perfect for kids! Read about New Zealand's tallest mountain, its population, major cities, islands, exports, animals, popular sports and much more.

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Google maps to search for cities and places

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Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

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General information

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New Zealand Facts for Kids | KidzSearch.com

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New Zealand (also called Aotearoa) is an Oceanian country in the south-western Pacific Ocean. It is made up of two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and several much smaller islands. It is currently ranked as the 8th happiest country in the world.

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FAST FACTS

OFFICIAL NAME: New Zealand/Aotearoa (Maori)

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary democracy

CAPITAL: Wellington

POPULATION: 4,401,916

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: English/Maori

MONEY: New Zealand dollar

AREA: 103,883 square miles (269,055 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Southern Alps, Kaikoura Ranges

MAJOR RIVERS: Waikato, Clurtha, Rangitaiki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Buller, Rakaia, Waitaki, Waiau

GEOGRAPHY

New Zealand is a remote, mountainous group of islands in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. The two main islands, North and South Islands, are separated by the Cook Strait. Australia, its nearest neighbor, is 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away.

The islands were created just 23 million years ago when land was thrust out of the ocean by volcanic forces. New Zealand has more than 50 volcanoes, some of which are still active today. Sharp snowy peaks, rocky shores, and pastures create a majestic landscape.

The South Island is home to the highest mountain peak in New Zealand, Mount Cook, which rises to 12,316 feet (3,754 meters) and is called "Cloud Piercer" by the Maori people.

PEOPLE & CULTURE
New Zealanders, or "Kiwis" as they are called, have been shaped by their isolation. Today, most Kiwis are no longer farmers, with 86 percent of the population living in cities. More people live in the city of Auckland on North Island, than the whole population of South Island.

The Maori named the country, Aotearoa, "The Land of the Long White Cloud." The Maori culture is widely respected by New Zealanders and many parcels of land under dispute were returned to the Maori in 1998.

Rugby is the favorite sport and nearly everyone cheers on the national team, the All Blacks. Many Kiwis also enjoy cricket.

NATURE
Because of its remote location, New Zealand is rich in unusual wildlife not seen anywhere else in the world. Nearly all the land animals are birds and many of these species have lost the ability to fly. The Maori people and European settlers introduced animals to the islands and the flightless birds had no defense against them.

In the last 1,000 years, half of all animals on the islands have become extinct. Deforestation and draining of swamp land is also threatening many remaining species, including the kiwi bird. Fewer than 75,000 wild kiwis remain. Several species are recovering, including the kakapo, kokako, kiwi, and tuatara.

Bats are the only land mammals to have made the ocean crossing. Birds and insects, such as the weta, evolved to fill the gap of mammals on the islands. The giant weta, at 2.5 ounces (70 grams), weighs three times more than a mouse. It is a relative of crickets and is considered one of the world's heaviest insects.

Pilot and humpback whales visit the islands on their way to breed, and orcas come to feed on dolphins.

New Zealand Dollar

Photograph by Asafta, Dreamstime

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

New Zealand's government is based on the parliamentary democracy based on the system used in Britain. There are 122 seats in the House of Representatives and each is elected for a three-year term. Seven seats are reserved for the Maori and they are chosen by Maori voters.

There are two main parties, National and Labour. The party with the most elected representatives forms the government. The leader of the party is the Prime Minister.

Tourism is the main industry in New Zealand with over two million visitors a year. The main exports are lamb, butter, kiwifruit, and wine.

HISTORY

The Maori people arrived by canoe from islands in Polynesia near Tahiti around 1,000 A.D. In the 1600s, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited the islands, but his party left after being attacked. New Zealand was named Nieuw Zeeland after a region in the Netherlands.

In 1769, Captain James Cook came to the islands. The British established settlements and signed a treaty with the Maori in 1840. The Maori protested the treaty after their lands were seized, and in the 1860s, they began a 12-year war against the British for control of North Island. Peace was restored to the islands in the 1870s.

In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote. The country became a dominion of Britain in 1907 and gained its independence from Britain in 1947.

Check out the interactive map and discover more countries.

Get Facts, Photos, and videos.

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FAST FACTS OFFICIAL NAME: New Zealand/Aotearoa (Maori) FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary democracy CAPITAL: Wellington POPULATION: 4,401,916 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: English/Maori MONEY: New Zealand dollar AREA: 103,883 square miles (269,055 square kilometers) MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Southern Alps, Kaikoura Ranges MAJOR RIVERS: Waikato, Clurtha, Rangitaiki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Buller, Rakaia, Waitaki, Waiau GEOGRAPHY New Zealand is a remote, mountainous group of islands in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.

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New Zealand Flag colors, meaning and symbolism

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The flag of New Zealand is a beautiful flag of blue, red and white colors. The 4 stars on the New Zealand flag represent - colors, meaning and symbolism