1. Which creature lays these eggs?

C. Grey Nurse Sharks

The sharks screw the eggs into crevices in rocks on the sea bed to keep them secure. 

2. What did scientists discover in fossilised moa poo in Central Otago? 

B. Kōwhai seeds, showing that the area was once forested

Now bare, Central Otago was once largely covered with forests of kōwhai and other trees. 

3. Fossils of Kumimanu fordycei, perhaps the world’s largest ever penguin, were discovered in the Waitaki district in 2017. Kumimanu is estimated to have weighed up to:

A. 150 kg

Some estimates have Kumimanu at only about 100 kg - still a whopper. 

4. Which of these is NOT a type of computer logic gate

D. GOSH

Logic gates are the fundamental building blocks of digital computers. There are seven main kinds, but no GOSH gate. 

5. In 1990 a count of Asia’s endangered Black-faced spoonbills revealed there were only 288 birds remaining in the world. By 2022 there were:

C. 6,162

A good news story! Still endangered, but the beautiful Black-faced spoonbill is slowly recovering. 

6. Which of these products was inspired by technology developed for use in space?

C. Baby food in foil packets

There are of course several other famous things that were invented as part of the space race, such as Velcro. 

7. In 1918 Alexander Turnbull left his collection of over 55,000 books, manuscripts and artworks to the country. It was valued at £51,800, equivalent to NZ$8.3 million dollars now. The collection has since expanded greatly. How much is it estimated to be worth today? ​​​​​​​

D. Over $1 billion

No doubt Turnbull’s original collection is also worth far more than $8 million - that’s just “inflation adjusted”.  

8. What was the diameter of the largest kauri tree ever measured?

D. 8.3 m

The widest kauri tree still living, Te Matua Ngahere, is about 5.2m in diameter. 

9. At the outbreak of World War 2, the territory that now makes up the nation of Papua New Guinea was administered by what country?

C. Australia

Before World War 1 part of it was a British colony and part of it German. Afterwards both parts were administered by Australia. PNG became independent in 1975

10. The first ever chainsaw was invented in the late 1700s. It was used for:

B. Surgery

Scary. 

Thanks for quizzing - hope to see you in 2026!

- The team at Story Inc